R - U - Up to the challenge?

Tickets to terminally ill player's first college game sell out in minutes

By Jeff Eisenberg |  

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Since its cramped gym can only hold about 2,000 spectators, Division III Mount St. Joseph University readily accepted an offer to move its  Nov. 2 women's basketball season opener 13 miles east to the 10,250-seat Cintas Center at Xavier University.

Amazingly, even that wasn't enough to satisfy the overwhelming public demand to witness terminally ill freshman Lauren Hill achieve her dream of playing one final basketball game.

The roughly 5,000 upper-level tickets that went on sale for $5 apiece Wednesday morning sold out within 30 minutes, Lions athletic director Steve Radcliffe said Thursday. Mount St. Joseph is reserving the remaining seats to its game against Hiram College for students, guests of the athletic department and Hill's friends and family.

To accommodate interest from those who couldn't buy tickets or who live outside of Cincinnati, Radcliffe said Mount St. Joseph intends to stream the game on its website and is exploring the possibility of having it broadcast locally or nationally. Xavier University spokesman Tom Eiser said a decision on whether to televise the game could come as soon as Friday.

"The support has been incredible and inspiring," Radcliffe said. "We had planned to play this game on campus, but this thing has just gone so crazy and generated so much interest that now we're able to give another 8,000 people the chance to see the game in person. It's going to help raise money and awareness, and I think that's really positive."

The story of Hill's courage has inspired massive interest nationwide since WKRC-TV in Cincinnati, Yahoo Sports and other outlets first shared it last week.

Doctors don't expect Hill to live past December as a result of an inoperable tumor they discovered growing at the base of her brain stem last year. Fearful that Hill wouldn't be strong enough to fulfill her goal of playing college basketball for the first time, the 19-year-old Indiana native's parents asked the school to petition to have its Nov. 15 season opener moved up — a request the NCAA granted earlier this month.

Lauren Hill shows off a new Cincinnati Reds jersey (via @Reds)Moving up the game was critical because Hill's symptoms have worsened the past few weeks. She told Yahoo Sports last week that her hand-eye coordination has deteriorated, she endures frequent headaches, dizziness and nausea and the right side of her body is so weak that her leg often gives out on her when she walks. She has attended practice with Mount St. Joseph's several days this week, but she typically can't last more than a few minutes on the floor without needing a rest.

"She was given the day off yesterday from practice and classes, but she was back today," Radcliffe said. "I know this is a challenge for her from the standpoint that her body isn't doing what she wants it to do, but she's there almost every day. She's putting it all in and embracing the fact she'll get to go on the floor, hear the crowd and get to play in a game."

Hill's story has captured so much attention that cards, letters and packages from across the nation have arrived at Mount St. Joseph addressed to her every day for the past week. On Tuesday, Hill received a visit at practice from Cincinnati Bengals defensive lineman Devon Still, whose four-year-old daughter is battling cancer. On Thursday, a jersey and a letter arrived from the Cincinnati Reds wishing Hill luck in her Nov. 2 game. 

What's most gratifying for Hill is the money and awareness she has raised to support the fight against pediatric cancer. Hill has Diffused Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG), a rare, inoperable pediatric brain tumor that primarily affects children ages 5-10 and kills 90 percent of victims within 18 months.

"Wow" is the only word repeating in my head right now, that's all I can think. Wow. This is unbelievable! Never did I ever think this would happen! I've never been so happy- my wish to spread awareness and play in a college game on the court wearing that jersey #22 is coming. I'm just still in shock right now at how many lives I've touched."

The support has been inspiring for everyone who knows Hill as well. Radcliffe views it as the silver lining to a sad but inspiring story.

"From my perspective as athletic director, I find it incredibly fulfilling that we have the chance to help Lauren tell her story and grant her wish to play in a college basketball game," he said. "It's a story we're pleased to be part of even though it has some bitter-sweetness to it because we know there will be an outcome that's sad. But the game on Nov. 2 hopefully will be a bright shining moment for her and her family before all that." 

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Bill R: So to my readers..... I challenge you. 

Know anyone with a challenge as big as this? 

Do you know their wish? Can you help?

Raise some funds? Make some calls, call in some favors; 

or is it just time to pay-it-forward?

If you don't know who, then visit your local hospital (Cancer ward). The nurses may just be able to introduce you to someone who will come to love you as their hero. 

Let me know if you do and how it is going...... 

We all have the power to "Leave Our Mark"

5,000 people sing "Clouds" to remember a young man https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLhUS_QjcZY


5,000 people gather at Mall of America to sing "Clouds" in honor Zach Sobiech - the 17-year-old who, before passing away in May 2013 from osteosarcoma, wrote the Billboard Hot 100-charting single. 

 Zach Sobiech, a teen with cancer, called "Clouds." Zach and the song became a worldwide sensation, touching the hearts of millions. 

One year later 5,000 fans gathered at Mall Of America Largest Clouds

Choir to remember Zach, who passed away in May of 2013.

Give it some thought. 

If you knew your future was limited in time..... 

what could you do to leave this world a little better place?

Suggestions Welcomed:

It’s Complicated

Posted on October 23, 2014 by Stephanie 

This is a post at Widow’s Voice where Stephanie is a regular weekly contributor. 

Recently I’ve had people say to me, when they learn I’ve been widowed, well, you know he’ll always be with you. I know they say that with all the best intentions…and in a way, I agree, because yes, he will always be in my heart. But it’s not as easy as that. Regardless of what my personal spiritual beliefs are, saying something like that can sound awfully close to someone wanting to gloss over the tragedy of the death of my husband and what it means for me in my own life. Easier to say that and hope the conversation will move away from the uncomfortable subject, right? Or am I being difficult here? What do they expect – that I’ll say, oh, he will? Well that’s great, I feel so much better now! Thanks for letting me know!

I do have my own beliefs about what happens to us when we die. And I have my own suspicions about how Mike occasionally makes his presence known…the wind. The birds.

Most recently, a grasshopper. I’m sure it’s not the same grasshopper, because it’s been happening for months, but at certain moments that will only ever be truly meaningful to me, there it is…on a doorknob, on a light switch, on my computer screen…so much so that I have taken to sighing, rolling my eyes in a playful way and saying hey, Mike. Thanks for being here. Miss you. Love you. Or something like that.

But you still can’t tell me he’s really here. Even if he really were that grasshopper for that moment, or using it to somehow tell me he’s around…it’s still not really him. He’s not sitting here in his full, living body, talking to me, touching me, arguing with me, walking next to me, holding my hand…he’s not here, and he never will be, ever again. I can never talk to him again. I can never ask him questions, hear him sing, or wonder what time he’s coming home.

So, while I want to believe in the grasshopper…I don’t want people to say in some wishy-washy way he’ll always be with me. Can I have it both ways? Is it fair to want to tell people to go to hell when they try to reassure me (I don’t, but I want to), and then try and explain about an insect in the next breath?

I really do feel like a walking enigma. My thoughts and feelings are so all over the chart I even puzzle myself some days. All I can tell you is that grief can be difficult to define or delineate, especially to anyone on the outside.

First of all, no one goes through exactly the same experience. We all have our own stories of grief. We might have lost them through sickness, accidents, suicide, war…it might have been a terrible, long process, or a sudden unexpected moment.

We might have been in beautiful, loving relationships. We might have been having problems. Maybe it was both. We might be strong, resilient personalities. We might be struggling with our own identities. Maybe too, it is both.

Those of us in the middle of it all know by now that the process of our bereavement, the timetable of our grief, doesn’t follow any plan, or clock. It may chug along at a fair pace, as life begins to fill in those empty spaces. Other times, or for other people, an eternity passes between each tick, and “life” feels very, very far away. I often have both sensations going on at the same time.

I guess it’s just complicated. As my genius friend Sarah says: the cup is not half empty or half full. It’s both. I’m a strong person and nowadays in public I’m fairly even-keeled and doing pretty well. But I have my moments – moments usually no one but those closest to me know about. Sometimes, it surprises people that I’m still talking about it, writing about it, missing him, grieving him.

I try and explain how that can be…how I can seem relatively fully-functioning on one hand, and yet come out with all this grief on the other. But I can’t really explain it. Nor can I speak for anyone else and their grief; it’s just how it’s happening for me.

Even though I can claim to have experience and understanding of a deep and abiding grief in a way I never imagined I would have this early in life, I also feel like I have no business telling anyone else what to expect or how to deal with it. Nor, may I say, do I appreciate anyone else other than my grief therapist telling me what to expect, how to experience it, what to think, how to behave, or what I should or shouldn’t be doing with it, or about it.

I don’t have an ending to these thoughts…I don’t feel like these thoughts will ever end, or that there will ever be a tidy summation to grief. So for today, that’s all there is.

What I learned about life and death from a falling leaf....

I asked the leaf whether it was frightened because 

it was autumn and the other leaves were falling.... 

The leaf replied, 


“No. During the whole Spring and 

Summer I was completely alive. 

I worked hard to help nourish the tree, 

and now much of me is in the tree. 

I am not limited by this form. I am also

the whole tree, and when I go back to the soil, I 

will continue to nourish the tree. So I don’t worry 

at all. As I leave this branch and float to the ground, 

I will wave to the tree and tell her,


‘I will see you again very soon.’


That day there was a wind blowing and after a while,

I saw the leaf leave the branch and float down to the 

soil, dancing joyfully, because as it floated it saw itself 

already there back in the tree. It was so happy. 

I bowed my head, knowing that I have a lot to learn 

from the leaf.

Thich Nhat Hanh 





Like the leaf, many believe we are created (born), live to feed the world we live in and then die. Only to be born again and repeat our journey of nourishing our world.

BR

Brain Tumours are Not all the same.....

Not all brain tumours are cancerous and not all benign tumours are harmless.

A brain tumour is an abnormal growth of cells arising from the brain or adjacent tissues inside the skull. Brain tumours represent up to 20 per cent of childhood cancers in Singapore and over a hundred brain tumour cases are treated at the National Neuroscience Institute (NNI) annually.

Dr David Low, Consultant Neurosurgeon at the Department at Neurosurgery of the National Neuroscience Institute (NNI), a member of the SingHealth group, explains the basic types of brain tumours, the difference between brain tumour and brain cancer, as well as the symptoms to look out for. 

Types of brain tumours

There are two basic types of brain tumours - primary and secondary (metastatic).

Primary brain tumours

Primary brain tumours arise from the brain and are named after the part they come from. They can either be benign (non-cancerous) or malignant (cancerous).

Benign tumours grow slowly and do not spread to other areas of the body. However, they can still result in severe dysfunction by exerting harmful pressure on adjacent parts of the brain. Malignant tumours, on the other hand, grow rapidly and invade healthy cells in the brain. They tend to spread to adjacent structures and to the spinal column through cerebrospinal fluid dissemination.

The most common types of primary brain tumours are....

• Meningioma - It arises from the meninges, the membrane covering the brain.
• Glioma - It arises from the glial cells, which are support cells of the nervous system.
• Medulloblastoma - Commonly present in children and is the most common childhood brain tumour. It is highly malignant and develops in the cerebellum.

Secondary brain tumours

Secondary brain tumours are also known as metastatic brain tumours and are mostly malignant. They are a result of cancer cells that have spread from another part of the body. For example, breast, lung and colon cancers may metastasise to the brain via the blood stream and result in secondary brain tumours.

“Both primary and secondary brain tumours can affect the proper functioning of the brain and nervous system. If left unchecked, they can cause severe impairment, or even death. It is therefore important to watch out for warning signs and consult a doctor early if symptoms persist or worsen over time,” says Dr Low.

Brain tumour symptoms

Depending on the type of brain tumour, symptoms may vary and present gradually.

Common brain tumour symptoms include the following:

• Headaches that recur and intensify, especially in the morning
• Nausea and vomiting
• Seizures or fits
• Unexplained drowsiness
• Double vision, blurring or trouble seeing properly
• Increasing difficulty with speech and hearing
• Growing weakness in the limbs
• Problems with hearing, balance and coordination
• Marked changes in memory, concentration or alertness

However, some of these symptoms may also be present in other medical conditions. Again, it is prudent to consult a doctor to determine your medical condition.

Did you know that?

• There are over 120 types of primary brain tumours. The most common types are meningioma and glioma.
• A brain tumour can be diagnosed based on a CT scan and an MRI. However, to determine the type of brain tumour, a biopsy is required.
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Bill Robson C.A.E., ATM gained his experience in grief as a

• Grief Counselor

• Distress Telephone Centre Trainer  

• Hospice Volunteer

• Group Facilitator, Bereavement

• Youth & Family Counseling  

NOTES:

There are resources in many communities, call your local volunteer bureau for a list of organizations that can assist you.

My Doctor says... "All I need is LOVE...."

From a fellow Blogger

doc-mum.blogspot.com/

I had my first session with a psychiatrist yesterday, and it was worth it. 

18 months after suddenly losing my son......

Here is a summary of what we discussed:

• when a mother loses a child there is a biological need to scoop that mother up and nurture her for a prolonged period of time. I haven't had that from anybody. Instead I went back to work 3 days after the funeral due to financial commitments, then quickly moved house and lost my father. This has resulted in an inability to grieve properly....i.e distorted bereavement.

• all I need is LOVE....

• I have 'adapted' to my situation in a way that has made me somehow function. This is the 'strength' that people refer to. It is the difference between me functioning and me dissolving. It is a good thing and has stopped me from plunging into depression, but it has taken every ounce of energy out of me. 

• I need to carry a token of Will around with me.....a symbol of the fact that whilst I don't believe I will see him again, I do know I carry him (in the form of one of his guitar picks) with me in my heart forever more.

• I need structured time off with the task of filling that time with things that I enjoy, not just wallowing. I need to laugh and feel loved.

• At work I need to be prepared for challenging patients, for they are ever present.

• I need to continue therapy - it creates that 'supportive space' that I have lacked. 

So here's to a slower recovery pace, with the love of my friends, and the help of others. 

Tx

Meet Sharon a Brain Tumour Survivor

Sharon’s Story - A mother of four

I am a married mother of 4, ages 12, 10, 8, and 3.
Early in the spring I began to have headaches. 
 Initially, they started mild, and most often times, 
ibuprofen would help to alleviate their symptoms. 
As the weeks progressed, they began to get more 
debilitating; to the point I was not able to hold my 
head up during an “episode”.

I began seeing my family physician for medical help,
and he began prescribing “migraine” medications,
and advised me that if they continued to get worse, to go the emergency department 
for injections of Demerol, or Toradol to relieve the pain. He concluded that they were 
simply “tension headaches” because the muscles in my neck seemed to be quite tight. 
I was a student – and he thought that juggling school and home life was causing stress.

I began waking up during the night with torturing headaches, and within a few months, 

I began seeing the chiropractor and massage therapist for assistance.  The massage 

therapist noted how tight my neck muscles were, and requested that I have frequent visits 

a few times a week. The chiropractor was seeing me regularly as well, and was doing neck 

manipulation.  After a series of sessions, my symptoms were getting worse, followed with 

blurry vision and I was advised to keep being persistent with my family doctor, because 

clearly SOMETHING was not normal.

I decided on my own, to see the eye doctor – perhaps my prescription changed?
I saw the Optometrist Wed Sept 28. The optometrist dilated my pupils, and
reacted very quickly telling me he had found a hemorrhage behind my left eye, and
requested I see a colleague of his immediately.  He sent me to an Ophthalmologist 
within 30 minutes, and I began a series of tests (visual field tests, and examinations).  
The specialist explained that he wanted to send me for an MRI and to a Neurologist to 
rule out the options, he had a few thoughts on what it could be, but wanted to be certain 
before making a diagnosis.

On Oct 3, I was seen by a neurologist who suggested that I needed a stint put in –
his thoughts were a blocked vein in my brain.  He was going to send me for a spinal tap
Thursday Oct 6,  and begin procedures after my MRI booked for Wednesday Oct 5. 
On Oct 5, I went to my MRI. When I was leaving, I asked the technician when I would know
the results, and she responded not for about 2 weeks, but that the doctor would contact
me.  I remember looking at the screen in front of her, and saying to my husband, I don’t 
think it looked normal….something is wrong, I just feel it.  He assured me I was being 
paranoid, and we started on our way back home (an hour away).

Before we made it home, my cell phone began to ring. It was the Neurologist, who
asked me to put the phone on speaker phone so he could talk to both my husband 
and me.  He started telling me that they had found a brain tumor, and needed me to return 
to the hospital immediately to start on medications.  When I arrived, I was further told that I 
had significant brain swelling, which had caused one of the ventricles in my brain to 
completely close, and the other was not far from closing itself.  My brain stem had shifted 
9 mm already, and they needed to keep me under close watch right away.  They were not 
going to do the spinal tap – and were quite relieved they hadn't decided to it before the MRI 
because I would have been in terrible shape.

The night before my surgery, my children came up to see me, and when it was time for them
to go, it was the hardest thing I had to do.  I kept my chin up, and said “I will see you soon!”
all the while thinking that I might not.

My surgery was Oct 7, (Thanksgiving Weekend) – only 2 days after finding out I had a brain 
tumor.I was told it was sitting in a location that controls my right side functions(handwriting), 
my speech, eyesight, ability to walk, and memory.  My surgery was supposed to be 6 hours, 
and they were able to get it out in 3 ½ hours.  All I could think about was; am I going to live; 
will I wake up; what about my children; what is my quality of life going to be when I wake up?

The tumor was Meningioma Stage 2 brain tumour – it was non-malignant after the results
from pathology came back. However, I am closely monitored – having MRI scans done  
every 3 months. This is a slow growing tumour that has potential to grow back, but they tell 
me I will be 90 or older when that happens. My recent images still show “enhancements” 
but at this stage they can’t be certain if it is tumor tissue or if it is simply scar tissue.

The surgeon told me I was “one in a million” because I woke with no significant
complications. My vision improved, my speech, my memory, ability to walk – 
everything!! I was truly a miracle!!

For more of Sharon's story: http://blog.braintumour.ca/stories/sharons-story/