Well!
My sister Mew emailed me this morning –
she'd read yesterday's blog! This is actually a bit embarrassing… I mean, I've mentioned to
my family that I've been blogging (not as much lately, alas) since late
January, and once or twice I've sent them links to an actual posting; yes. But
I'd forgotten… and honestly don't write for the accolades, any more than a kid
doing cartwheels out in a field is doing so for cheers.
For me, and for that kid, it's just for
fun and for practice (in my case, to improve my writing). So just as that kid
would stop and gape and sputter if some people dropped out of the trees and
started clapping, a kind word from family (not that anyone would mind!)
grinds me to a halt for a moment, has me scratching my head and blushing. Oh, well – not trying to hide,
either.
With an especially complimentary
subject-line of "Wonderful!", Mew wrote as much to clarify something
I'd misstated:
Sent: Monday,
June 04, 2007 10:24
AM
AC,
You had a great blog entry this weekend about your
participation in the Susan B. Komen race for a cure! Way to go! that must have
been tremendously uplifting (and yes, I'm a blog stalker...)
But I do have a correction for you - JT didn't have bone
marrow cancer. Bone marrow cancer usually occurs in the shafts of the long
bones - and is usually the result of a cancerous spread from another part of
the body. JT's type of Leukemia, acute lymphoblastic leukemia, is a cancer of
the white blood cells, with lymphoblastic leukemia being a cancer of the
lymphoid portion of the white blood cells. JT was very lucky as his Leukemia was
confined to his bone marrow and a few stray leukemic blasts in his blood.
Here's a writeup on bone marrow cancer: And also one on childhood acute lymphoblasticleukemia.
I'm also attaching a picture taken at the Relay for Life last month -
- the lady walking beside him that has her arm
entwined in JT's is a fellow survivor of cancer (not sure which type) as they
walk the Survivor's Lap during the Relay. She's the principal for a local
elementary school.
Mew
The Relay for Life that Mew mentions
was a particularly touching event held last month in that pleasant little town
in west-central Maryland, Frederick (I've mentioned it here now and then; even
did a run there once). The Relay for Life is a celebration both of survivors of,
and loved ones lost to, cancer; Mew had invited me and my daughters to join her
and JT there… although it turned out I let other demands get in the way; wish
I'd made it!
So naturally I wrote right back to her
this morning:
Sent: Monday, June
04, 2007 10:52
AM
Thanks
for the correction, and I'll fix it!
Somehow
I'd been thinking JT had had bone marrow cancer; sorry about that particular
inaccuracy. Would you mind if I include your email (with the usual change of
name for privacy), and the photo, in a followup? You've probably noticed that
when time permits, I really try to include links and sources; I want anything I
put out there to be as accurate as I can make it (also means a
several-paragraph entry like last night's can sometimes take a couple hours to
pull together). Not only would this be a lot more considerate of JT (and his
mom!), but it would serve to further educate my two or three readers, plus
(what I count on even more) strangers stumbling onto the entry.
Now,
blog stalking… what the Helvis (as Mother says)?! Busy as you are, you've got
to have more important stuff to do online! Oh, well; I'm not trying to hide,
either… just wish I could get stuff up there more often than the once or twice
a week I've managed lately. (I've already got a backlog!)
But if
you do run out of things to do every so often, and see something that's
inaccurate, wrong, or in need of rewriting, let me know.
Thanks
again!
Regards,
AgingChild
I was still shaking my head. And I
wanted to give her (and especially JT) credit for their own struggle over the
years, and in particular for the type of cancer he battled successfully. Mew
has a wonderful webpage up on the Net, detailing JT's long struggle during his
youngest years. Touchingly, she calls him her hero. How many mothers say that,
most especially from the heart?
Sent: Monday, June 04, 2007
10:57 AM
Sure you can include the email & photo - no problem.
I'm not a major blog stalker, I just have a few I check from time to time
including yours :)
Mew
Gulp. How many dirty jokes have I
posted? Uh, one, now that I think of it. No questionable photos? Nope. Links to
trashy sites? Zilch. Rough language? Well, yes, in a few quotes from either
irate jerks, or indignant friends. So I'm clear; nothing to be embarrassed
about here. But still…
So I sent back to her a photo of Edward
Platt (of the classic sixties sitcom "Get Smart") rolling his eyes with barely restrained impatience; no
words:
She answered:
Sent: Monday,
June 04, 2007 11:56
AM
ha ha
Okay, that kind of
accolade works for me.
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