StephanieJane

I am very sorry for your loss.

I am so very sorry for your loss.

I have to be the dissenting voice here. I work in a restaurant. I have for most of my adult life...and my mom owns one, too. These kind of videos bug me. Our restaurant is very clean and sanitary. Of course they are not all so concerned about sanitation...but those are things that can easily be discerned by sitting at your table. If the floor looks clean, the woodwork is not dusty, and the staff looks well-groomed...the same standards probably apply in the kitchen. I would venture to say that most restaurant kitchens are as clean as your home kitchen. They are subject to regular health inspections...a failure on one of these inspection results in the loss of everyone's livelihood...and any reputable establishment is doing everything in their power to prevent that from happening. All these sort of reports do is instill unnecessary fear in the general population. Of course there are germs...they're everywhere. The lemon on the edge of your water glass is probably less of a health concern than the hormones in the meat you're cooking or the pollutants in your ground water. It is ironic because just today, my company instituted a policy that the lemons would no longer be served on the edge of the glass, but rather in a small dish on the side. An extra step in our routine...just to quell the fears put into people's minds by some silly Dateline clip. Ugh. I just wish they would take some of the time and money they waste testing drink garnishes and devote it to lung cancer research. That would make a lot more sense to me.

oh, Julia...I am just so sorry. -stephanie

one year ago today, the world lost an amazing, hilarious, and wonderful man...and I lost the very best dad a girl could ever hope for. I miss him.

congratualtions! what a beautiful name. Can't wait to see pictures.

Oh, Grace...you and the girls are in my thoughts today.

44 days is unreal...unfair. My dad was 53 when he was diagnosed (in November 2006). He passed away less than four months later...long before I had a chance to even come to grips with the fact that he was sick. He will never walk me down the aisle. He will not get to see his grandchildren grow up or enjoy the retirement he worked his whole life for. Those are things that haunt me still...and probably always will. I still can't believe all of this is real, almost a year later. I don't know how you move on...I guess you just keep putting one foot in front of the other. I know that for me, I have found a way to be thankful that my dad's battle was short and he did not have to languish or suffer...and that is what he would have wanted. He is at peace now, and cancer free...just like your mom. I am terribly sorry for your loss. -s.

that is just beautiful.

hi and welcome. I am sorry that you had a need to be here, but I think you will find this site to be such a blessing...I know I have. I don't know much about Tarceva except for what I've read on here, but I hope it does the trick for your dad. I will add you and your family to my prayers...please keep us updated on how everything is going. -s.

definitely NOT ready. I share my home with a three year old and two big dogs, so the mess is just a part of life. I can deal with it, but I would hate to subject anyone else to it. Besides, our house is waaay too small for 30 people...it barely fits two people and two dogs

I'm Stephanie...31 years old, born and raised in Lancaster, Pennsylvania...Amish Country. I have a beautiful and sassy little girl named Sarah Joy, who is three and a half years old. I have been a single mom since before she was born, and I thank the Lord every day that she is mine. I lost my dad to NSCLC in February of this year...less than four months after his diagnosis. I am still reeling from the shock of it, and will never stop missing him. We have two crazy dogs...a border collie named Daisy who is sweet and neurotic and who barks at everything and nothing all day long; and Buddy, our 100-pound chocolate lab who is truly a gentle giant and the most playful dog I have ever known. He was my dad's pride and joy and is like a living memorial to him...I am thankful he's mine...but the dogs are very overhwelming and a lot for me to take care of. I work as a waitress at a very cool little brewpub near my home, and will be starting college in a few months. Pretty scary, but I feel ready for a change. I visit this board every day, but rarely post anything anymore. I think this is an amazing group of people and I am very thankful to have found this site. -s.

I am so sorry for your loss.

I am "normal, but distracted." I would have to agree...except maybe for the "normal" part...

Remembering my dad, Rick, whom I miss very much. -s.

I am so very sorry for your loss. -stephanie

Grace, you are in my prayers. Carlton died just a few days before my dad...so my 8 months is just around the corner. I know what you mean...some days it feels like February was so long ago, and other days it feels brand new. -stephanie

It has been nearly eight months...and I feel more sad and more sick over losing my dad than I did when everything first happened. I just miss him so much. Almost every day I see something that makes me want to call him...some story I want to tell him...and then I remember that I can't. I hate this.

I am so saddened by this news. I pray peace for you and your family during this difficult time. -s.

Congratulations, Nick. That's awesome news. -s.

I have been lurking...finding it hard to write anything. I miss my dad terribly. It has been more than five months...I still feel like I am drowning most days. But I am here. Soldiering on. Doing my best. -stephanie

she is adorable! congratulations. -steph

praying for peace and comfort for your mother and your whole family. -stephanie

I watched it...I thought it was well done and it was certainly very emotional for me, but worth seeing. I know that if my dad were still here, he would have been watching it and I am sure that he would have identified very much with things that Leroy said. I thought he was so articulate and his story was so close to what my dad went through. It was really hard to watch him sitting in the chemo room getting his infusions. It made me miss my dad so much. I went along to all of his chemo days, and I have some good memories of those long days spent in recliners, just chatting and passing the time. I would give anything for one more day like that.

Oh, Grace...my heart goes out to you and the girls. I am glad that you have one another to lean on. -stephanie