debutaunt.com

Waiting

Zoe kicked butt in soccer today. Sis #3 and Bro #3 and Zoe's cousin got to see her play. It was hot as Hades, but the kids all were pretty awesome. I'm so glad they only practice once a week and one game a week. I couldn't stand to be outside much longer. She is so cute. I'm so proud of her.

I sang her to sleep tonight. She's the only person I will sing to. We watched a little tv tonight together and she had me rub her back. I miss simple stuff like that. I miss not worrying about stuff like meds, insurance, how I feel, doctors appointments... It was an easier life then, but it still was hard. Just in a different kind of way.

I still feel gross. I'm running low on a bunch of my meds and one of my co-pays is going to be $90. The financial aid folk at MD Anderson said they never got my fax of a form and my disability awards letter. I even spent $8 sending it and got a confirmation. I also got a letter from my Cobra administrators and they said that there is a chance my premium payment could be raised 150%. Yay for insurance. I just want to climb a mountain, stop taking my meds, and become a nomad. Dealing with all of this crap is so annoying and frustrating to me. If they got my financial aid right, I would be spending $5 for copays on all my meds. As it is, Dad picked up one for me today and it was like $46.

I have a doctor's appointment again tomorrow. This makes four Mondays in a row. Still no clue. I called to get the test results and someone said they'd call me back. They never did. This makes me a little worried as usually they just tell you right away on the phone if it's not a big deal. I had a thyroid test done and some other stomach stuff. Me no likey.

More than the stomach stuff, I feel about 800 years old. My muscles are sore in weird places - like I've done a bunch of pushups and situps. They are crampy when I wake up.

Wow, I just realized how much Whinese is in this post.

Dr. Egypt wants me to come see him in Houston in October. He's interviewing there for a fellowship position. Unfortunately, the interview is in the middle of the week and it's on a day I'm having a fundraiser at Taco Cabana. I haven't seen him in about 4 years. I really do miss him and his silly smile. I never felt like I was on some kind of interview when I was around him.

My fundraising is at a standstill. I have set up some fundraisers, but have invited no one yet. I had sent Zoe's Principal an email to see if I could send out information, but she never responded. Now, unfortunately, she has to leave to take care of a sick family member. That has got to be awful. I don't know anyone else really other than people from our church, and even then... well, they aren't even really interested. They are all so busy.

Anyway, no one is interested in walking. I'm tired of begging them to sign up, probably as much as people are tired of me asking them to sign up. I'm tired of asking for money. I swear this is probably going to be the last fundraising I do. I'll continue to volunteer for the LLS and the South Texas Blood & Tissue Center, but this fundraising is too humiliating. It's not important to anyone unless it really hits you in the home.

Can I just go to sleep and make all of this stop for a little while?

I feel kind of lonely tonight. Guess because I'm waiting on some new DVDs in the mail and there's nothing to do tonight.

I can do this. The Whinese is temporary.

No assignment. The blog is uninspired tonight.

Jeez, my writing is for crap lately. I'm needing some assignments.

Shillin

Chilling. Just waiting for some test results to come back to see if I need my guts all GI'd. So not fun to think about.

Been hanging out with the Zoester. She had field day yesterday and was so cute doing the potato sack and tug-o-war thing. But my goodness it's hot. After school, we studied spelling words and watched the movie Zoom.

I've just been writing some letters and trying to figure out how Zoe will meet her goal of $3,002. She's about 1,000 bucks away. Hopefully some of the restaurant fundraisers will help. (see www.teamzoe.net for info)

Watching a movie now. I think I will be napping soon.

I can do this. I may be sleepy, but I'm here.

Your assignment today is to hang out with someone you love. Just do something fun. Go for a walk. See a movie. Or just read books. Zoe's been enjoying the book, "A Cricket in Times Square." I haven't even thought about that book for over 20 years. It's a good one.

Zoe asked me how people make babies the other day. We were in a restaurant so I left it with "the mommy and daddy make the baby."

I need to get a book or something.

My Leukemia Fightin' Hero

2007 Bike Relay

M. D. Anderson leukemia physician Charles Koller is participating in the Houston Police Department Bicycle Relay Team for the fifth time in six years to raise funds for leukemia and lymphoma research. This year, the intrepid pedalers will travel "from NASA to NASA," riding over 2,000 miles from the Johnson Space Center in Houston to the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, in the 26th annual HPD Bicycle Relay.

.....

Since 1982, the HPD Relay Team has pedaled over 55,000 miles and raised $4 million for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

Dr. Koller continues to be a productive fundraiser. So far, he has received $40,000 for this year's relay, for a grand total of $200,000 since 2002. It's never too late to help! Send your tax-deductible check, made out to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, to:

Charles A. Koller, M.D.
M. D. Anderson Cancer Center
1515 Holcombe Blvd., Unit 428
Houston, TX 77030-4009

Awesome. Truly.

Why You Should Sign Up on the National Bone Marrow Registry

www.marrow.org for info.

Current Clinical Use of Adult Stem Cells to Help Human Patients:

Autoimmune diseases (multiple sclerosis, lupus, juvenile and other rheumatoid arthritis)
Stroke
Immunodeficiencies, including a new treatment for severe combined immune deficiency (when used with gene therapy)
Anemia
Epstein-Barr virus infection
Corneal damage (full vision restored in most patients treated in clinical trials)
Blood and liver diseases
Osteogenesis imperfecta.
Cancer treatment (in combination with chemotherapy and/or radiation):
Brain tumors
Retinoblastoma
Ovarian cancer
Solid tumors
Testicular cancer
Multiple myeloma, leukemias
Breast cancer
Neuroblastoma
Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma
Renal cell carcinoma

Cardiac repair after heart attack (clinical trials announced Spring 2001)

Type I diabetes (not stem cells as such, but pancreatic islet cells from donors)

Cartilage and bone damage.

I was going to post the link to that information, but the link no longer works. Bummer. It was from the Catholic Bishops Conference.

Busy day. Gotta run!

It's Yom Kippur!

Since I missed the last holy day, here is some information about the Jewish holiday, Yom Kippur.

(Do you say Happy Yom Kippur? I asked mom and she said... "No. that would be like saying happy penance")

The more I learn it feels like the less I know.

Baruch atah adonai eloheinu melech ha'olam asher kid'shanu b'mitzvotav v'tzivanu l'hadlik neir you hakippurim.

Blessed are you, our God, Creator of time and space, who enriches our lives with holiness, commanding us to kindle the Yom Kippur lights.

Yom Kippur

Click to jump to:

* Yom Kippur Liturgy
* List of Dates

Yom Kippur is probably the most important holiday of the Jewish year. Many Jews who do not observe any other Jewish custom will refrain from work, fast and/or attend synagogue services on this day. Yom Kippur occurs on the 10th day of Tishri. The holiday is instituted at Leviticus 23:26 et seq.

The name “Yom Kippur” means “Day of Atonement,” and that pretty much explains what the holiday is. It is a day set aside to “afflict the soul,” to atone for the sins of the past year. In Days of Awe, I mentioned the “books” in which G-d inscribes all of our names. On Yom Kippur, the judgment entered in these books is sealed. This day is, essentially, your last appeal, your last chance to change the judgment, to demonstrate your repentance and make amends.

As I noted in Days of Awe, Yom Kippur atones only for sins between man and G-d, not for sins against another person. To atone for sins against another person, you must first seek reconciliation with that person, righting the wrongs you committed against them if possible. That must all be done before Yom Kippur.

Yom Kippur is a complete Sabbath; no work can be performed on that day. It is well-known that you are supposed to refrain from eating and drinking (even water) on Yom Kippur. It is a complete, 25-hour fast beginning before sunset on the evening before Yom Kippur and ending after nightfall on the day of Yom Kippur. The Talmud also specifies additional restrictions that are less well-known: washing and bathing, anointing one's body (with cosmetics, deodorants, etc.), wearing leather shoes (Orthodox Jews routinely wear canvas sneakers under their dress clothes on Yom Kippur), and engaging in sexual relations are all prohibited on Yom Kippur.

As always, any of these restrictions can be lifted where a threat to life or health is involved. In fact, children under the age of nine and women in childbirth (from the time labor begins until three days after birth) are not permitted to fast, even if they want to. Older children and women from the third to the seventh day after childbirth are permitted to fast, but are permitted to break the fast if they feel the need to do so. People with other illnesses should consult a physician and a rabbi for advice.

Most of the holiday is spent in the synagogue, in prayer. In Orthodox synagogues, services begin early in the morning (8 or 9 AM) and continue until about 3 PM. People then usually go home for an afternoon nap and return around 5 or 6 PM for the afternoon and evening services, which continue until nightfall. The services end at nightfall, with the blowing of the tekiah gedolah, a long blast on the shofar. See Rosh Hashanah for more about the shofar and its characteristic blasts.

It is customary to wear white on the holiday, which symbolizes purity and calls to mind the promise that our sins shall be made as white as snow (Is. 1:18). Some people wear a kittel, the white robe in which the dead are buried.
Yom Kippur Liturgy

Click here to learn about Jewish Liturgy generally.

Yom Kippur has its own candlelighting blessing. If the holiay coincides with Shabbat, the words in parentheses are added:

Baruch atah adonai eloheinu melech ha'olam asher kid'shanu b'mitzvotav v'tzivanu l'hadlik neir you hakippurim.

Light the Night..... Boogie on Down to Macy's

Raise Easy $$$ with Macy's Shop for a Cause

What: Light the Night walkers sell $5 shopping passes that entitle the bearer to 20% off store merchandise and the chance to win a $500 shopping spree!

Where: Every Macy's Store nationwide

When: Saturday, October 13, 2007

How: Place your order for the number of passes you would like and sell them to family and friends. Return the proceeds to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and the money is credited to your Light the Night team. Any unsold shopping passes can be returned to the Society at no cost.

If you are interested in selling these shopping passes or want to find out more information please contact your local LLS chapter.

I'm starting off with 50!! I'm ambitious like that.

Check Yer Lymphs

So when I got sick, I went in with a bad headache and came out with Leukemia.

So why is that?

Because it's not like you can take your own blood tests. Leukemia, Lymphoma and other blood cancers are often misdiagnosed as other things because their symptoms can be misleading.

Warning Signs of Lymphoma.

Lymphoma occurs inoccuously, often so harmlessly that it takes some time before you may realize that there is anything seriously wrong. Here is a list of the common symptoms of lymphoma. But you must remember that most of these symptoms are common with many harmless conditions. You should not panic if you have any of these symptoms. Consult your doctor, and he will be able to address most of your fears and doubts.

1. Painless lumps in your neck, armpits or groin

2. Weight loss

3. Fever

4. Excessive sweating at night

5. Itchiness all over your body

6. Loss of appetite

7. A feeling of weakness

8. Breathlessness along with swelling of the face and neck

Please check out that site if you want a more detailed explanation of those symptoms.

I can do this. Although I'm kind of sucking at writing a press release.

Your assignment today is to check your nodes.

Ok. A "pink" shirt I can support

If you are going to support breast cancer and walk or fundraise, here's the shirt you should be wearing:

(if you can't read it - it says Save 2nd Base)

Inspired by Kelly Rooney.

Our Inspiration

Kelly Rooney is the mother of 5 terrific kids, and the wife of Sean Rooney of the Pittsburgh Steelers family. She is Erin Dugery’s sister. She is Kelly Day’s friend.

Kelly battled breast cancer for three years, and underwent countless surgeries, rounds of chemo, and radiation. What set Kelly apart from most patients is that she knew cancer couldn’t take away laughter.

Kel was funny. She had a quick wit, loud laugh, and endearing wink. She taught those around her to “lighten up.”

Kelly was mischievous…she was no saint and never set out to be. She was utterly human, with a big, giant heart.

Kelly passed away on July 11, 2006 at the age of 43. She got the last laugh.

Kelly is the creator of the smiles that are provided by these t-shirts.

Why am I not the thinnest woman on Earth?

Dr. appt. on Monday. He said that I need off the steroids asap. That there are a few other drugs that will help with the graft vs. host.

In the meantime, I'm sick as a dog. I'm now a hermit. I also will be getting a lovely upper and lower GI and an endoscopy sometime in the near future.

I am done talking about this. It's just very unfun.

Zoe was crying yesterday because no one has signed up to join her Team Zoe team. There are only 3 people on her team so far. I've been too sick to go ask her Principal if the school could be a part of the Light the Night walk. Oh well. I'll keep trying.

I know not everyone is comfortable asking for donations, but I would be happy just to have people walk with us or buy the Team Zoe t-shirts (Zoe just got her new one and it is super cute!)

I know that a few of you have also bought Debutaunt shirts, but for some reason it's not showing up in my sales report. Which stinks because the $5 goes directly to me (obviously I'm not getting rich off of this - lol) Let me know if you bought one, so I can ask Cafepress what the dealio is.

Ok. Cleaning my room today since I'm being a hermit.

I can do this. I get to expose my innerds soon.

You assignment today is to sign up on Team Zoe if you are going to walk with us. Even if you only raise $1, we'd love to see you.

When I got sick, I didn't have any typical symptoms of Leukemia. Sometimes it is hard to know because the symptoms are so similar to other disorders. I had a headache, but it was a sinus infection - and that is what saved my life - they did a blood test.

Signs and Symptoms of Leukemia

The first indications of leukemia often are nonspecific or vague. They may occur with other cancerous as well as noncancerous disorders. Although signs and symptoms vary for each type of leukemia, there are some general features. Broad symptoms of leukemia may include:

Fatigue
Malaise (vague feeling of bodily discomfort)
Abnormal bleeding
Excessive bruising
Weakness
Reduced exercise tolerance
Weight loss
Bone or joint pain
Infection and fever
Abdominal pain or "fullness"
Enlarged spleen, lymph nodes, and liver

Why I do what I do

Thanks Bren/Cody's Mom.

I can do this. I have a doctor's apointment today to try to fix this mess I am.

I love you!

Sorry for the quick entry, but Happy High Holy days to my Jewish friends.

I'm going to google, so I can post what they are and what they mean.

For now, I have to bathe. It was Africa hot at Zoe's soccer game so I stink the stink of a thousand stinks. But she was so cute and they won!

How to Break My Heart into 80 million pieces

"Mommy, am I going to get cancer?"

How to Make Me Have a Mini-stroke

Well who cares if I'm going to cap out the max on my insurance. According the new Cobra administrators, my eligibility is up November 10, 2007.

Um. It's Oct 2008. Seriously, right? Right? That's what they've said before... RIGHT!!!!!!???? WTF... PANIC PANIC PANIC.

Mad scramble to my room to get the letter stating that.

Yes. That's what it says. Several times. The "old" Cobra administrators said October 2008 in a LETTER.

Apparently the old crew passed on no info, so the new crew was about to gimme the boot. I have to fax stuff ASAP to the new crew.

Whew.

Maybe I'll advertise for a Canadian spouse like The Assertive Cancer Patient.

I'm tired of forums an some forum people. I'm tired of debating. Marketing people and corporations that make massive profits from "cause" marketing are just immoral. It's greedy and sinful, IMO.

Yeah. They donate money for stuff, but they also act like we aren't supposed to realize we are buying the CEOs lots of new shiny things.

Besides Yoplait may have bovine hormones in it. If you want to have some goodwill, go back to nature!

I'm a Stoneybrook Farms or Horizon kind of yogurt girl.

For Now

I would love to get an official tag and one with some HTML code. So until then, this will have to do.

Thank you Chili's!

Not only for the perfect hamburger I got yesterday, but for donating 100% of your profits on September 24th to St. Jude's Children's Hospital. Also, you can purchase a pepper drawing and add the donation on to your meal. You color the pepper and they post them up on the walls of the restaurant.

Of course I colored mine and it said www.teamzoe.net.

Don't forget to sign up to walk with us in Houston or San Antonio. I don't have a team in Dallas yet, but if you are interested in creating a Team Zoe Dallas, let me know. Thanks to Pam C for creating Team Zoe Charlotte, NC. If you are in that area, you can join Pam on her walk team.

Ok. Busy day. I can do this. I"m Sixbucked up!

I'm Proud of You!

Today is my dad's 8th anniversary of being a Deacon in the Catholic church. Say what you want about organized religion, but I think someone who decides to dedicate their life to God's service is pretty amazing. Especially when you don't get paid for it.

My dad is a very special, sometimes complicated, person. He would give you the shirt off of his back (and literally I have heard of him giving someone a watch right off his wrist). He does so much for so many people. Especially Zoe and me. He's often selfless, sometimes at his own expense. And I do wish sometimes that others would buy *him* breakfast instead of the other way around!!

Dad had a pretty hard life growning up, but that's never stopped him from striving to do the greater good. My entire life I've never worried about not having food to eat or having a roof over our heads. I've watched my dad work hard every day. He was in the Air Force for over 20 years and then worked another decade or so at the Air Force base here in San Antonio as a contractor. He's worked so hard. And I don't know many men who can say they have seven kids that are all college graduates. (yes, mom had something to do with that too).

Dad's beyond generous with his money and his time. He works six days a week and is always headed off to a funeral, baptism, mass, wedding or a meeting for our church. At any given time, we will be eating (or meeting) with one of our priests or nuns or parishoners.

I know no one is perfect, but when I watch my dad work, I know he tries really hard to be as Christ-like as possible. He has such joy during mass, especially at the end when he says, "GO IN PEACE TO LOVE AND SERVE THE LORD." When he does Zoe's school masses, he also high fives the kids on the way down the aisle.

I've always been proud to be Deacon Debu's_Dad's daughter. But especially today.

Happy Anniversary, Dad. We love you very very much.

The Internet Scares Me

Ok. This made me nauseated

Lifetime Maximum

Initial Amount: $2,000,000.00
Applied Amount: $750,792.41
Remaining Amount: $1,249,207.59

You may hate insurance companies and big pharma, but I'm almost a million dollar girl. Although when I view all claims, apparently I'm at $1,818,980.39.

My brain hurts today. I'm going to watch some mindless tv now.

I'm Frustrated Today

Go Michelle Go!!

Support my friend, Michelle, in her Komen Race! She's such an awesome chick.

Ok. So I will post your link to your "pink" if you like. Send it to me via email! I'd rather people donate directly to fund breast cancer research vs. buying some stupid yogurt (besides, organic yogurt is soooo much better!) Those commercials licking the lids gross me out. I'm glad my job isn't to collect them. I would have a panic attack thinking about all that saliva. At least this year they are donating over a million. Keep talking so that these vendors get the idea that they can't exploit our fear as women of getting breast cancer. If they get the good press, they should be required to donate much more than a small percentage!!!

There are way too many things frustrating me today. I am missing my sisters. And my mom.

That is all.

Sleepy

Dad. Well Dad is the best. My beloved laptop power source is crapping out, I woke up to a brand new Toshiba Satellite A215. Um. It's FINE!!! (although I'm not used to the keyboard and keep mis-typing). It's so James Bond. It's got a fingerprint scanner on it. I'm also allowed to be on he Dad repayment plan. Monthly payments to pay off this great computer. I nicknamed her Uma.

I agreed to be an honored patient at the Lone Star Circle of Life Bike Ride. I'm not quite sure what I have to do yet, but it's a pretty big deal.

I'll post more when I know more.

From their site (and partially for Leukemia Awareness Month)

Did you Know...

One out of every 20 Texans will need blood at some point of their lives.
Each year, over 30,000 new patients are diagnosed with a life-threatening disease that may be cured with a marrow transplant.
It takes eight whole blood donations to provide the effective dose of one apheresis blood donation.
Each day, an average of 17 people die while waiting for an organ.
There are over 77 organs and tissues that can be transplanted.
Each year 20 million blood components are transfused.
There are currently 87,000 people awaiting a life-saving organ transplant — 5,800 of those are in Texas!

Ok. Too busy playing to post more today. I got a little bit of sleep, but I think it's a Tylenol PM kind of night.

Meet My Frenemy

She comes to me in the wee hours of the night. When the thoughts are rampant and the sleep deprivation is high.

When memories take over my nights. And sadness creeps into my head. When I wish for sleep, but she is elusive. When meds rule my head and I crave a pill to make it go away. The tricks and triumphs don't work anymore.

"Mommy, I had a bad dream. I tried really hard to wake up, but I couldn't wake myself up and it got scary." She says this to me at 3:20am while I'm wide awake and she is nearly asleep.

Tucked back in. Kisses and quiet soothing. But she's restless. She can tell.

So the thoughts return. The thoughts of my friends. My struggles. My life before cancer. The day to day nonsense we all go through while pretending to be responsible adults. I feel tired of this life at times. Telling my story. Writing it. Thinking about it. I'm tired of looking at my hair. Dealing with it. The bruises and the shots and the pills and all of it.

I'm surrounded by people who don't know me. The me before I got sick. I love it here and I hate it here. I used to be really funny. I told funny stories and thought funny thoughts. I used to read funny blogs and comment with witty comments. I feel so morose.

I try to meet people, but they all want something I don't know I can give. They want the old me. The funny me. The one who isn't self-depreciating and morose. So I rebuff them. Like they are beating down the door or something. Like I'm some kind of prize or supermodel that *I* can be saying, "no."

All I want to do is watch TV and movies. To snug up with little Z and daydream about freedom. Daydream about the day I can turn all this noise off. To shut up my frenemy. To tell her to go to hell. That this is my new life. And I am grateful so she needs to shut her fucking mouth.

I can do this. As long as I can turn that damn bitch off once in a while.

I feel like America Ferrera in Ugly Betty except when the filming is over, she turns back into her beautiful self. I'm stuck with me.

It's time to re-up those meds.

Seven Weeks to Go

Our walkathon is October 20th in Houston and the 27th in San Antonio. I hope that my Houston peeps can sign up to walk - even if you don't want to fundraise, we just want to see you there.

Jeanne Sather, the Assertive Cancer Patient, was my inspiration for boycotting the Pink of October. I read what she wrote and it really hit home. My dad's mom, my Grandma Jane, died of breast cancer. And I have many readers & friends who are survivors or who have had family members with breast cancer. I really think that people should just donate directly to research vs. losing part of their money to huge companies who are making ginourmous profits off the "cause."

Some facts for September Awareness Month:

Every five minutes, someone in the United States learns that he or she has leukemia, lymphoma or myeloma - that's more than 300 people every day.

Every ten minutes, an adult or child is expected to die from one of those diseases.

Leukemia is the leading cause of death by disease among children and young adults under the age of 20.

Leukemia is the most common cause of death from cancer among men under age 40 and females under 20.

Hodgin Lymphoma is one of the most curable cancers; the five-year relative survival rate is now 83 percent.

80% of myeloma cases occur after age 60; it is rarely found in individuals under age 50.

Myeloma is the most intractable of the blood cancers with survival at only 32%.

Why we raise money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society:

The Society's mission is to cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease and myeloma and improve the quality of life of patients and their families.

It is the world's largest private organization concerned solely with funding research to find cures for blood cancers.

As a result of ongoing research, overall survival rates for leukemia have tripled in the last 40 years.

Did you know that September is Leukemia Awareness Month?

Neither does anyone else.

Probably because we are drowning in Pink as it's pre-October.

I wish they would just outright donate the money instead of playing the charade of ___% of the profits. It's such a farce to purchase a $20 item when $2 of the profit goes to breast cancer research.

So next month, I will make a donation somewhere for breast cancer. And i will refuse to purchase anything pink for October.

This month, I will ramp up my donation fundraising for the Leukemia Society. And I will ask for you all to help spread the word about Leukemia. Maybe point people my direction. I think I will blog a post a day and dedicate it to an issue people with leukemia deal with.

Until then. This is our month. Sad no one will really know it.

My New Favorite

Shoe.

I'm in love with this shoe.

When you have ginourmous feet, and you find your size, it makes you want to buy one in each color. I think I need to start playing the lottery because I could online shop all day.

If you want to walk with us on October 20th in Houston, please sign up asap :) We will be walking in San Antonio on October 27th. All the info on how to sign up is on www.teamzoe.net.

I sure hope to see you there! We got our Team Zoe t-shirts and they are cute. The printing isn't the greatest, but the quality of the shirts is really good. The Team Zoe hat looks really good. I may need to redo the png file to jpg. Anyone out there experienced with working with these types of files?

Ok. I am outtie. My SUV is parked under a tree and I got blasted with the bird poop last night. I think they think is is funny to target my car.

I can do this. I'm full of Starbucks today! (and thanks to all of you who gave me the Bucks cards for my birthday. I've already used up over $70!!!)

Your assignment today is to say hi. Even if you don't comment much. It's been quiet around here lately.

P.S. If you are looking to volunteer or to donate to something, I watched a film on these. They are hand cranked "wheelchairs" that can maneuver around rugged terrain.

Here is another site. There are a few distributors across the country, so even if you aren't in San Antonio, you might be able to find one near you. I'm kind of handy, so I am going to go with my awesome friend Linda T to go help build some.

The Need
There are an estimated 21 million people world-wide that have lost the use of their legs due to landmines, disease, accident or injury. Landmines alone kill or maim one person every twenty seconds. The need is extensive and growing

A Solution - P.E.T.
Basically, the P.E.T. is a hand-cranked wheelchair that uses pneumatic tires for use on dirt and grass areas.

How can you help?
This is a growing but daunting effort due to the great need. There are many ways to help as the many current volunteers and contributors have learned.

· Give/Raise Funds: This is always basic. It takes money to buy metal and parts, to weld, to package, to ship, and to distribute. Ask -- and you shall receive -- is the message of scripture. Be creative.

· Find People with welding, metalworking, or woodworking skills who will agree to help build P.E.T. parts. Help them with expenses--buy the metal, etc. Help them ship it to one of The P.E.T. Places.

· Find Businesses that sell or make "off the shelf" items needed for the P.E.T.s. Get them to donate or sell to you at no profit. Send the items to a P.E.T workshop.

· Talk about the P.E.T. Project. Promote. Gossip about it. Say to folks in conversation, "Our church is doing a fascinating mission project..." Tell the story.

CONTACT:
P.E.T. Inc.
P.O. Box 941
Helotes, TX 78023
210-520-7317

Frenemy to Thyself

On Oprah:

This guest talked about how she used to be her biggest critic. She had this inner voice that told her she wasn't pretty enough or thin enough and she was really mean to herself.

She then realized that if she had a friend that was that mean to her, she'd no longer be friends with them. So why should she put up with that noise from herself?

Somehow I can relate. I'm sure most of you can. It's similar to the way that we worry so much about our families and would be distraught if they were sick or run down, yet we allow ourselves to get run down.

I've still been feeling kind of ick about every other day. And it's making me have the blahs. I can't believe it's already September. We have so little time before the walkathons. And I was supposed to raise $10,000 this year. I think I might just fall short. Eeks! Although Zoe has now raised about $1,800. She's 56% of the way there. Woo!

Ok. I'm now on Season 6 of 24. I am now officially a junkie.

I can do this. Jack Bauer is saving the world. Is it just me, or do they have the hottest villains ever?