Tag Archives: purplestride

3 months of blogging…progress made.. but to end or continue?

2012-12-17

Who took their 10 month in chemo like a trooper again?????  hahah! Last night I was like SHOOT ME NOW, like always because when you are getting that many hours of fluid… you feel ginormous and you feel bad for all your healthy cells that you just poisoned and it makes your body hurt!  I wasn’t sure from going without chemo… reminder I was NEVER on a “chemo break” .. I was on a “My blood counts were too low too allow chemo”  then I got Folfirinox then back to my 3 drug chemo which I’ve been back on now since last month but had a gradual dose increase to watch my blood and wasn’t sure how yesterdays would go but DAMN!  Not too shabby!  I try my best to lay low.  I have a hard time not doing anything so that makes it difficult.  I just wish it was rainy or so cold or basically terrible outside so that I feel better about being in, but does it ever work out that way?  Ha.   My pre-meds do prevent me from getting sick but I’m not dead to the world or anything.  Then…. I get hungry like I really want to eat but if I try something I feel grossed out and sick and can’t eat, what a lose-lose!!

Also, my left side spleen/ pancreas tumor pain has subsided since the toxins hit it!  That’s a plus! Those cells were burned!  😉

I obviously do not get a lot of comments on this blog but I do get a lot of messages and e-mails and for that, I thank you all!   With that said, I have been thinking about going back to how I’ve always dealt with things and in a more private manner.  No one had a clue I was sick last October.. November.. December 2011 because I kept it to myself, which unfortunately the disease was spreading and progressing as time went on without the tlc it needed.  When I started this blog I had pictured the young girl in her hospital room looking out and wanting someone to talk to who could understand and someone she could look to.  I remember so many days of being in the hospital and just looking around and wondering how my life did a 180 overnight and why am I the youngest one with this disease at this stage, spread to the extent mine did.  I prefer to compare apples to apples.  Anyways, I have a couple of good pc friends who one is fighting stage 4, same as myself who I adore and we are going pancreatic events together in 2013 and one who beat stage 4 pc and I truly admire that found out more about me and have been able to keep in touch from this or FB and for that, I’m so thankful!  On the other hand, there are other reasons I’d like to delete it all and the people who shouldn’t get their info about me from the internet will have to get ahold of me the normal way (if you’re thinking “huh?” then this doesn’t pertain to you 😉  ).   So there ya go.

I might as well continue at least for the next week days since thats all we have left, right Mayans??  haha!

I hope everyone had a Happy Tuesday, be happy.. think positive.. things will work out.

~Ash xoxo

Dr. Oz – Call me! :)

Hot guys & baby animals

^ This pic was taken this past weekend in Delaware.  I thought that book was just hilarious…. Hot guys…baby animals?   hahaha!!!  Too funny!  No I didn’t purchase it.  🙂

What a sad day in America.  😦

My body is so sad as well.  Sick sick sick sick sick what a waste of a day from how sickly I feel. I was just miserable sick all night long. Yuk. I had way too much pain as well and the oxys were just not doing a thing. Today was just one of those days where I felt like hell and I’d stand up from my bed and just fall back down.  Ugh!  You ever hear someone say “well not every day can be rosy”  really?!  No kiddin.  I mean geez we know this but one should not be so dang miserable right?   I just hated wasting the day away.  I even somehow fell asleep asleep (I never take a nap) and somehow was out and my phone rang and I had that “What day is it, where am I?!?” feeling.  Scary!

So over the past couple months I’ve had many people say “You should be on Dr. Oz” “We should contact Dr. Oz and you should go on there to promote pancreatic cancer”  etc.  and they’ve wrote him so Dr. Oz…. you there?  Reading this?  Please do a pancreatic cancer segment!! I’d be happy to tell everyone about it and with me it’s EVERYWHERE but you can’t tell it from the outside.  It’s pancreatic awareness month and I think Dr. Oz viewers, all billion of them, should be aware.  That’d be a good audience I could tell! 🙂

Lastly – Anyone out there that has emailed me this past week and wondered why I haven’t gotten back to you…… I will!  Promise!! I’m just too yucky to read them now, I’m just praying this post makes sense.  haha!   Ok, have a great night y’all!

VOTE. Vote to END cancer.

I voted. Did you?

haha.  We can all wish that we can vote it away right?  Damn.

Love.

OH.  Here is the blouse I’ve aaaaaalways have wanted to buy but just couldn’t justify a $200+ blouse just to wear for political reasons that some of my friends would argue with me about.  So I just admire it online…

Well after voting I figured hmm… I can either get some ice cream, crawl into bed and just cry/eat my life away.

I mean when you hear:

 Your Stage 4 pancreatic cancer is still in your pancreas, liver, lymph nodes, abdomen, cervix, stomach, bowels and on your ovarian cysts..Chemo WILL be administered Monday, no more time to wait.

…you don’t exactly smile.

OR not.

I went with the second option.  BRING IT ON.  I will not be defeated.  I have too much to do than sit and sob.  I actually have a life and a damn good one I am going to live, fabulously that is 😉  Apparently this cancer has NOT got the memo of who exactly is was messing with.

Anywho, my Tim has been a sick dude.  I remembered when I was first diagnosed he didn’t want me to see another human being for fear they had sickly germs that would hurt me and now I am living with a sickly guy.  It started Friday and we thought ok you’ll be over it by Sunday.  When we were in Philly we got him some meds and I even wanted him to stay back and not join us at the pancreatic event but he said “Ashley, if you can fight stage 4 pancreatic cancer, then I can go in the cold with a cold”.  Hmm.. I guess. But I’m superwoman doesn’t he know.  😉    I believe in the meds and soup and big beautiful bed with tv although it’s been a long time since I’ve had a cold.  When I get sick, I do it BIG.  Ha ok not funny.  But he’s a guy, typical guy who just cannot chill and it’s day 5 and he’s bad. Ugh.   I feel like I’m getting a little bit too. Not cool man!

How true! Well he won’t chill out in bed but he’s a baby 🙂

I ordered tickets to this country concert next month for a charity and after ordering it said to call this number for a $15 credit.  Normally I ignore all these things and cancel out because I just am not interested.  This time I thought hmm… why not.  I call, give em my info and BAM getting $15 check sent to me. Sweet.  THEN they try to talk me into something else which generally I do the no, no thank you, thanks anyway, still no, please stop asking but this time I listened and decided to try it.  Still not sure what I ordered but what I do know is that it was $1.  I have the info to cancel within 30 days AND I received another $20.  Woohoo!   I mean with the tickets I purchased I paid for the ‘cut the line’ whatever, I don’t like waiting and I paid for the reserved coat check so Tim (if he goes with me? ) will like the perks along with the extra $$ I got back!  Win-win  🙂

Random – I’ve been CrAaaaaving hot chocolate lately.  I mean, maybe the fact that its 30 degrees of COLDNESS out or the fact I like me some sugar every now and then, I don’t know.  I wish I could kick this craving.  It’s trouble.  I know some sweet spots here in DC where it’s just OH MY AH delicious!

Ok well I hope everyone is enjoying this wonderful day where we come together as a country and vote and have the American pride, tomorrow 1/2 of americans will be angry.

Later! 🙂

Philly fun is all done

The beautiful Lisa Niemi Swayze and I yesterday

^This is a picture taken Saturday of Mrs. Swayze and I

Awesome day with a DETROIT LIONS WIN!!!

Well the Philadelphia PurpleStride event was frigid but fabulous.  They said it was to date the biggest purplestride event of the year – cool!  It was a nice time and interesting enough ran into someone I had met at the DC event in June. Though I didn’t meet any Stage 4 people actually I didn’t meet anyone currently fighting pancreatic cancer, but this is pretty normal at these events.  With all this coldness I am so ready to head to Miami! 😉

Today is a total renew day!! With losing an hour I woke up early then one should and mapped out what I needed to get done along with a revised (Ashley’s) regimen.  A little more hardcore boot-camp style of kickin’ cancer. I started the day on my treadmill followed by a wheatgrass detox drink.  I can only juice today and take in as little as possible because I am getting my CT/PET scan tomorrow.  This is exactly what I need anyways!  A nice detox.

I am going to be adding some cooked foods to my diet and of coarse keeping it vegan and gluten free. I LOVE cooking nowadays and trying new recipes!! Ready to try to new things 🙂

Tomorrow:  CT/PET  AKA  figure out what the heck is going on inside my body and why my platelets are flat lined and I can’t get chemo.

Us. NOTE – Tim is NOT flipping off the camera he said he was trying to point at me

Maddie and I approaching the finish line

Maddie and I

Below are a couple pictures of my juices.

Orange – I’m not a grapefruit fan so it’s a bit tangy to me but a fabulous immune boosting drink!

3 Carrots
1/2 Grapefruit
1 Orange

Yum 😉

Green Machine – Not the best tasting but so good for ya!

Kale
Celery
Broccoli
Spinach

Green goodness

November is Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month!!!

Do I have amazing friends??

^ This is a picture of an old coworker of mine (Fire Dept Lt. ) and great friend.  I am very fortunate to have such amazing friends!!!

– Incase you cannot read this it says “10 Mile Run Team Ashley Anderson and Purple Stride”

It’s November!!

It’s November 1st!!! That means it’s time to see PURPLE everywhere!!! It IS Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month and it’s time to see a purple nation!! 🙂  Do it for me, do it for someone you know, do it if you love Apple and miss Steve Jobs, do it if you LOVE the movie Dirty Dancing and Ghost and love you some Patrick Swayze.  It doesn’t matter to me who exactly you are wearing purple for just wear it! Promote it! Tell everyone you know that this Ashley girl said Nov is for PC awareness and I think we should all show some support.  😉   K?  Cool.

Did you know?

  • Pancreatic Cancer has the lowest survival rate of all the leading cancers – unacceptable!!
  • Most people diagnosed with Stage IV pancreatic cancer (like myself) will die within the first year
  • There is NO cure and NO early detection for pancreatic cancer
  • Approx 44,000 people will be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer this year
  • Pancreatic cancer receives only 2% of federal funding for cancer research
  • By 2020, possibly 2015, pancreatic cancer is will be the second cause of cancer related deaths in the US

The PanCan motto is “Know it Fight it End it” – I challenge you all to research a little more so we can fight together and end this!!

Events:

There is a PurpleStride in Philadelphia on Nov. 3 at 8am at Memorial Hall, Fairmount Park.    I will be attending this event!  A friend of mine is from Philly and actually wanted us all to do it together but since he unfortunately cannot make it now, the party must go on.  😉   Come out and rock that purple with me!

Just a note:  My birth stone is amethyst so I was just meant to promote purple!! I love it! ♥♥

oh I LOVE my birth stone!! I’d love to own this ring! haha

 

Once again, join the fight with me!!

Sweetest Day!! :)

My LA view

Sweetest Day was pretty sweet for my yesterday!!  No, not the fact my Michigan State lost… so NOT sweet 😦  BUT I found out I am going to Miami next month for the NASCAR race!!!  Yes I watch cars go round and round 😉  Carl Edwards is my guy!!! Love him!! I’m your typical FORD girl!! 🙂  Then…. I find out there is a pancreatic event there as well!!!!! 🙂  How fabulous!!! One of my closest friends just moved down there and will be joining me.  🙂  It’ll be good.

Today was such a nice relaxing day.  Kinda one of those days where although I am out of state, I still didn’t know what to do.  I’ve had the ‘been there done that’ kinda thinking when trying to start the day because we’ve done it all here so it was nice to just drive along the coast, head to Calabasas and to Universal City, Hollywood and relax on Venice Beach.  Tim loves the sports car, actually having a need for speed.  Though I hate to admit it….we are driving a Chevy….. yeah 😦  Disappointed in myself but… whatever.  She’s a Camero.

be SO good

Heading out to do something Hallow-weeny tonight 🙂

PurpleStride Maryland

Tim, Anthony and I

Bill and I

Sunday!! I love Sundays!! Church day, beautiful end of weekend day, football… who doesn’t love Sundays?  Today I did another PurpleStride event! This one was close to home and my friend Anthony wanted to join, so why not?  The weather was amazing and I had even met a new friend who has Stage 4 pc as well, Bill, whom I’ve been communicating with. It was great! 🙂 There were a lot of survivors there, I heard the majority had the whipple surgery (earlier stages) – lucky them! Before we arrived at the event we were out and had a lot of people say “Go Ravens!” because of the purple attire.  haha! No.  Fight pancreatic cancer!  The event raised a lot of money and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves.

Then it was a nice day of some errands and shopping! 🙂

Surviving 8 months!

I’m not sure why her path crossed mine… accident or grand design

Kristin, Ryan, me and Danielle last week in Michigan!! Great to spend time with my bestie Kristin! 🙂

Know these lyrics?  I love this song!  I am not using them as a man meeting a woman but it’s pretty fitting for my random meeting!  I ran into a women yesterday afternoon in Fredericksburg, VA who saw Tim wearing a pancreatic band and pointed and showed us hers. She shared a story about her daughter battling pancreatic cancer and I said I was as well. We continued to talk about she mentioned a pancreatic event in DC she attended and I said “wow! I was there too!” Then what happens? She pulls out a picture from the event and I look at it, it was a group of people, and I said “THAT’S ME!” hahaha! How random?  We talked for quite a while about events, treatment, research and diet.  It is amazing that you just never know who you will meet on any given day!  Wear your purple proud!! 🙂

My quote of the day… every day

More pics…

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