Social Question

gailcalled's avatar

How do you feel about another approach to helping Cak and those like her?

Asked by gailcalled (54647points) August 23rd, 2009

I think the prayers, love, orange avatars and best wishes are wonderful. Perhaps there are some other ideas as well See my first answer. Hope this is considered OK with mods.

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44 Answers

gailcalled's avatar

I have a relative with the same blood cancer as Cak and donate to this primary research organization. You can send money in people’s honor. My sense is that her CLL was the original difficulty and that the breast cancer was caused by metastasizing.

http://www.leukemia-lymphoma.org/all_page?item_id=8477
http://www.cancer.org/docroot/don/don_0.asp
http://ww5.komen.org/donate/donateonline.html

jbfletcherfan's avatar

Another thing…on AV when she was so sick last year, we all sent get well cards to a central member & she forwarded them on to her She had tons of cards to send. Chris was so surprised & touched. Maybe that’s something we as flutherites could do. ?

teh_kvlt_liberal's avatar

I second the cards idea
Where does she live?

PerryDolia's avatar

Where do I send my card?

eponymoushipster's avatar

@jbfletcherfan @PerryDolia @teh_kvlt_liberal we’ve sent requests for that info to cak’s husband via her facebook account. we’re waiting on a response.

Les's avatar

What happened? I’m on the other side of the world right now, freezing my ass off. What happened to Cak?

wildpotato's avatar

cak has lymphoma? Oh dear. I also have a relative who dealt with that. I like both the donations idea and the card idea. Thanks, gail!

eponymoushipster's avatar

@Les cak had a double mastectomy last week. she’s in ICU right now.

Les's avatar

@eponymoushipster – Oh my. Thanks for the info. My thoughts and prayers go out to her and her family and friends.

jbfletcherfan's avatar

She’s in No. Carolina. One of my friends has her address.

jbfletcherfan's avatar

I could get it real easy.

eponymoushipster's avatar

latest update – not a great one:


Chris has had 4 seizures since surgery. She fell out of bed the second time it happened, that’s how they discovered her. She lost a lot of blood and has received her second transfusion. She’s still in ICU but was more aware of things to…day. She also had a mini stroke the night after surgery. Thank you for your thoughts. I told her you went orange, I think she understood.—

via facebook at 10pm EST 8/23/2009

evelyns_pet_zebra's avatar

I gotta go, but I’ll be back, my damn ISP/DSL is screwed up. Best wishes to CAK, I’ll try to get back tomorrow for more updates.

Hang on CAK, there are so many people pulling for you.

wundayatta's avatar

Chris has, over the couple of years I’ve known her, exhibited an amazing capacity and willingness to fight her cancers. I don’t think she’ll ever give up. Her children, her family, and her life are too important to her. I look at that belief that she understood as a good sign. Something to build on.

I just want to point out that, given all the support everyone is giving her, I don’t think she has a choice but to live on, and come back to fluther to give us what for! ;-)

You go, Chris!

You go!

casheroo's avatar

I thought she just had breast cancer :(

I’d be more than willing to send a card once someone obtains her address.

She’ll keep fighting, she seems so strong. I miss her :(

YARNLADY's avatar

In addition to direct cash donations, people can support their favorite charity by doing volunteer work in the charity office, or helping with the fundraising activities, such as monitor at the “Pink Walk’s” that are organized all around the country.

gailcalled's avatar

@YARNLADY: Very good point. Thanks. There is a better survival rate as of now with breast cancer than Chronic Leucocytic Leukemia.

Dog's avatar

I lurve this thread and will contribute in any way.

chyna's avatar

I will contribute any way I can.

wildpotato's avatar

Maybe also donating blood would be a different way to help? If the collective were able to contribute to the amount of blood available for transfusions, that would be helping cak indirectly.

rooeytoo's avatar

I never heard how old she is? Just curious?

Jeruba's avatar

For those who need to be filled in, go to this thread and then scroll down for other related links.

http://www.fluther.com/disc/53614/why-are-some-of-your-guys-avatars-orange-today/

@gailcalled, I am wholeheartedly in favor of practical as well as moral and emotional support. I’ll contribute.

jbfletcherfan's avatar

OMG, this is terrible news. I’m just sick. Chris is 36, I believe. Isn’t that right, daloon?

No, this isn’t just breast cancer. I’ve known her for going on 2 years & she’s been battling cancer since before then. She’s had numerous chemo treatments, surgeries, 3 bone marrow transplants…the list just goes on & on. She’s one of the sweetest people I’ve ever known. This just breaks my heart.

Likeradar's avatar

@jbfletcherfan You can get her address? Would you be willing to share your address (or hers, if it’s ok with her family) with us via PMs so we can use you as a mailing spot?

jbfletcherfan's avatar

Sure..I’ll see what I can do. I’ll get back to you.

Jeruba's avatar

I thought I saw her mention recently that she is 38, but maybe I’m wrong. Very young, in any case, and with young children.

jbfletcherfan's avatar

@Jeruba that’s probably right. Time flies. I guess she was 36 when I met her.

loser's avatar

I’ll do whatever. I’d love to send her a card.

eponymoushipster's avatar

from cak’s FB page as of 1:50pm EST 8/24/2009:

Big improvement today! Temp is normal, bp is normal and she had broth and it stayed down. The pain meds seem to be helping more, but they make her feel a bit sick. She refused to eat the jello. It was yellow.

jbfletcherfan's avatar

YEAAAA. Great news. Thanks, monkey man. :-)

casheroo's avatar

such wonderful news!!

loser's avatar

*** YAY!!! ***

teh_kvlt_liberal's avatar

That’s good to hear!

rooeytoo's avatar

If she wouldn’t eat yellow jello, she is obviously of sound mind!
Normal temp sounds good too.
The orange power must be helping!!!!

evelyns_pet_zebra's avatar

I don’t know anyone who will eat yellow Jell-O, myself included, and I am glad to hear she is doing better.

eponymoushipster's avatar

i eat champagne jello, which has a yellowish tint to it. does that count?

course, i also make and enjoy coffee jello.

Jeruba's avatar

I would. I pretty much don’t like any Jell-O, so I guess I wouldn’t care what color it is. Lemon seems more benign than, say, grape.

evelyns_pet_zebra's avatar

@eponymoushipster you simply must give me the recipe for coffee Jell-O that sounds awesome, and just one more way to get my coffee fix.

eponymoushipster's avatar

@evelyns_pet_zebra

Coffee Jello

Soak 2 tablespoons of gelatin in ⅔ cup cold water for 5 minutes. Add one cup of boiling water and stir until gelatin is dissolved. Add 1½ cups of strong coffee and ⅓ cup of sugar. Pour into individual molds and chill. Serve with whipped cream, chocolate sauce and a sprinkling of cinnamon or nutmeg.

i make a super strong batch of coffee in my french press for this.

wildpotato's avatar

@eponymoushipster and how do you make champagne jello?

eponymoushipster's avatar

@wildpotato i’ve used a mix for it. not jello brand, but another.
here’s a recipe for champagne jello shots.

basically the same thing, except the link is alcoholic, whereas the mix is just the flavor.

mcbealer's avatar

I had no idea she had gone in for surgery a week ago… so sad to hear. All my best to you @cak

EmpressPixie's avatar

We have all gathered on this thread to send good wishes and get well thoughts to @cak. All updates can be found there as well.

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