What a week this has been! Never a dull moment, every time I turn this is a new set of situations that need attention.
The week began with presenting another Caregiver gift for Michael from his lovely wife Susan. Michael has been caring for Susan for 6 years while she battles Stage 1V breast cancer that has spread to various organs and brain. She is doing pretty well right now and event has time to volunteer her time and work with children that need someone to talk with about health problems that are occurring in their families. CaringOn spent time talking with the couple to find out what would be the “perfect” way for Susan to say thank you to her husband. It turned out that she had the men escorted with a car & driver (Michael, his brother and a friend) to the Landmark Theatre in Harbour East for movie which included appetizers with cocktails. Then they walked outside and turned the corner and were ready to go to their special table at Oceannaire for dinner. They had a very good time and really enjoyed themselves. Susan enjoyed her night off and was able to relax and know that her husband was being able to enjoy life with his friends and didn’t need to be worried about her. She was looking forward to hearing all about it!!
We will be following up with this week and will post pictures on the website. Funny, just as we begin to wrap up this gift, we received a nomination for another gift for April. This gift has requested a nurse or companion be with the patient while their Caregiver is away. We have a few agencies that we work with that which will direct us as to what is needed and what works best with their personalities. Then a few days later I receive a call from a friend requesting help putting a gift package together for a neighbor of hers! Things are starting to roll and hopefully we will begin to get on a steady pass. While these nominations are coming in, I am invited to lunch with a woman that has read the article in the Baltimore Sun Papers. She is a very interesting woman and is involved in giving back to children and helping them with their education. Sandy does not use the internet so we have become pen pals and set up lunch dates and swap stories about how we are going to change the world in our own little way.

Some of you reading this may relate to my next few days, my son has lax practice Tuesday & Thursday with games on Saturday & Sunday. My daughter has Lax Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday. Then to top it off, we were finally able to get the painters in to start painting the house. Now this is GREAT, I’ve been waiting for this to happen, except that I mainly work out of my home and I can’t work their during the painting because the smell makes me sick as a dog.  So I must gather my big bag of files, folders, laptops, etc. and mosey down to Donna’s Cafe. Put the dog in the car, spend a few hours catching up, enjoy a quick bite and see that I need a nap.  I’m exhausted, my stomach, which hasn’t been very happy for a few days is worse.  Pay the bill, find my car, and go find a parking lot where I can put my seat down and snuggle up with my dog and take a nap.  I finally get back to the house, kids go to friends because of the smell. Between my stomach being messed and the smell of the paint, ain’t nobody was going to coming to knock on our front door. Now I need this pain to go away so that I don’t stink up the airplane I’ll be on in a few days.
Time for me to hit the hay and call it a day. This week the focus is on web seminars, strategic plans, board meetings, interviews with media and follow up with my wonderful Frieda at Channel 9-WUSA. These ladies are the NewsBabes, that have raised tens of thousands of dollars for helping breast cancer patients. They are really a wonderful team and I am so glad to know some of them. See you next week. Special fortune cookie says: Remember, Never depend on others to make you happy. You can do it yourself.”