Busy Bee for Pancreatic Cancer

Wow! Who knew that being in a pageant would keep me so much on my toes? Okay, rundown of all that's happened in the last two weeks:

1. Had virus, sick for three days. No activity.

2. PanCan affiliate meeting went amazing. Officially "Event Co-Coordinator" for Oklahoma. Brandy Glick and I are sharing the state with her in the Eastern half and me on the Western. We're already planning a Gala for next November which will probably be here before we know it! Venue, sponsors, event planning. It's sure to keep me hopping, but I love it. We're also looking into other events including a Casino Night at the new Hard Rock Casino near Tulsa, persuading The OKC Thunder bigwigs to allow us a Purple Night during this November, looking at restaurants who want to donate a night's earnings, a Purple Pin Bowling Night at Redpin Bowling Lounge, etc. And the list goes on. None of it is set in stone yet, but we're certainly trying!

3. The affiliate is also still gathering proclamations from cities around the state to display at the OU Garden Walk on Nov. 7th. I picked up one from the City of Bethany last week and boy, was I nervous!It helped to have my mom and sister, Sarah, there to support me.
Here is video my mom took.


I spoke directly to the council as one of the members lost her brother-in-law to this awful disease. Everyone was very kind and let me speak for a few minutes.
The worst part of the pageant is knowing your platform inside and out. Because mine is Pancreatic Cancer Awareness, there's quite a bit of statistics and medical jargon I've had to learn. Go ahead, quiz me! If I ever had the chance, I'd move out to California and work for PanCan. What an experience THAT would be! I'll be at the Norman City Council meeting tonight as the city is presenting its proclamation. Tena Coppedge and her family will be there. She lost her husband, Michael, this past July and it is amazing to see her strength as she participates so fully in activities. I was such a lump for a year after losing my dad.

4. Something fuuuuun that I'm so happy about is being on the top-rated morning radio show in Oklahoma, The Jack and Ron Show on 98.9 KYIS FM. They are super funny guys and their children are/were students of mine and they've had a number of my interns work there.
Here's the audio of the show:

Dr. Dan Brackett, one of the lead researchers in pancreatic cancer at the OU Health Sciences Center. Such a dear man and so knowledgeable. We're hoping to get on to other shows as well in the metro area, not just radio but TV too, to promote the OU Garden Walk. Since I'll be in Kansas City next week, he'll be on KWTV Channel 9 on Monday, Nov. 2. Look for him in the morning!

Whew! AAAAND this weekend, I'll be in the OU Homecoming Parade. I love working at OU and being a grad makes this appearance so much sweeter. Then the Homecoming Game, Halloween and my friend Maggie's wedding in Wichita. And all of this doesn't even count for what's going on personally or professionally! I hope my dad appreciates this!

NOTE: This is the first blog entry I did on my Facebook account after hearing of my dad's diagnosis. Some days, the pain is still fresh.

"You know, if it's not one thing, it's another." Gilda Radner as Roseanne Roseannadanna on Saturday Night Live

Recurring theme in my life it seems as I'm not fighting for MY life, but my Dad is. He was diagnosed this week as having inoperable pancreatic cancer which has metastasized in his liver and has about a year left. I have so many emotions about this. I don't know if it's because I 'm the oldest and have to try to keep it together but this week has been totally unreal. I apologize to any students who may have thought I was flaky this week or just wasn't myself. I haven't been.
He will start chemo treatment next Friday and we are exhausting all possible treatment options for him. (3 weeks on, 1 week off) However, he is in the latter stages of the disease. Pain management and slowing the growth of the cancer are the most important aspects we're focusing on as Daddy is in quite a bit of pain and has started losing weight. Once this is under some control, he can start gaining a little bit of weight. He's keeping high spirits and putting his life in God's hands, as we all should. He will remain working until such time as he needs to complete work from home. My youngest sister Sarah is moving back home from Wichita to offer additional support.

I can actually say all of this with a straight face and not cry thought tears threaten to spill over constantly. I'm sure people might think for awhile that I'm fragile and need to be handled carefully, but that isn't the case at all.
The worst part is how to tell my children about Grandad going to heaven. This will take so much strength, that honestly, I don't have right now.