Interview (Video) + Trip Update

A few days ago, I was interviewed about my impending trip. It was a very spontaneous interview. It was something that took me to new places, as I had never done a Google Chat before. I also had to relinquish control of some things to make it happen. I hate the cover image, LOL.

But, the only way to do things, is to do things. I am in the process of ordering some cards from Staples. I called to see if they would do something to help me with the cost. I offered an exchange. I got back, "I'm sorry. We wish we could..." I quite boldly said if they wanted to, they could donate to my private funding request.

So many people are telling me this is just a blip in my life. It is just a place I go before I go to other things. It is the "death" of "a" me, but not necessarily my physical body's death. I don't know if it is optimism, hope, or if perhaps they "know" something.  In a way, having it in part all three of those things wouldn't be a bad thing.

Until I get to the point I am where I will be, there will be no way to know what will be. If you think about it, that is life, really.

I have been saying that surgery is not an option. Well. It is not an option because one possible option I had ruled out from the beginning. I thought the surgery was 10-12 hours. Well. It it could be up to 16. They open you up, they take out an obvious tumors they can get to, and then they pour in warmed up chemo, seal you up, and shake you up on the table for a while, unseal you, take the chemo out, and then hope for the best. It has some unpleasant possibilities that come as a result - including death.

When I was first told of the surgery, it sounded like it had a fairly high mortality rate. I wasn't interested, and didn't have to be. I wasn't "there." Apparently those who often do the surgery do it with the knowledge that they may not make it out alive - but it is the only thing they have.

Lately I have been thinking about the surgery, and I was calling people yesterday to find out more, and to meet with the surgeon. I am conflicted, given I am about to embark on my month long trip. I won't be able to meet with him until I return in November.

On top of everything else, I now find out that they may not be willing to do the surgery if come January 1 I do not have insurance they take. Because of the nature of the surgery, you are in ICU for 7-10 days immediately following it. After that, in the hospital at least a couple of weeks. It also takes a week to prepare for it, and then there is follow up.

Oh, and one other thing. It is possible my friend is getting closer to buying a house. When I get back, it is possible that we are going to move.

To date, I have raised about $2000 for my trip, and have been invited by 2 people to stay over. One is in PA, and the other in TX. I was thinking this morning about how it is interesting to navigate the waters of something that doesn't seem to be working out. Do you take it as a sign that it isn't something you are supposed to do, or is it a sign to you that if it is important, you need to keep going?

If I don't raise another dollar before I go, I will need to raise an average $250 a day during my trip to make it happen. I sure would love to know I had it before I left, but I am going to leave and see what happens. I am so overwhelmed with things and questions. If I return a rental car to Baltimore when it was supposed to wind up in Seattle, and I return it earlier than expected, there may be some serious repercussions financially. I can only hope that they will be kind to me if that does happen. I can't control much of anything right now, so I will just have to play the cards that show up when, and if, they do.

By the way, Cindy Carter at the CancerSupportFoundation.org is working with me now. You can donate money through her organization, and it is tax deductible. Send a check, and I get all of it. If it goes through Paypal, Paypal's fee is taken out. Makes sense to me. Just make sure that you earmark it for me.

I know there is more I wanted to talk about, but I think I covered most of it. If you would like to see the interview with Subira Folami, you can watch below. She will be showing me how to do what she did, and there can be streaming through my Facebook page. My intention is to work it out so I can do that while I am out on the road. You may want to LIKE and follow Relatetocancer on Facebook. I am not yet sure how I am going to do things. But I want to make them as simple as possible, for several reasons.

I hope you will join me in spirit, and tell others about this trip, and if what I speak to speaks to you, I would appreciate a donation. Even $1 helps. Truly. If you have a Paypal account, you can send me $1 to thankyou at JoLoPe.com (use @ symbol when you do it) and send it as a friend, and no fee will come out of it.

I hope to really make a difference on this trip. It is not just about me. It is about those who are dealing with cancer, and those who have yet to meet it. I want to have the kinds of conversations along the way that many don't have. They are the conversations that, while uncomfortable, people seem to appreciate. Help me please to do this. It feels important in so many ways.

If you agree, help me by telling everyone you know. Post on Facebook, Twitter, all media sites. Contact any media. Help me raise funds. Help me find safe places to stay. Help me connect with Reiki Practitioners and healers who would be willing to work with me for a trade - which we can discuss. There are all kinds of things you can do, maybe even things I don't know about.

Here's the interview:



PS One last thing. If you haven't yet seen this request, please check it out and consider what you might say. I would appreciate the comments. So many times nice things are said about people after they're gone. I wouldn't mind hearing them now. Thanks.

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