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You are getting this
because you asked for it!!
If you're not sure why,
click
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Announcements:
1) Dave has been quoted on
AARP Online
2) Dave has a story published in
"Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Cancer Book" - available in book
stores now!
3) The Journal of Nursing Jocularity is
back!
If
you like to laugh and you are a nurse, you will love the reappearance of
this online magazine. Karyn Buxman, RN, MSN / Publisher says, "The
nurse who laughs, lasts." Believe us when we tell you that she is one
funny lady! Take a look
here and check the subscription page for a introductory special!
4)
Dave is now a regular contributor to EmpowHer.com
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Dave will be writing one or two short
articles every week about coping skills - the articles are short and
very quick reads.
Sign-up now and we'll let you know when new articles are posted! |
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5) DVD: "You Can Handle
More Than You Think You Can:
Your Amazing Ability to be Brave and Strong"
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When Dave's wife was first diagnosed with breast cancer
he thought, "How are we going to get through this... this is impossible"
but he is still here (and so is his wife)!
How did they get from "I can't do this" to "I
did this?"
Recorded live in front of 1,000 oncology professionals,
you will be moved, inspired, and empowered by this presentation in
which Dave explains the '11 L's of Caring and Coping' with stories
from their journey, plenty of humor, and two moving videos that
brought his audience to cheers and tears! To see clips from the
program and for more information:
www.HandleMore.com
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6) Complimentary coping guides for your
patients
We now have coping guides for your patients that
contain "The 11 L's of Caring and Coping." They can be ordered in
packs of 50; they are complimentary... shipping too! To see one and
place your order, go to
www.ThePPP.org/freestuff
Note:
available only if shipped directly to a clinic or support group. If
you are an individual patient or caregiver, or cannot order for a
clinic or support group, ask someone who can to order the guides for
you as well as all of their patients.
In this issue:
Article:
"Keep Your Eye on the Ball"
We Were Featured in The Wall Street Journal!
Humor from the trenches
Audiences and readers share their stories
This and that
Observations, musings, audio clips, stories
from the road, etc.
Meanwhile, back at
the ranch...
A usually-humorous glimpse into the personal life of
this cancer caregiver
Past Issues
About the Caring and Coping Newsletter
Links
Our Mission
Subscribe/unsubscribe
Please forward us
to everyone you know who is a patient, caregiver, survivor, or medical
professional. (Be sure they know it's from you, though; I don't want
them to think I spammed 'em!)
Patients/caregivers:
please tell your doctors, nurses, family, and
friends about us!
Medical professionals:
please tell your patients and colleagues about us! |
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Article: "Keep Your Eye on the Ball"
When
I was about 11 I joined little league and played baseball. Well that's
not exactly true... I TRIED to play baseball. I was a good runner, but
my batting and catching wasn't so hot, and when you're talking baseball
that pretty much kills the deal. But I digress...
During batting practice one day I kept swinging the bat
but missing the ball. This kept happening over and over until the
coach came over to me and said, "You're not watching the ball as it's
coming toward you. You can't hit it if you don't look at it. Keep
you're eye on the ball." I realized that I wasn't looking at the ball
because I was distracted by the fear that it might hit me. To put it
another way, hitting the ball was the goal and if I didn't keep
focused on the ball I couldn't hit it.
The very next pitch I did what he said, though, and hit
the ball solidly over the pitcher's head. Even today I can still feel
that satisfying thump and hear the loud crack of the bat when I hit
it. It felt good. I was proud. (The fact that I can still remember
that one moment tells you something about how many times I was
successful at bat!)
What does this have to do with stress? Everything,
because as you are living your stressful life and trying to cope,
sometimes the stressful things we are dealing with get the better of
us and we get caught up in them. We get so upset about one particular
situation or incident that we get distracted from the ultimate goal,
which is to deal effectively with our life.
As I write this, the entire country is in a uproar
about the bonuses given to executives of a company that I will not
name (AIG) after that company received BILLIONS of taxpayer dollars so
it wouldn't go out of business. Believe me when I say that I think
that the outrage is justified, and if anything illegal was done the
guilty parties should be punished, but all of the talk and tension and
media coverage and finger-pointing caused by this situation is
distracting us from our goal, which is to fix the economy. In the
grand scheme of things, taking the entire situation into
consideration, these immoral and greedy people are simply a blip on
the radar.
I, too, am trying to control my own stress, which is
caused by my wife's illness and welfare as well as too much month left
over after the money. I try to practice what I preach and most of the
time I'm doing ok, but last night I was packing for a speaking
engagement and I couldn't find my toothpaste. I lost it. I was
frustrated because I had left my shaving kit in a hotel room during a
trip last week and I just couldn't believe that I had left my
toothpaste as well. I suddenly became a sailor with bad words coming
out of my mouth (hard to believe, isn't it??). I was slamming doors
and throwing my clothes around... I had taken my eye off the ball.
After about five minutes of this nonsense my wife came
in and said, "You're going to give yourself a stroke!"
She was right. It was stupid and I knew it. And it was
over.
I remembered to watch the ball, and the rest of my
packing went smoothly. SIDE NOTE: the toothpaste was right where it
was supposed to be; with all of my other liquids and pastes in the
little clear plastic bag required by airport security. DOH!
It's very easy to get distracted and let little things
get to you. Coping with stress is a tricky business, so keep at it and
remember to watch the ball!
© 2009, Dave Balch ALL RIGHTS
RESERVED
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Humor from
the trenches
...from audiences, readers, and me!
Chris had whole brain radiation a few years ago and her
hair still is having its challenges. The top of her head, especially,
isn't growing back the way she would like so her hairdresser got her a
hair piece and colored it to match her hair. (We call it her "little
hat.") It looks terrific - he did such a great job that you really
can't tell.
I had a lesson on how to attach it to the hair that she
did have, but one day in preparing to go to a wedding I was having a
little trouble placing it properly. So I did the only logical thing
and took a red felt-tip pen and made a mark on the top of her head
exactly where the bobby pins were supposed to go. That did the trick
and all was well for the evening.
The next morning, as Chris slept, she was in just the
right position for me to see the red dot, which I had completely
forgotten about and I went into a fit of laughter that awakened her.
She wanted to know what was so funny, and when I told her we both went
into hysterics!
Send me your own
humorous anecdotes!
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This
and that
Have you heard of "Knots-of-Love?" It is a
grassroots organization of people that knit or crochet hats for chemo
patients. They organize the people who make the hats, then ship them
to cancer clinics around the country - all free.
I recently met the founder, Christine Shively, when
we were both guests on a local 30-minute television show. As it
turned out, our cancer clinic was one of those that received hats, and
Chris had actually selected one.
If you would like to volunteer to make hats or to
find out more, visit
www.Knots-of-Love.org (You can even watch the interview from their
home page!)
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Meanwhile, back at the ranch...
A glimpse into the life of this caregiver
Click
here to see the "cast of characters"
I like to nap in a large reclining chair that we have in the bedroom.
I'm lucky in that I can feel refreshed after only 10 minutes or so, and
the chair is so comfortable that I'm practically asleep before I've
finished pushing the chair open.
One day after just such a nap, Chris was in the bedroom and heard
Lily's unmistakable cry. She looked around but couldn't find her.
Then she heard it again; it seemed muffled. It was coming from INSIDE
THE CHAIR! Lily had apparently been investigating the inner workings
of the chair while I was asleep, then got caught inside when I closed
up the chair afterward! Chris and I had a good laugh over that one.
Lily, however, wasn't
amused.
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Links
Information about Dave's speaking programs, including
demo videos
Dave's speaking schedule
Sign-up to be notified when Dave will be speaking in
your area
No-cost services of The Patient/Partner Project
Use our articles in your printed or electronic
publications
Book:
Cancer for Two: An Inspiring True Story
for Cancer Patients and Their Partners
DVD:
You Can Handle More Than You Think
You Can: Your Amazing Ability to be Brave and Strong
Let us notify you when new coping articles are posted
on EmpowHer.com
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Our Mission:
Our mission is to reduce stress and
restore hope for those dealing with a serious or chronic illness or
condition including patients, caregivers, family, friends, medical
professionals, and support organizations.
We do this by sharing our unique
perspective in order to:
-
bring a new sense of empowerment to
patients and caregivers
-
bring a new level of understanding and
renewed sense of purpose to their entire support system of medical
professionals, friends, family, and support organizations.
-
Oh... and by laughing, too!
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The Patient/Partner
Project
P.O. Box 824 - Twin Peaks, CA - 92391
800-366-2347 or 909-337-3928
The Patient/Partner Project is a service of A Few Good People, Inc.
(c) 2009 A Few Good
People, Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED |
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