David P

Way to go Lisa. I know how difficult it is to do interviews without being totally nervous. We're all very proud of you for stepping up and taking this on. I can hardly wait to see it and the impact it might have on our cause. Thanks, and take care. David P.

Hi there Barb. We haven't officially met yet. My name is David. How do you do? I am well, thank you. Wow, look whose talking about being supportive -- you who only joined a few months ago and have a couple hundred posts already; they're all over the board in all the forums; you're always praying for someone, and God Blessing them; and you always seem so darned happy and positive! Barb, you epitomize what this website and message board were started for. We are all thankful that you continue to give of yourself. Thank you Barb, and take care. David P.

Hey there DonnaTomgorad. ALWAYS expect the unexpected! I too expected my life would soon be over at the ripe old age of 19, after all, - "they" told me it would be. But that's not the way I saw it...and I'm lucky enough to still be around. Get some more information. Find the best medical people you can. Find that positive attitude - it's there somewhere. And don't give up. Keep us posted Donna. (and I'd love to hear the story behind the "Tomgorad" handle). Take care. David P.

Hey there Mary Lou. Welcome. And as you can see, the advice and support you will receive from the caring individuals on this message board is from the heart - from those that have "been there, done that." There are many here surviving multiple reoccurrences, as for me, I was lucky enough to only have one occurrence -- but they told me I was going to be pushing up daisies... and I'm still here. You must have hope; don't consider the worst; always be positive; encourage your friend to seek out the best medical advice around, to eat healthy and stay active, and don't give up. Sounds like you've been an awesome supporter to your friend so far... that won't change. Try making an audio or video recording of yourself to send to your friend. Talk to her often on the phone. Get her to register and participate in LCSC -- I'd love to meet and chat with her. I'm sure you won't have any difficulty finding that optimism again. Keep us posted Mary Lou, and take care. David P.

Please accept my condolences on the passing of your beautiful daughter. We will all miss her, and always remember her for her strength. David P.

Dear Melissa. I too am sorry to hear about the loss of your mother. Please accept my condolences to you and your family. Take care. David P.

I agree with Addie, Pat. There is room in all this for you. It might not have to be all about you, but there is room at the Inn for Pat. Don't be so hard on yourself.(and you'd have a hard time trying to convince all who have read your posts that it has been all about you - we know you better than that). Take care. David P.

Hey there Mare. Two years is a long time -- Congratulations. But if you need something to help you stay on track, consider this in a logical fashion... Clean air through your delicate lungs...OR... Polluting, filthy, dirty, chemical filled air saturating your delicate lungs... Easy choice, isn't it? Take care. David P.

Hi Rachel. Hope you figure out the pain thing. And here's to good scan results. Take care, and keep us posted. David P.

Hey Becky, and welcome. It's good to hear you have been finding comfort in reading messages on the board, and it's nice to see you finally post. My advice is to be aggressive with your questions and your search for answers. In my experience here, I have seen this is not a disease you can play a waiting game with. Be hard nosed with your research, your questions, and your demands. And if you can swing it, and you're not totally satisfied with your mom's doctors' efforts -- second opinions never hurt. Take care Becky, and keep us posted. David P.

Congratulations Don and Lucie for going the extra distance to help others travelling such a familiar road. I know what you mean Don, when you say how much it helps the two of you when you are in the support roll. I have been attending LC support meetings monthly for the past five months; and even though the conversations are the same as we have here on the message board, it takes on a much more personal feel when done face to face. Way to go you two -- you continue to inspire and motivate many of us with all your examples of caring and sharing. Take care. David P.

Hi Karen. I want to thank you for choosing to stay an active member of the message board. You have a wealth of experience that will help many people get through what you are experiencing. And I don't think I have ever heard it described before -- the things a spouse must do and the feelings one must deal with when a spouse passes away. Thanks for that. Take care Karen; I look forward to seeing you post when you get all settled in. David P.

Hey there Fay. I agree whole heartedly with all who have already posted, although I have never experienced anything like that myself. But having known you since the onset of our message board, and knowing your affinity for speaking your mind -- how is it you didn't say something to enlighten this assistant right then and there? I know, you have your reasons. Anyway, enough is enough!! I can't keep it in any longer. Fay, imagine I am looking into your eyes... "Fay, you poor thing." Take care. David P.

Glad to hear you're feeling better, Peggy. It must be very difficult for you and Don right now, but it sounds like he's in good hands. Unfortunately the choice to go ahead with treatment is the best of two evils. Take care, and make sure you get some "Peggy Time" in there as well -- it will help you deal with the stress and worry of it all. David P.

Thanks Maryanne and Caryl for keeping us posted. This is a difficult time for anyone dealing with later stages of this disease. My thoughts are with Cathy and her family, and the new baby. David P.

Hi Rochelle. A photo of a couple of cute kids... how is it that Tyler is 17 years older, but not you?? Congrats on the anniversary. Take care. David P.

Hi there Nell. I am sorry to hear your husband passed away from this awful disease, but I'm pleased to hear you have found comfort from reading posts for the past year. I'm also glad to see you are willing to start laughing again (mind you, you have to watch some of the jokes in the "Just for Laughs" forum... if you know what I mean). And congratulations on the new grandchild -- it's interesting how the circle of life works sometimes.... Take care Nell. David P.

It IS a Happy 4th of July, Peggy. Thanks for the feel good WOOHOO post and the most uplifting Easy Rider post. Hope all continues to go well. Way to go Don!! Take care. David P.

What a beautiful post Maryanne.

Hi Gay and DeanCarl. Glad to hear Dean is as tough as I always thought he was, and is on the mend (although we all know that mending isn't always as easy as it appears to be on the outside). So take it easy DeanCarl. You don't have anything to prove...relax and let the little birdies assist the mending process. (And strap a fire extinguisher to that scooter of yours ,if you're going to keep on puffing) Take care. David P.

Kathi I am saddened to hear of the passing of your father. Please accept my sincere condolences. Take care. David P.

Hi Everyone. Just wanted to officially check back in and say "howdy" to all those people I haven't met yet, and to let you know what I've been up to lately. Howdy. I do check the message board regularly and respond to those I feel I can contribute something to. In acknowledging that depression can arise from much of what is talked about on this message board - dealing with new diagnoses, treatments, and even the recent deaths, I'd like to remind everyone that two good weapons against depression are exercise, and healthy eating. Both of which were the target of my recent fundraising campaign at the middle school I teach at. Most of you know I race my mountain bike periodically, and some of my training involves repetatively running up and down the stairs at my school 3 or 4 times a week. Well, I don't agree with the use of junkfood machines for raising money in schools, and I was determined to try to decrease student's use of these evil machines, while at the same time increase their consumption of healthier food. AND, If I could figure it out, maybe we could also raise money for our Cops for Cancer program that sends kids with cancer to summer camp. This is how it came about: I found out that our student population of 475 kids feed over $600.00 per week into the two junkfood machines. I told them that for every $10.00 of junkfood money they donated, I would run up the 67 stairs to the top floor of our school and back down again once. The most repetitions I had ever done before was 70 times to the top. My goal was $1000.00 meaning I would have to do 100 reps. But first I had to get their money, and man, do they like their junkfood. I solicited grocery and produce stores for donated fruits and vegetables then proceeded to sit right in front of the two junkfood machines at recess and lunchtime to exchange pieces of healthy food for one and two dollar coins. It worked surprisingly well -- we raised $715.00 in five days -- and I was determined to to run 100 reps to the top anyway. But come the day of the run there were dozens of students running the stairs with me; all with young energetic legs, and by the time I got to 100 reps, little Mike Titus was closing in on me -- so with 40 minutes left before lunch break, I decided to keep going up and down the flights of stairs. (It was now personal - I needed to see how many I could do) I ended the session with 130 repetitions! 8710 stairs! 5.5 times to the top of the Empire State Building! Young Mike was close behind with 120 reps! It was awesome to see so many kids involved and to hear how many more are planning to challenge me next year - yes, I already told them I would do 150 reps next year . And the $715.00 is a good start to our September fundraising campaign where the kids have raised $28,000.00 in the past two years. Some of you may remember last year when I had my hair bleached for a week... then colored rainbow for a week... then shaved. Well it will happen again this year, but I have thrown a twist into the mix; I challenged my students to NOT get their hair cut until the big headshave on October 6th! that's why my hair is so long in my Avatar (and it's going to get alot longer). So there. Take care everyone, and if you want to talk... PM or email me. David P.

GREAT NEWS SANDY !!!!

Thanks for the info Becky. It put a big smile on my face after a long day. Best wishes for Sandy on a speedy recovery from her little "vacation". Take care. David P.

Hi there Becky. I'm so very glad that you have found us. I know what that feeling is like to finally speak with people that truely understand what you've gone through. I remember thinking it was actually like talking to long lost family members when I found this site - it was like I'd known them forever. It was 26 years after my surgery before I spoke to anyone with LC -- let alone someone with one lung! It's good there are support groups now. And how about your surgeon?? It would be nice if there were more like him. As far as your children go Becky, hopefully they'll come around. It's difficult for them to comprehend partly because on the outside, you're still the same person. Go get some balloons next time they all come over and ask them all to take as deep a breath as they can , and then exhale one long, giant breath into the balloon until their lungs are empty. You do the same, then compare balloons. That should help them understand. I like the idea of in line skating - it will be a great way to exercise your lung -- providing you have all the safety gear. Me, I bike a lot. I think it's important to stay active and eat healthy at this stage in the game. To grow old is one thing... to grow old with only one lung will certainly present challenges... but to grow old with only one lung AND be out of shape and unhealthy, would be it's own recipe for disaster. Take care Becky, and PM me if you ever want to talk (there's some pretty quirky things happen when your internal stuff starts shifting around...) David P.