more flotsam, more jetsam

One of our favorite people decided to shave her head at one of our favorite breweries for one of our favorite charities so it was a no-brainer that we were going.  Beer + baldies = I'm totally reaching into my wallet and digging out whatever I haven't already spent on Taco Bell to whoever has their had outstretched.

An Expensive Haircut

St. Baldrick's is one of my favoritest events because A) You get to be a rockstar and fund the cure for childhood cancers and 2) Beer.

Boy-Pattern Baldness

A message from Daniel to each and every one of you reading this, unless you have already opened up your wallets, in which case we say THANKS FOR KEEPING IT REAL FOR THE BALD KIDS!:

Candy from Strangers

Last Saturday, we packed the circus up and headed downtown to St. Baldrick's.  Eve was happy to wear her new shirt and pin to show everyone how much she appreciates their efforts.  And not just because she likes new clothes and accessories.

Bald is Badass

Lenten update: mouse #8 has met its maker in the garage.

Our Chia Pet

Guys, I swear, if you shave your head...

Funding for Wiisearch

What does it take to keep a 3-year-old quiet in the gallery of the NC General Assembly for 45 minutes?

Approximately:
2 granola bars,
1/2 c. Cracklin' Oat Bran,
2/3 c. Cheez-Its,

Well, that was painless.

THANK YOU to every person who donated to Daniel's St. Baldrick's page! He hit $1,000 in less than three days. If you would like to see what's so incredibly awesome about my son, click here.

(He got the awesome gene from me. It's true; I had him tested.)

Another Griffith kid is losing their hair...

The Triangle CureSearch Walk was great. And by great, I mean completely awesomer than anyone thought it would be. I want to dedicate a full-on post with numbers and pictures and all that jazz, but tonight is not the night for that...yet.

Paper Cuts

I was sent an email from the mother of a bilateral Wilms patient who was able to put into words the things that I could not...at least not in a coherent way. Enjoy.

"Paper cuts still hurt."

That's what I said to a parent whose child didn't have cancer. She was telling me about a problem her child was having that was serious but not potentially fatal. She apologized and gave me what we've all heard before, the "How can I complain about my child when yours has cancer?" thing.

The way I explained it to her is, hey, even for me after diagnosis, if I got a paper cut, it still hurt. Sure, it was put into perspective, but that didn't mean I didn't curse and put my finger in my mouth and whine when I then got hand sanitizer on it.

I responded with how much I loved what she wrote. And how people always walking on eggshells around you can make it feel like there's a death cloud hanging over your head. SageSuperMom responds:

Thank you! Yes, the eggshells...that's still the one I'm dealing with. When people really want to talk to me about it, I try to make them understand how very "ordinary" cancer becomes. (Horrible, yes, but ordinary.) It's driving to chemo and remembering money to pay for parking and your child dropping hair in their spaghetti and saying funny things like, "I'm not sick! I just have cancer!"

I don't blame them for not getting it. I've been in cancer world for 4 years, and I still have the moments where I'm watching a St. Jude's commercial and feeling those things I felt pre-cancer. "Oh, those poor kids," and then having the (excuse my language) "Holy S---, my child has CANCER!" Because there's Cancer with a capital C, the thing you know before diagnosis, and then there's cancer with a little c-- that scary, annoying, and very real thing it becomes afer diagnosis.

And I think there's a vast chasm between the person who feels they shouldn't experience any pain in light of your circumstance and the person who is so completely self-focused, they don't even realize how ridiculous they sound. The "Oh, you're so lucky, you get to go on a Make-A-Wish trip" kind of person.

Nobody really WANTS to go on a Make-A-Wish trip.

Anyway, go ahead, you can complain to me about your problems. Don't feel guilty. I know canker sores still hurt.



Yet another person is shaving his head for St. Baldrick's this weekend! We are amazed by the strangers who are doing this in honor of Eve. Check out Michael's page here.

We had a great time at St. Baldrick's and encourage you to stop by one of their events if you have a chance. I promise, you [probably] won't find any hair in your beer.

Free Haircuts!

Ok, so the title might be a little misleading. (Kind of like that time I got excited over the "Free Cowboy Hats" sign in the ladies bathroom before realizing it was referring to a box of paper toilet seat covers.) But, shaving your head is fun. Otherwise, why would all these people be doing it?

This guy doesn't look too scared.

"I'll take the cut that the kid behind me got."

"A little more off the top, please."

Now John is on his way to rocking "The Eve." Move over, The Rachel. There's a new 'do in town.

$195,576.58 raised at the Hibernian for St. Baldrick's on Saturday. Many pints raised, too.

My life, the circus.

I'm finding it increasingly hard to be both Eve's mom and Natalie & Daniel's mom. It's a skill I'm still trying to acquire. Thank you, friends, who have taken in my sometimes-orphaned children.

I took a break from cancer today to take Nat and Dan to the circus with their preschool. Most awesome field trip EVER, by the way. After being warned don't try this at home about twenty times, Nat watched a man leap through a flaming hoop.

"Can I try that at home, Mommy?"

Yes, it was a fun morning. And I spent $23 on two sno-cones without the slightest twinge of guilt. Hey, the cups lit up!

Matt took Eve to get radiated while we watched assorted wildlife dance. I did feel a slight twinge of guilt about that. Next year, Eve will get to join us.

5 down, 1 to go.

Tomorrow, Rocco will be shaving his head for baby Gwyn.

Take a look at Gwynzilla and tell me you don't want to donate!


Looking forward to the two day nuke break.

What are the odds?

There's nothing like coming home from

radiation and crawling into bed...

Or a box. Times are tough!

4 down, 2 to go.

I told you a while back that an old coworker of mine was part of Club Wilms a few months before Eve was initiated. Her daughter, Gwyn, was diagnosed in June 2009 after her first birthday. I'm happy to say that Gwyn is N.E.D. (no evidence of disease). But I'm also sad to say that she just can't get a break- her family recently found out that lil' Gwyn is allergic to peanuts. And it's hard, once you have cancer, to make anything seem as sucky as cancer. But think of all those peanut butter sandwiches!!! If Daniel were allergic to peanut butter, he'd lose ten pounds the first week. My heart goes out to you, Momma G. The most ironic thing is that if Gwyn were being treated at Duke, she'd have to go to the allergy clinic...which is in the same place as the hem-onc clinic. But I guess this time it wouldn't be so bad since she would be the one in the waiting room with hair.

And do you know how many kids are diagnosed with Wilms in the US each year? 400-500. That's not a lot. Strange enough when you think about my ties to Gwyn. Stranger yet when you realize that 16-20 of those kids will have it bilaterally. And stranger still that a child who goes to our preschool was just diagnosed with it. And, (can it get any stranger?) that child is my friend's next door neighbor. It's weird to say, I know what you're going through and actually mean it. I guess I'd always hoped it would be something more along the lines of dealing with the problems of being too fabulous.

(I solemnly swear to all the parents at Sunrise UMC Preschool that Wilms tumor is not contagious.)

Ok, yet another absolutely cool kid is shaving his head in Eve's honor for St. Baldrick's. I don't know too many high school kids who are up to the challenge, so make sure you visit Vinicius T.'s page and show him some love.

Club Caillou

It's pretty cool that people are going for the Curly-cut. No, not Curly Sue...I'm thinking more along the lines of The Three Stooges.

Check out John's page and consider supporting him as he shaves his head in Eve's honor!

And look at Eve's alter-ego, Caillou.

Hey, at least we are saving money on shampoo. There's always a silver lining, no?

I love your hairdo, Uncle Fester.

A friend of ours will be shaving his head for St. Baldrick's in Eve's honor.

Check out Eve's page here. (You can see before and after pics at the bottom of the page.)

And then go peep at Matt Tunney's page.


It's late and we have an early day tomorrow. Happy Anna Howard Shaw Day, everyone!