Friday, August 29, 2014

THE BIG C BLOGHOP UPDATE!

Hi All!


For all of you bloggers who missed this last week, I am reposting this. For those who have read it, I hope you bear with me. I just wanted to update.

Thanks to all who have already spread the word and signed up! But I'd love to see lots more of you who have the time to post and become part of the anthology!

Melissa went for her last round of chemo yesterday, so please send positive vibes and prayers her way that all went well. You ALL have been so gracious with your healing thoughts and prayers. I KNOW Melissa appreciates it so much. You guys are the best!

HAVE and AWESOME LABOR DAY WEEKEND EVERYONE!



Well today I'd like to remind everyone of about the Anthology for cancer created by Melissa Bradley and myself. To refresh your memory a few weeks ago I mentioned that we are creating an anthology to help with Melissa's absorbent medical costs. She will also be donating part of the proceeds!

For this anthology post on Sept 15 a story about cancer. We are trying for comical, uplifting, inspirational... Let's give cancer a big kick in the pants! All posts will be included in the anthology so please edit it as best you can. Thanks All!!!

SO please sign up on the linky and feel free to post this badge on your blog. We'd really appreciate all of you getting the word out!

Melissa also sent me this letter to post for all of you... 


Thank you so very much for all the supportive and wonderful words of encouragement you have sent me. I feel truly blessed to be a part of this community. I am now done with stage 2 of my chemo treatments and it has been a fight. Particularly this last time as I had an allergic reaction to the chemo drugs. I turned redder than a fire engine and horrific pains in my legs. yet all I could think was "freakin" perfect, I look like I could land planes in a blizzard."  Yes, I do keep my sense of humor about me. It sure helps to see the funny side of everything.

I've learned a lot about cancer through this experience so far, more than I ever thought I would know. The most important is having a great attitude and keeping your sense of humor. I also know that this disease is very expensive. To that end I'd love to do a blog hop with vignettes of humor from people who have been touched by this disease, particularly reproductive cancer. I'd love to collect these stories in an anthology to be published. I want to share the profits with Gilda's Club Chicago, an organization that helps women fight endometrial. cervical, and ovarian cancers. I'll keep you all posted.

As far as myself, having lost my job (because what else could go wrong, right?), my friends have started a Go Fund Me page to help with my expenses. Here is the linkhttp://www.gofundme.com/c95f2o If you could share this or even donate, I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you so much for everything.

Hugs,

Melissa

31 comments:

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Good to hear it was her last round of chemo! Plugged the anthology this week and hope even more sign up.

Janie Junebug said...

Oh, yes, what else could go wrong? Your job? Really? Ouch! I had my colonoscopy on Monday. As I drank the preparatory crap, I kept thinking about everyone I know who has some form of cancer and how much better it is to find it as early as possible.

Love,
Janie

Melissa said...

Have a good weekend, Michael.
Sending good thoughts Melissa's way. :)

Chrys Fey said...

I actually have written a short cancer story inspired by two other women I know that I've been wanting to share, and this bloghop gives me an excuse to finally share it. Count me in!

JJ said...

My absolute best vibes to Melissa. I will work on a positive story this weekend.

Roland D. Yeomans said...

I'm in. And my prayers for Melissa are daily. Cancer is so widespread these days. Yet, it hits each of us individually gut deep. May your luck, Melissa, take a turn for the better very, very soon! :-)

Anonymous said...

Awesom post.
Enjoy your Labor Day week-end.

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Michael .. so good you can help Melissa and I'm in with a story of something positive and light for hope ...

Please take some hugs over with you ... all the best to you both - Hilary

Jo said...

Losing your job is the pits. I hope things get better for you soon. Lots of luck on raising the money. I know, from friends, how expensive medical treatments are in the States. As you say the costs are exorbitant.

Rachna Chhabria said...

Good to hear that it was Melissa's last round of chemo and its great that she is holding on to her sense of humour. Prayers for her health.

Elizabeth Seckman said...

Prayers for Melissa! Lost her job? That seriously sucks. But I suppose when she writes her triumph story, it could part of the "all is lost" portion of the tale. The happy ending is right around the corner.

Anonymous said...

Tweeted and Google+'d your post. Continued prayers for Melissa.

farawayeyes said...

Signed up and am beginning to prepare for the 15th. I'll also feature this post on my blog tomorrow in the hope that a few more people will stop by and sign up for the Hop and Anthology.

Hart Johnson said...

Hey, I'm glad you guys started this--I've been out of the blogging loop for a month, but I'm also glad to have run across this--I've been following Melissa's journey on Facebook, but am glad there is this angle, too. Count me in.

Unknown said...

I've been so out of the blogging loop the last few months, but I'm not surprised to find you behind such a great effort when I finally do start sniffing around again. Like others, I've been following Melissa's updates on Facebook. She's fighting her ass off on this, and I'm proud to be in her corner.

Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy said...

I'm not sure if my link took, here it is again, thank you.
http://oregongiftsofcomfortandjoy.blogspot.com/2014/08/the-cancer-assassin-ken-wins.html

It is recent and is about my brother-in-law Ken and my sister Julie and how they have dealt with life since learning of Ken's cancer in April.

I love you, Melissa, and I am praying for you to beat your cancer!

Hugs,
Kathy M.

DEZMOND said...

support for both of my fave Chicago people in the world !

Jemi Fraser said...

spreading the word...

Mark Koopmans said...

I'm in, mate :)

Anything I can do to help!

Michelle Wallace said...

I'm all signed-up!
Now off to finish a story.......

H. R. Sinclair said...

Sending prayers to Melissa right now...

I have to pass on this bloghop. My stories have sad endings, but I support the hop and bless everyone who can participate.

Crystal Collier said...

What a great hop and effort. I'd love to participate, but that's my youngest's birthday, and we're moving into our new house 5 days before...with family coming to visit 3 days later... I think I'm going to have to sit this one out. (Although I definitely won't be sitting.) Lost my father to cancer, so it's definitely a subject near the heart. Maybe too near to write about at this point...

Shah Wharton said...

And I've been feeling rotten because of this damned infection! Such a petty thing to moan about in the light of what Melissa is going through. Wishing her all the best for a quick and permanent recovery!

And as for the job loss, surely there's an employment law been broken there? That ex-boss should be ashamed of him/herself.

Not sure I have a positive spin story for the anthology, although I'd have liked to have contributed to it. No one in my family has recovered from it you see, which I realised is rare now. Treatment for many cancers, if caught in time, is much better.

My step mum died of cancer, around twenty years ago, in her thirties! From onset Leukemia. She was never ill, not even colds and stomach bugs, and then she woke up tired one morning, feeling a little off. By the following week she was dead.

Most of my grandparents died of some from of cancer, too, usually after years of harsh treatments.

Even my sis-in-law just (last week) lost her second friend to cancer. Both friends were in their forties, one from breast, one from bowel cancer. Seems shocking to me that they both died not much older than me.

But we all die eventually, and we can only ask that by that time, we have loved, and been loved enough, to get our families, and ourselves, through it.

I will pass on this blog hop - it's a worthy one. X

shahwharton.com

PK HREZO said...

Hey Michael! What a great event! Just signed up! Cancer is all around us, but it can and does get beaten.

See ya then!

Theresa Milstein said...

I'll spread the word.

Unknown said...

Thank you for putting this together. I know the perfect story to share.

Elise Fallson said...

Hi Michael and Melissa! Just wanted to stop by and say "Kick cancer's ass Melissa!" I've been rackin my brain trying to come up with something to submit for this bloghop. I lost my uncle to cancer and a friend years ago, it's just really hard for me to think of something funny / humorous when dealing with this bitch cancer. And yet, I know how important a positive attitude can have on getting through the shitty treatment....I'll keep thinking but I don't want to submit something half-assed. But either way, I'm thinking of you and sending positive, ass kicking vibes. HUGS!

Jen said...

Beautiful post! So happy to hear Melissa has finished that last round of chemo. Our thoughts and prayers are still with her as she continues to recover. Humor is SO important during illness. Big hugs to you, Michael, for helping spread the word and to Melissa for her bravery and recovery! xo

J.L. Murphey said...

Melissa, keep your chin up. I've done battle with the beast four time and won. Now, I'm caregiver for a terminally ill husband with the Big C, but he ain't dead yet.

Robyn Campbell said...

Michael, I have a scheduled post to go up Monday. Can I do mine Tuesday?

Unknown said...

I've been so busy lately finishing my art exhibits for my one man show here in New Delhi, I have'nt got time to check my blogs. Anyway, I admire Melissa's effort in battling with this tragic disease. It takes a lot of strength to do it. I believe there is a steady improvement in her survival rate. There are many patients abroad that comes here often to find the best cancer treatment in India. Like Melissa, they show great courage and never loses hope!