What do they call it in your neighborhood?
Once upon a time, I worked, or shall I say I pretended to work with this crazy South African woman who had the cutest weird accent. We will call her Lesley... While she was pretending to work full time, she was planning her wedding during business hours. My business hours! She had this other crazy friend called Rhonda who was helping with the wedding preparations and this other South African friend who introduced Lesley to her husband to be who was also helping with the wedding. This friend is called Felicity; Felicity is a hoot.. totally off the wall and thoroughly entertaining. We met Felicity at Rhonda's tree trimming party which we got an invite through Lesley.
With us so far?? You also need to know that it was at that party that we met best friend Craig, who knew Rhonda from Home Depot.
Now in South Africa I guess they call it the bush telegraph line in Puerto Rico it is the coconut wireless... it is the ability of country men to gossip at speeds higher than a commercial T-1 line.
Today while waiting for my radiation a lovely woman whose name later we found out is Robyn is sitting across from us and is knitting a head band. Of course Snoop Doggie Dog (Paul) goes to her and mentions how pretty the yarn is. She proceeds to say to Paul... are you MIMA????...
OH MY GOD.. who is this woman?? stalker, fan, autograph seeker, paparazzi?... how does she know my name... I hope she realizes that since I have the Armani hospital gown I am the patient and Paul is the concerned spouse.
Turns out she live three doors down from Felicity who got the news from Lesley about the blog which then gave it to Robyn. Small world....who says that you can't reach and touch someone.
posted by mima @ 3:27 PM
7 Comments:
Wow...Lesley, Felicity, Rhonda and now Robyn...looks like you have some Dreamgirls of your own.
What a hoot! Six degrees of separation now narrowed down to four.
It's time for you to think "Bayesian Analysis." Please read a review I wrote about "The Patient from Hell: How I Worked with My Doctors to Get the Best of Modern Medicine and How You Can Too," by Stephen H. Schneider. After you get hooked on my review, get the book. It may help considerably in your treatment and healing process.
Go to: http://www.cell2soul.org.
Click on JOURNAL ISSUES in the top bar.
Click on Summer 2006 issue.
Scroll down to Healing & the Arts.
Select "The Patient from Hell."
Applying his scientific knowledge saved Schneider's life. His book will provides ideas not only for applying Bayesian analysis to your treatment plan, but will help with questions to ask, ways to get around the system, and how to stay on top of things.
You and Paul are so organized, you've probably thought about a lot of this already; however, it never hurts to be reminded about how you can apply your intellect to your recovery.
One of the words I meditated on during my healing was APOPTOSIS. It's an important word -- a necessary process -- a good word to meditate on. Breathe it in! APOPTOSIS! I imagined it happening all over -- and it did!
To apoptosis!
elaine
Mima, WOW that is like trying to keep up with one of our Uncle's family tree explanations. La mama de Petunia que estaba casada con el hijo de la duena de la muebleria de la esquina.
Anyway, publish hit stats. Yes I continue to be a geek.
Oh go on...SAY IT! "We're famous", & nobody told us!!! It's just hateful being out of the loop, isn't it! Maybe she was really a spy for GQ. Checking out the ensamble you keep saying is so "fetching". I never realized that butt crack gowns would ever be the fad! Leave it to you to make it 1.
Glad to hear you were feeling better today. Don't choke on PAUL'S cookies!!! Share.....
You're always on my mind, when I don't hear from FM that you called.
Mima, I was so happy to run into you at radiation today. It certainly brightened my day. I find the whole experience so Twighlight Zoney. I was grateful to have a human connection. I hope to see you again at the Hilton!
Robin
I hope to see you there everyday, maybe we can start a knitting class for anyone interested?
Mima--
I just learned from my mother (Marion) what is going on with you. Life can be really crappy sometimes and I hate that it has taken that turn with you!
I've been reading through your blog -- thanks for writing it. I'm sure it's therapeutic for you but for those of us who can't be there with you it helps to know what your status is and how you are doing each day.
It's wonderful to see the extent to which you have been able to maintain your humor through all of this. While reading, I found myself thinking about Norman Cousins (a distance relative on my father's side of the family who unfortunately passed away in 1990 -- at one time, Norman was the editor for the Saturday Review and writer of many books and articles)who had this to say: "Laughter may or may not activate the endorphins or enhance respiration, as some medical researchers contend. What seems clear, however, is that laughter is an antidote to apprehension and panic." ~ Norman Cousins
Over 25 years ago, Dr. Norman Cousins in his book Anatomy of an Illness described how watching Marx Brother movies helped him recover from a life-threatening tissue disease.
"Is it possible," he wondered, "that love, hope, faith, laughter, confidence, and the will to live have therapeutic value?" Cousins made it a point to enjoy a hearty belly laugh several times a day. A few minutes of laughter gave him an hour or more of pain-free sleep.
Medical studies show that laughter boosts levels of endorphins, the body's natural painkillers, and suppresses levels of epinephrine, the stress hormone.
According to Arnold Glasgow, "Laughter is a tranquilizer with no side effects."
In an ABC television interview, Professor Lee Berk, who has studied laughter and medicine for the past 18 years, explained that laughter increased the Natural Killer Cell activity, the cells that destroy viruses and tumors. Laughter increased a disease-fighting protein, B-cells, the source of a disease-destroying antibody, and T-cells which help cellular immune response.
So, rent some old Marx Brothers films (maybe Laurel and Hardy, Charlie Chaplin, etc.) and find reasons to really laugh at least once a day! Your strength to fight this comes through in your sense of humor and your writings.
Our thoughts and prayers -- as with so many others -- are always with you. Love to both you and Paul -- give each other a big hug from me!
Lynn and Marvin
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