Donna G

Welcome Pat, hope all is well. Donna G

In some way Jack is blessed that he had symptoms and you to push him to get them checked out. Sounds like they have given him excellent care and with the stints in place a "bridge" to better health. With all those vessels blocked if this had not happened they may have clogged off 100%. So sad you have this additional stress but glad to hear his treatment should be him on the mend. Donna G

Hi Tricia, welcome. I 'll tell you if you survive than for you it is 100%. It is already over 1 year for you. Celebrate! Congradulations. Keep us posted on your check ups. Donna G

I don't know that I was depressed or over critical prior to being told I had cancer but I sure was for a while AFTER I was told. I have had a personality change since I was treated for cancer though. I used to be described as quiet and serious, although I had lots of fun, I "danced "for change in the French Quarter once, love to dance, etc travel. Now my mouth runs all the time! I blow bubbles at work. At a cancer survivors dinner I loved wearing the red ball nose!

Sounds like your plate is over loaded. I pray that your son will feel and know your love and concern, that he will have hope and faith that he can over come this problem. Donna G

Go for the scans , at least for the first couple of years. I don't suppose it would be worth while if you were a ten yr survivor with no signs of disease, but considering it was so recent. I am glad to read you did have chemo. Many drs still don't recognize the need for chemo if Stage I, not realizing the 40 % risk of micrometastasize. Keep us posted now . Donna G

An Apple A Day May Keep the Heart and Lung Specialists Away Researchers at the University of California Davis Medical School studied how eating apples and drinking apple juice every day affects heart disease risk. The 12-week study showed that by simply including apples in the diet (and without making any other dietary changes), study participants were able to reduce their risk of heart disease. Apples contain a variety of antioxidant phytochemicals that decrease LDL oxidation. Oxidized LDL cholesterol is more likely to build up in arteries, a process that can cause heart attacks and stroke. Researchers from the University of Nottingham, located in the United Kingdom, recently reported that people who eat five or more apples a week have better lung function and lower risk of asthma and other respiratory disease compared to people who rarely eat apples. Their findings were based on a 10-year study involving 2,633 people examining relationships between diet and respiratory health. The researchers suspect that antioxidants in apples lead to these health benefits. In 1997 Finnish researchers reported that the antioxidant flavonoids may reduce the risk of lung cancer. This finding is based on a 25-year study examining relationships between diet and health in nearly 10,000 Finnish men. Want Healthier Lungs? Eat More Apples and Onions. Researchers at the University of Hawaii studied 600 lung cancer patients and 600 cancer-free patients to see if dietary intake of quercetin, a phytochemical found in apples and onions, might reduce cancer risk. The researchers found a statistically significant reduction in lung cancer risk among the study participants who consumed the most quercetin from apples and onions. They found that participants who had consumed the most quercetin during their lives had the lowest risk of developing cancer. Results of this study were published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute in January 2000.

THE SPARROW AT STARBUCKS The song that silenced the cappuccino machine by John Thomas Oaks It was chilly in Manhattan but warm inside the Starbucks shop on 51st Street and Broadway, just a skip up from Times Square. Early November weather in New York City holds only the slightest hint of the bitter chill of late December and January, but it's enough to send the masses crowding indoors to vie for available space and warmth. For a musician, it's the most lucrative Starbucks location in the world, I'm told, and consequently, the tips can be substantial if you play your tunes right. Apparently, we were striking all the right chords that night, because our basket was almost overflowing. It was a fun, low-pressure gig-I was playing keyboard and singing backup for my friend who also added rhythm with an arsenal of percussion instruments. We mostly did pop songs from the '40s to the '90s with a few original tunes thrown in. During our emotional rendition of the classic, "If You Don't Know Me by Now," I noticed a lady sitting in one of the lounge chairs across from me. She was swaying to the beat and singing along. After the tune was over, she approached me. "I apologize for singing along on that song. Did it bother you?" she asked. "No," I replied. "We love it when the audience joins in. Would you like to sing up front on the next selection?" To my delight, she accepted my invitation. "You choose," I said. "What are you in the mood to sing?" "Well. ... do you know any hymns?" Hymns? This woman didn't know who she was dealing with. I cut my teeth on hymns. Before I was even born, I was going to church. I gave our guest singer a knowing look. "Name one." "Oh, I don't know. There are so many good ones. You pick one." "Okay," I replied. "How about 'His Eye is on the Sparrow'?" My new friend was silent, her eyes averted. Then she fixed her eyes on mine again and said, "Yeah. Let's do that one." She slowly nodded her head, put down her purse, straightened her jacket and faced the center of the shop. With my two-bar setup, she began to sing. Why should I be discouraged? Why should the shadows come? The audience of coffee drinkers was transfixed. Even the gurgling noises of the cappuccino machine ceased as the employees stopped what they were doing to listen. The song rose to its conclusion. I sing because I'm happy; I sing because I'm free. For His eye is on the sparrow And I know He watches me. Holy moment When the last note was sung, the applause crescendoed to a deafening roar that would have rivaled a sold-out crowd at Carnegie Hall. Embarrassed, the woman tried to shout over the din, "Oh, y'all go back to your coffee! I didn't come in here to do a concert! I just came in here to get somethin' to drink, just like you!" But the ovation continued. I embraced my new friend. "You, my dear, have made my whole year! That was beautiful!" "Well, it's funny that you picked that particular hymn," she said. "Why is that?" "Well . ..." she hesitated again, "that was my daughter's favorite song." "Really!" I exclaimed. "Yes," she said, and then grabbed my hands. By this time, the applause had subsided and it was business as usual. "She was 16. She died of a brain tumor last week." I said the first thing that found its way through my stunned silence. "Are you going to be okay?" She smiled through tear-filled eyes and squeezed my hands. "I'm gonna be okay. I've just got to keep trusting the Lord and singing his songs, and everything's gonna be just fine." She picked up her bag, gave me her card, and then she was gone. Was it just a coincidence that we happened to be singing in that particular coffee shop on that particular November night? Coincidence that this wonderful lady just happened to walk into that particular shop? Coincidence that of all the hymns to choose from, I just happened to pick the very hymn that was the favorite of her daughter, who had died just the week before? I refuse to believe it. God has been arranging encounters in human history since the beginning of time, and it's no stretch for me to imagine that he could reach into a coffee shop in midtown Manhattan and turn an ordinary gig into a revival. It was a great reminder that if we keep trusting him and singing his songs, everything's gonna be okay.

Today , being the first tuesday , we have our lung cancer support group here in St. Paul with our loving and hugging leader Connie B. SHE WAS CARRYING a bag with pictures on it of many of those we have lost! Sort of a rememberance bag. WOW Katie , you did a great job! When are they going to be available? Donna G

Love it ! Keep it coming. Wishing well with the up coming surgery. Donna G

I pray she becomes one of us Pancoast Tumor Survivors, we always have room for more. Donna G

Dan , you sound so sad. I am pleased that you do say that you still have "a glimmer of hope". Please know that I believe you are truly cherished and loved. Search for this love. Love is the only thing that is truely important. We were so loved that we were given freedom to make choices. We are so loved that if we just ask, we are given strength. In the end of this life on earth only love will survive,and if you live in love you will survive to be with Love. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always preserves.

I am barely a New Englander , and that is where I was born and raised. I must have gotten deluted the past 30 + yrs in my travels! Donna G

Great News Gina! Love it! Donna G

Colleen I am so sorry for your loss. I am glad you were able to be with him in his last hours. May our loving father send you peace. Donna G

How about Early View- You could live Too! Go for lung cancer screening, it is not just for smokers

Neuroprotective Effect of Vitamin E Supplementation in Patients Treated With Cisplatin Chemotherapy Andrea Pace, Antonella Savarese, Mauro Picardo, Vittoria Maresca, Umberto Pacetti, Girolamo Del Monte, Annamaria Biroccio, Carlo Leonetti, Bruno Jandolo, Francesco Cognetti, Loredana Bove From the Neuroscience Department, Oncology Department, Experimental Chemotherapy Laboratory, Regina Elena National Cancer Institute and the Laboratory of Physiopathology–S. Gallicano Institute, Rome, Italy Address reprint requests to Andrea Pace MD, Service of Neurology, Regina Elena National Cancer Institute, Via Chianesi 53, 00144 Rome, Italy; email: pace@ifo.it. Purpose: The aim of this study is to evaluate the neuroprotective effect of antioxidant supplementation with vitamin E in patients treated with cisplatin chemotherapy. Methods: Between April 1999 and October 2000, forty-seven patients were randomly assigned to either group one, which received vitamin E supplementation during cisplatin chemotherapy, or to group two, which received cisplatin chemotherapy alone. Alpha-tocopherol (vitamin E; 300 mg/d) was administered orally before cisplatin chemotherapy and continued for 3 months after the suspension of treatment. For preclinical studies, nude mice carrying the human melanoma tumor were treated with cisplatin alone or in combination with vitamin E. Results: Twenty-seven patients completed six cycles of cisplatin chemotherapy: 13 patients in group one and 14 patients in group two. The incidence of neurotoxicity was significantly lower in group one (30.7%) than it was in group two (85.7%; P < .01). The severity of neurotoxicity, measured with a comprehensive neurotoxicity score based on clinical and neurophysiological parameters, was significantly lower in patients who were supplemented with vitamin E than in patients who were not supplemented with vitamin E (2 v 4.7, P < .01). The results of the preclinical studies showed that when cisplatin was combined with vitamin E, no differences were observed in tumor weight inhibition, tumor growth delay, or life span as compared with treatment with cisplatin alone. Conclusion: Supplementation of patients receiving cisplatin chemotherapy with vitamin E decreases the incidence and severity of peripheral neurotoxicity. Just thought I would post this. I have neuropathy from Cisplatin, wish I saw this study 6 + yrs ago. Donna G

KellyB, Have you used the search engine? At the top of the page under LUNG CANCER MESSAGE BOARDS click on search, then type in " trachea" , then hit search, there are nearly 20 hits here on the board, perhaps that will help. Anyhow, please let me tell you- Welcome. Now keep us posted on his progress. Donna G

Sandy include me too! It is great. Donna G

Welcome . I too was diagnosed because of chest pain. My tumor was in the apex of my lung pressing on nerves and the pleura. The plan from the start was chemo to kill and shrink , then surgery , then more chemo. When they did the surgery all they found was scar tissue, no live tumor. I pray this is what happened to yours. Again, welcome. Donna G

Women also get twice as drunk on the same amount of liquor. A women absorbs all of the alcohol where a man only absorbs about half. Donna G

Well Connie as you have noted they don't use taxes to help people who smoke or people with lung diseases. We bothe know , as we went to court with the attorney general, that they don't use the annual allotment of the tobacco settlement to help people with illnesses caused by cigarettes. Here in Minnesota they put the vast majority in the general fund or discuss using it to build more highways. At least this money is being used for health care, be it as it may that most of us are the healthiest as young children. Donna G

Wow. I think that is great! You also could link to the wall of memories. I wonder if that could be sent somehow to all US senators and representatives. Donna G

Also you could ask them to hold ! If they are still there after a half hour obviously they didn't get the hint, then hang up! Donna G

Saw a biography of Alec Baldwin last evening. He has done well the last 20 odd years with his acting career. It said in 1983, his father, a school teacher died of lung cancer and left his wife and 6 children. It talked about what an activist he is and how when his mother got breast cancer they started the Carol M Baldwin Breast Cancer Research Fund. I wanted to send him a message re our site and how in "honor " of his Dad how much he could help those afflicted with lung cancer. His web site is http://www.alecbaldwin.com/ but after I registered to send a message and got my password it kept telling me someone else has that password, Fay it made me think of you. If any one else can leave him a message please try. and perhaps our web site , he may check us out.