More Christy's Crew Fundraisers

These 3 fundraisers will probably be our only fundraisers this spring before the walk. With the training schedule (leading up to walking 39 miles) we have very little time any more to fund raise. Luckily - at least half of our money is already raised for the walk.

These are the last 3 fundraisers:

1) February 9, Saturday at Iron Butterfly - Silpada Party (click on this link for more details)
All proceeds from the party go to Christy's Crew and the hostess gifts of jewelry will be donated to patients at Pluta Cancer Center. Ordering on-line is also available. So please pass the word! It's for a great cause - and Silpada is GREAT jewelry!
2) February 12, Tuesday at Super Suppers
See previous post.
3) February 26, Tuesday at Chicago Uno's Grill - Victor, NY by Eastview Mall
Second Uno's fundraiser - the first was a smashing success! Click here for more details and a coupon to print and bring with you to Uno's!

Lastly, I have already met my $1800 goal for my Avon Walk Goal. Other members of the Christy's Crew have not me their goal, yet. All the money goes to a wonderful cause - Breast Cancer support and research (the more money made, the more chances we have of finding a cure!). If you want to donate to our cause you can do it many ways.
1) Send a check payable to Avon Walk for Breast Cancer to
Christy Palmiere
c/o Christy's Crew
PO Box 116
Victor, NY 14564
We will then apply your donation to a Christy's Crew walker who needs the money to meet their $1800 goal.

2) Click on this link Christy's Crew webiste
Scroll down, on the right hand side lists all the walkers walk pages.
Click on any of these walkers and it will take you to their Avon Walk page
Once there, click on the pink "Click here to support me" and follow the directions
All donations will be made on-line via credit card with this process.
OR
Just click on one of these walker links below and follow above directions:
Specific walkers that could use your help: Alice (Heim - friend from Kodak and now Coopervision), Janelle (Allen - friend and neighbor), Kristin S. (Sumner - Freind from Kodak), Michelle (friend and neighbor), Sandra (Sandy Lane) - friend from Kodak, Jackie (Bense - friend from Kodak), Traci (Wenzel - Kristin Williams cousin).

Thanks so much for your help and generosity! Without having all the funds raised before me, I would not be looking at the "cancer free" prognosis that I have today! I am so incredibly grateful for the money and progress made in the fight against breast cancer! Together, we can help find a cure!

Christy

Christy's Crew Fundraiser

Our next Christy's Crew Fundraiser is on Tuesday, February 12 at 6:30pm at Super Suppers in Perinton , NY (across from Martin's).

If you have never done a Make n Take or Super Suppers before, you must try this! In my opinion - it is one of the best dinner ideas going! If you are a working Mom, like me, you have barely any time to put a decent dinner on the table - and aren't you sick of mac n cheese or pasta and sauce or grilled chicken and broccoli?..............

At Super Suppers - you can sign up under the Christy's Crew party and we will get 10% of the entire party. You pick from a menu, they have all the ingredients there and measured for you. all you have to do is put the ingredients together as the recipe calls for, bring it home, freeze it, pull it out when you want to eat it, heat it up and Voila' you have a meal! I just love it!

If you are a gourmet chef - these meals might not be to your liking. But, if you Can barely cook (like me) these meals are VERY good!

Here's the info to sign up!

Hi Everyone,
I hope everyone is ready to make room in their freezers because the Super Suppers fundraiser is a go!! We have a few options we were given. A private party has been set up for February 12th at 6:30. You can register by:
1. Calling 223-4190
2. OR going to
Hi Everyone,
I hope everyone is ready to make room in their freezers because the Super Suppers fundraiser is a go!! We have a few options we were given. A private party has been set up for February 12th at 6:30. You can register by:
1. Calling 223-4190
2. OR going to http://www.ssperintonny.com/?gclid=CIfLmfKOjZECFQEMIgodXGBI_Q and go to the calendar and click on the Christy's Crew party
User ID - Christy
Password - Crew
For anyone who would like to participate in this fundraiser but can not make it to the party a walk in or pick up option during the day is available, so please email anyone who you think might be interested. When you register you will be asked to pick out the number of meals, full(4-6 serving) or half( 2-3 serving) portions, and also which meals(a minimum of 3 and up to 6). We are allowed to bring 2 bottles of wine and appetizers and refreshments will be provided. If anyone is interested on Feb 6th they are having a tasting of February's menu for $5.00/person. Please email if you have any trouble signing up. Hope to see you there!!
Janelle Allen and go to the calendar and click on the Christy's Crew party
User ID - Christy
Password - Crew
For anyone who would like to participate in this fundraiser but can not make it to the party a walk in or pick up option during the day is available, so please email anyone who you think might be interested. When you register you will be asked to pick out the number of meals, full(4-6 serving) or half( 2-3 serving) portions, and also which meals(a minimum of 3 and up to 6). We are allowed to bring 2 bottles of wine and appetizers and refreshments will be provided. If anyone is interested on Feb 6th they are having a tasting of February's menu for $5.00/person. Please email if you have any trouble signing up. Hope to see you there!!
Janelle Allen

Radiation Therapy

I guess I forgot to post this info:
I will start radiation therapy the first week in February. This will last for 5 and 1/2 weeks or 28 daily treatments (M-F). The radiation is very localized and in total will take about 15 minutes every day. No biggie - very few side effects - chances of skin burns and some tiredness. Most women I have talked to have very few, if any, side effects from radiation.

So - By mid-March I will be done! And I have already booked our family vacation to Florida the following week! I am sure we will all need that trip by then!

Compression Sleeve

Today I went and got my very own compression sleeve and gauntlet! What's that, you say? Well, it is a tight, spandex type sleeve that I wear over my right arm and hand to keep fluid flowing so that I do not end up with Lymphedema (swelling in the arm and hand).

I need to wear this sleeve for the entire time I am undergoing radiation therapy (5 and 1/2 weeks) all day. I can take it off at night.

Because I had my axillary lymph nodes removed (because cancer was found in 2 of them so they removed the rest during my mastectomy), I have a greater chance of getting Lymphedema. One of the functions of lymph nodes, besides protection from infection, is to keep fluid flowing throughout your body. When you have less lymph nodes, fluid can build up. In my case, this is in my right arm. Radiation, greatly increases my chances of lymphedema so the compression sleeve will help prevent lymphedema from occurring.

Here is some info on lymphedema
More on lymphedema with a picture of a compression sleeve

Exercise also helps prevent lymphedema and most people don't develop it. The compression sleeve and exercise are pro-active treatments to prevent occurrence.

I have to say, I am glad it is winter for this fun! The sleeve really is not uncomfortable, but it would look silly with a tank top and incredibly uncomfortable on a 90 degree day! It will keep me warm on these 10 degree days this winter!

I'm Free!

I saw Dr. Frankel today and she has removed my restrictions! I am healing well - all looks good! I need to keep working on my range of motion exercises. I get to drive, FINALLY! I get to start working out (slowly, being reasonable and smart). I get to go back to work on Monday January 28, 2008.

I am so excited about this news! I feel freed!

Yesterday, Dr. Caldwell (my mastectomy surgeon) said "Happy 2008 and your cancer free!" What a great statement to hear! I have been so busy focusing on recovering from this surgery, that I neglected to cherish the thought that I am now considered "cancer free"! Maybe this is because I still had recovering to do and I am still going to undergo radiation.

Radiation will begin the first week in February and will go for 5 and 1/2 weeks. Completion mid-March.

Click to Give

The Breast Cancer site is having trouble getting enough people to click on their site daily to meet their quota of donating at least one free mammogram a day to an underprivileged woman. It takes less than a minute to go to their site and click on "donating a mammogram" for free (pink window in the middle).



This doesn't cost you a thing. Their corporate sponsors/advertisers use the number of daily visits to donate mammogram in exchange for advertising.

Here's the web site! Pass it along to people you know.

The Breast Cancer Site

Permanent Implants

Another surgery down! As of yesterday!
I had surgery yesterday morning to replace my expander implants with my permanent implants. This surgery was much more simple than the last surgery - by far! I went in at 5:45am yesterday morning and was home by 1pm yesterday. I feel fine. No real pain, even this morning. I am back to being chained to the recliner for 2 days - no real movements so that I can give the incisions time to heal! This time I will follow the instructions to the tee! I don't want to slip backward when I was starting move forward with recovery.

Kodak Donations to Christy's Crew Avon Walk for Breast Cancer

Over the holiday's I received this gift from some of my Kodak friends. I worked with the organizer of this activity, Judy Bueg, during my last year of employment at Kodak. As with all the people I have worked with at Kodak, Judy is a wonderful friend! She has been keeping up on my blog and sending encouraging words during my entire treatment. Judy, tried to get Kodak to give a corporate donation to Christy's Crew, Avon Walk for Breast Cancer. She was unsuccessful in this endeavor (Kodak has very strict policies on philanthropic donations. I understand why - being a Fortune 500 company, they need to restrict and have rules on how they disperse cash otherwise everyone would ask them for donations.) This did not stop Judy! She contacted other Kodak friends of mine and generated this ground campaign to raise money for Christy's Crew Avon Walk for Breast Cancer. She presented me with the money from the campaign before Christmas. They raised around $500 for donation's to Avon Walk for Breast Cancer!

This was a wonderful gift. It is really special to me - as it came from so many of my friends at Kodak that I have met throughout my entire career. I was the link between all these people as most of them had never met each other during their careers. Judy made the connections and got them all together to help raise money!

Everyone who leaves Kodak, moving on to retirement or other careers, always says that they really miss the people at Kodak. They are kind, generous people and we have always carried a special bond as we all worked hard to try to keep the company afloat amidst the film to digital transformation. This kindness has come through loud and clear in all the Kodakers that have donated to our Avon Walk for Breast Cancer, as well as provided me so much support during my treatments. I have received cards, emails, donations, gifts, lunches, etc from so many of my Kodak friends! I have even received emails from strangers that have been diagnosed with breast cancer, hearing about my blog from a fellow Kodakers!

Thank you Judy and the rest of my Kodak Friends!

Christy

Drain is Finally out!

Yeah! I finally got my last drain out today! Woo hoo! It's about time!
I have spent the past week and a half with my left arm in a sling, not moving it, doing NOTHING, in order to get the left side to stop draining blood. It wasn't draining a lot of blood, but enough that my doctor did not want to take the drain out. The past 2 days it was finally draining little enough for her to take the drain out this morning!

And, I anticipated this to hurt. When she took the right drain out - it hurt so bad! I was very surprised by how much it stung for a minute or two after she removed it - profanities came out of my mouth when she removed it! This time, it did not hurt at all. And I was even sweating - worried about how much it would hurt!

Now, this does NOT mean that I am to be back to running around - per Dr. Frankel. She still wants me to wear the sling and sleep on the recliner (this keeps me from tossing and turning at night - less stress on my pec muscles). but - I can now take a full shower or bath! How exciting!

I will be having surgery again on January 9 - next Wednesday. This surgery will be to replace the expander implants with the real / permanent implants. I was on the "rapid expansion" path so that I could start radiation as soon as possible. You cannot get radiation with the expanders. And normal expansion process takes 4-6 months.

That's all for now.