dede

Norme, I hope that your absence means that you're doing something exciting, like reading a book for pleasure. Thank you so much for your kind words about my brother David; I 'm glad you two found each other here and were a comfort to one another. Dede

Jane Pauley has a new daytime show and is looking for stories. I saw part of the show yesterday; one of the segments was about a young woman with ALS who had asked the show to help her with a video diary she wanted to create for her son. I went to the show's website last night and started to post an idea for a show about lung cancer but left without submitting anything. (I'm having difficulty doing anything beyond fixing dinner) Since this is a new show, there may be more of a chance of having a story considerered. Just a thought. Denise

Ouch!

Hi Katha, Sorry to hear the bad news about your FIL. I just looked up Merkel Cell Carcinoma in cancerlit and found the following, general inforrmation but there are over 800 articles that contained all of the words "Merkel cell carcinoma" there. You may want to try there. Here's what I found: Carcinoma, Merkel Cell \ A carcinoma arising from MERKEL CELLS located in the basal layer of the epidermis and occurring most commonly as a primary neuroendocrine carcinoma of the skin. Merkel cells are tactile cells of neuroectodermal origin and histologically show neurosecretory granules. The skin of the head and neck are a common site of Merkel cell carcinoma, occurring generally in elderly patients. (Holland et al., Cancer Medicine, 3d ed, p1245) Year introduced: 1989 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/quer ... &dopt=Full You and your family are in my thoughts. Have a safe trip next weekend. Denise

My cousin Connie sent this to me. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did. This was fun reading on the first day of school….. * For those with No children - this is totally hysterical! For those who already have children past this age - this is hilarious. * For those who have children this age - this is not funny. For those who have children nearing this age -this is a warning. For those who have not yet had children - this is birth control. The following came from an anonymous Mother in Austin, Texas. Things I've learned from my Children (honest & no kidding): 1. A king size waterbed holds enough water to fill a 2000 sq. ft. house 4 inches deep. 2. If you spray hair spray on dust bunnies and run over them with roller blades, they can ignite. 3. A 3-year olds voice is louder than 200 adults in a crowded restaurant. 4. If you hook a dog leash over a ceiling fan, the motor is not strong enough to rotate a 42-pound boy wearing Batman underwear and a Superman cape. It is strong enough, however, if tied to a paint can, to spread paint on all four walls of a 20x20 ft. room. 5. You should not throw baseballs up when the ceiling fan is on. When using a ceiling fan as a bat, you have to throw the ball up a few times before you get a hit. A ceiling fan can hit a baseball a long way. 6. The glass in windows (even double-pane) doesn't stop a baseball hit by a ceiling fan. 7. When you hear the toilet flush and the words "uh oh," it's already too late. (No matter how old the child!) 8. Brake fluid mixed with Clorox makes smoke, and lots of it. 9. A six-year old can start a fire with a flint rock even though a 36-year-old man says they can only do it in the movies. 10. Certain Lego's will pass through the digestive tract of a 4-year old. 11. Play dough and microwave should not be used in the same sentence. 12. Super glue is forever. 13. No matter how much Jell-O you put in a swimming pool you still can't walk on water. 14. Pool filters do not like Jell-O. 15. VCR's do not eject PB&J sandwiches even though TV commercials show they do. 16. Garbage bags do not make good parachutes. 17. Marbles in gas tanks make lots of noise when driving. 18. You probably do not want to know what that odor is. 19. Always look in the oven before you turn it on... Plastic toys do not like ovens. 20. The fire department in Austin, TX has a 5-minute response time. 21. The spin cycle on the washing machine does not make earthworms dizzy. 22. It will, however, make cats dizzy. 23. Cats throw up twice their body weight when dizzy. 24. The mind of a 6-year old is wonderful. First grade...true story: One day the first grade teacher was reading the story of the Three Little Pigs to her class. She came to the part of the story where the first pig was trying to accumulate the building materials for his home. She read, "..And so the pig went up to the man with the wheelbarrow full of straw and "Pardon me sir, but may I have some of that straw to build my house?'" The teacher paused then asked the class, "And what do you think that man said?" One little boy raised his hand and said, "I think he said...'Holy ****! A talking pig!'" The teacher was unable to teach for the next 10 minutes. 25. 60% of men who read this will try mixing the Clorox and brake fluid.

Hi Mary Ann, Harley is adorable. I stopped by the humane society after leaving today to "window shop" and saw some beautiful dogs that need a home, one black lab in particular kept staring at me and a couple of the kittens and cats grabbed my attention. I may have to borrow Harley from you sometime when you and the boys are going to be away on a cub scout camp out or other event that requires you to be away from home overnight and test my skills as a puppy's mom. Love, Dede

I was talking with my mom this afternoon about various people in our family that have died from lung cancer. The list includes three of my maternal grandmother's siblings (2 brothers and 1 sister), the son of my grandmother's brother who was one of the sibs that died from lung cancer, my grandmother's sister-in-law who never smoked a day in her life and was married to one of the brothers who died from lung cancer who also never smoked. Then my brother David Arley Hopkins. Is there possibly a genetic connection? Just wondering.

Thanks Becky. I saw a friend today who said she had heard blonde star on the radio. I loved the way you told the joke, it was perfect. Dede

Thanks John. I laugh every time I read this one. Dede

hi, my name is Denise, also Dede, I am one of David A's sisters. David encouraged me to join the LC help site and to post something numerous times but i never did until i posted his death notice. sorry to have started out like that. David received so much support and love from the friends he met on this website and now that i can no longer talk to him directly or email him i get comfort reading the things he posted to the site and the responses from others to his posts. Tomorrow is David's funeral and i am not ready for it. he was my brother and my friend and i miss him terribly.