The Assertive Cancer Patient

Support This Blog, Please

ou may have noticed a "donate" button at the bottom of some posts on my blog. A button that looks like this:

The button is there because, with two small exceptions, I have decided to keep The Assertive Cancer Patient ad-free. The exceptions are a link to Amazon whenever I mention a book, and a Netflix ad on my Cancer Movies pages.

There are any number of ways to put ads on a blog. It's simple and easy. I tried this for a week or two when I first put my blog up. I used the ad service provided by Typepad, which hosts my blog.

But--and this is a huge BUT--most of the ads that popped up on my blog were for Web sites, products, and services that I personally couldn't endorse. And I didn't want them on my blog. An awful lot of them fell into the quacks category.

Cancer patients are fairly easy targets for exploitation--because we're sick, because we're afraid, because we'd like a magic cure that came with no side effects ... I don't want the exploitation of any cancer patient to start with an ad on my blog.

So there are none. But I still need to make some money from the blog, which takes the best hours and the best energy of my day.

The result? The donate button.

Thank you for any cash that you might be able to spare. I appreciate it more than you will ever know.

A special thanks to the cancer patients who have sent me donations, and then apologized for not being able to send more!

I know who my audience is, so I expected that if people were able to send a donation at all, it would be in the $10 to $20 range. Those $20 contributions are keeping me at the keyboard, blogging away.

If you want to read more about me, go to the About page.

A note about using PayPal: You can make a donation by clicking on the donate button and going through PayPal without setting up a PayPal account if you don't want one. There is an option to simply donate with a credit card.

@ Jeanne Sather 2009.

How Many Blogs Do YOU Have?

I recently launched my second blog, Charmed Bracelets. My first blog, the one you're reading, goes back to 2006, so almost three years of writing about my life with cancer with occasional detours to write about other topics of interest. 

Having two blogs made me wonder how many other people have two or more ... and also made me wonder--How many blogs is too many? 

I have two. Penelope has two. Susan--a new online friend--has two. Carver has two. Gudrun, in Germany, has a Web site and two blogs. Most cancer patients I know have just one, but some have a Facebook page or Twitter account in addition to the blog. 

And then there's Teri, the Cheeky Librarian, who has ... 16!

Teri explains:

"Blogs are really great tools for librarians. ... Librarians have always thought in blog format, in my opinion. Not necessarily as a journal, but as a place to record useful bits of information without having to go through a web master or committee to design a page on the Net."

Cancer Bloggers Join Forces Again

Because I was curious about this topic, I sent a e-mail to my closest cancer blogger friends asking if they wanted to join in another joint effort to blog on the topic of maintaining multiple blogs. 

Here are the results: 

Teri: How Many Blogs Can a Blogger Blog?

Penelope has two blogs, one that is meant for her family to read (they live far away) and the other that is mainly about her life with cancer. The rationale? "Compartmentalization." Here's her post: Why Two Blogs?

Carver and I have know each other online for at least two years, and I usually involve her when I get e-mail from someone who has melanoma. Carver is in remission now, and her blog has gradually transformed to a showcase for her photography. I drop by when I need a hit of beauty. 

See: How Many BLogs Do You Have?

I first met Susan when she bought a bracelet from me. I didn't know at first that she was a cancer survivor, but that came out as we continued to e-mail back and forth. And it was Susan's post about why she has two blogs that started this whole joint blogging project. Here's her post: Climb Over the Balcony

I love that headline, by the way. Here is the post she wrote about the bracelet she bought from me, complete with photos. I really love making things that are this special to the people I make them for. This bracelet was clearly made for Susan. See: A Charmed Life

I'm expecting a few more cancer bloggers to join in the fun. Please send me those links when you've posted. And if I didn't e-mail you, but you'd like to join in, please don't be shy. Just send me the link to your post. 

Here are some of our past joint-blogging efforts: 

Cancer Bloggers Join Forces

Cancer Bloggers Join Forces Again

@ Jeanne Sather 2009. 

Chemo Cap. Anyone?

My friend Penelope, a cancer blogger who lives in Oregon, has offered to knit chemo caps for anyone who wants them. 

She feels like knitting right now, which is why she's offering. And if you're going to go bald from chemo, then a knit cap is probably the most comfortable way to keep your head warm. (I know, it's summer now, but think ahead, so to speak.)

And a hand-knit cap, made by someone who "gets" it, probably has all sorts of good energy knit into the fabric. Plus, you get to pick your own yarn. 

Anyway, here's the link to her post that gives all the details:

Would You Like a Chemo Cap?

And here's the link to my posts about going bald: 

Bald

@ Jeanne Sather 2009. 

The Cheeky-Mobile

This is definitely my favorite photo from Nebraska!

That's Teri and me leaning up against the Cheeky-Mobile, the gold Scion she got after her cancer was diagnosed. I don't think you can read the license plate, but it says "CHEEKY1"--perfect!

Don't forget, Teri's blog is the Cheeky Librarian, and her cancer was a rare one that appeared in her cheek. 

Monica, trip photographer, took the photo. 

Photo: Monica Strasen

@ Jeanne Sather 2009. 

Teri Loved Her Bracelet

I love it when things go smoothly when I travel!

There was a period there--the first few years after 9-11, actually--when traveling by air just wasn't fun. I didn't think it was ever going to be fun again, and I'm not usually so pessimistic, but it was just a drag. Long lines. Ridiculous security precautions (I'm referring here to the rules that cost me a nail clipper, because of the one and a half inch nail file attached to it, and also a brand-new tube of toothpaste, because it might contain some kind of explosive). Tense fellow travelers. 

So I'm happy to report that--except for the screaming 2-year-old in the seat in front of me--my trip yesterday was hassle-free. Flights left and arrived on time. My fellow travelers were pleasant. Teri was waiting for me in Omaha.

And that, of course, was the best part: Teri. 

We've been friends for a couple of years now, I guess, and better friends since she visited me in Seattle last summer for the Cancer Bloggers Reunion, and it is so great to spend time with her. 

Teri picked me up at the airport in her gold Scion, the Cheeky-mobile, and checked me into my hotel. Then she took me to a Japanese restaurant, the Sakura-bana, for dinner, and it was GOOD. So much for not being able to get good Japanese food in the Fly-Over Zone. (Just kidding there.)

I'm blogging in my jammies at the hotel this morning--love that free Wi-Fi--and making a couple more "give cancer the boot" bracelets. Go here to see what they look like: 'Give Cancer the BOOT!' Bracelets  

Here's the bracelet I made for Teri: A Gift for Teri  

It's the first one I've made where I made the chain myself, and that was really fun. I'll be making more in this style, so if you want one, let me know: jeanne.sather@gmail.com 

@ Jeanne Sather 2009.

Leavin' on a Jet Plane ...

Now I have that song going through my head, and it's not even a song that I like. "Leavin' on a jet plane ... don't know when I'll be back again ..."  Argh. 

I'm down to the wire on my trip to Nebraska, and so--with less than 16 hours left till I have to leave the house to catch my plane--it's time to go through the to-do list again and cross off the things that are NOT going to get done. That's always fun. 

And of course there are several things that I can leave undone in the hopes that I will have time to take care of them tomorrow after I arrive. And a few more things that I can shove off onto Teri, my host in Nebraska. (No, that would be mean. Tempting, but mean. Teri has a lot to do, too.)

It didn't help that temperatures today were in the low 80s and very humid. In case you aren't from the Pacific Northwest, 80 degrees is a heat wave in Seattle. We melt and stick to the sidewalks when it gets that hot. Despite the heat, however, I prioritized, which means that I went for a massage this afternoon. 

I like to get a massage before I fly whenever possible. It helps keep my back in good working order, and also helps me avoid leg cramps from sitting for hours in tight coach seating. Plus, it just feels good. 

I also returned little Wilber the foster kitten to the rescue. I hated to see him go, but I can't keep every kitten that I fall in love with. Wilber will be getting neutered this week, and then he will be available for adoption at Animal Talk Rescue in Seattle. He's a sweet little cat--and gets along well with dogs. He and Connie, the Wonder Dog, were great pals. 

Younger Son will be coming home every day and walking Connie and feeding him his dinner. He will also be watering my garden--a very important task given the heat. Older Son will be in charge of the rest of the house--feeding his cat and the birds, bringing in the mail and taking out the trash ... and NO parties. It is so much easier to go out of town now that my boys are adults and can take care of things for me. 

The trip to Nebraska has two purposes: To visit with my friend Teri, who blogs as the Cheeky Librarian, and to attend the Cattlemen's Ball, a cancer fundraiser.

I'll be doing several things at the Ball: modeling a fur coat in the fashion show, speaking (topic: What to say--and what NOT to say--when a friend is diagnosed with cancer), and also selling my jewelry. 

Oh, my friend Monica, who took most of the photos on my new jewelry blog, will be coming to Nebraska with me. She'll be helping me at my booth in the General Store at the Cattlemen's Ball, and also taking lots and lots of photos. 

I will be taking my laptop with me and will be checking e-mail and probably blogging a bit, so I will be reachable. As always, e-mail is my preferred method of communication. 

@ Jeanne Sather 2009. 

Launching a New Blog: Charmed Bracelets

I started my jewelry business about six months ago, and I have been really enjoying it. 

I started by making "lost earring charm bracelets," and once every woman I know had a bracelet made from her orphan earrings (some of my friends have two or three!), I started making charm bracelets that showcase special, vintage charms. 

Searching for these charms is incredibly fun. I search in the real world--in Seattle's Pioneer Square and out in Snohomish, a small town whose main street is lined with antique stores--and I search online. 

I buy charms that speak to me--that's how I decide what to buy. Because I'm going to be making a piece of jewelry to showcase each charm, and I can't do that if I don't find the charm appealing. 

I've found a couple of wonderful charm dealers in England who have sold me some very special antique and vintage charms. Here's one example, a brass Victorian charm shaped like a wooden doll: A Very Special Charm: Victorian Jointed Doll

Another special one, a puffed cat from the 1920s, went on a garnet bracelet for my good friend Monica: Special Vintage Charms

A dealer in the South had some fantastic charms--that's where the sombrero and the sand dollar in this post came from: Special Charms for the Cattlemen's Ball

For the past month or two, in among medical appointments, I've been working on jewelry to sell at the Cattlemen's Ball in Nebraska, which is next weekend. I will have a booth at the General Store on Saturday. The Cattlemen's Ball is a cancer fundraiser, and in addition to selling my jewelry I will be modeling in the fashion show and also speaking. 

All the jewelry on my new blog will be available for sale at the Ball. (If you see something you want and you're not planning to go to the Ball, send me an e-mail: jeanne.sather@gmail.com)

Once I've gotten past the Ball, I'll be taking special orders again, which is the way I prefer to work. That way, I can size your bracelet to your wrist, and I can make a bracelet that is special just for you. 

I also make earrings, but don't have these online on the new blog yet, and have just started designing necklaces. I may have one necklace design up before the Ball, but I'm running out of time ... So those designs should probably be considered Coming Attractions. 

Please take a look at my new blog: Charmed Bracelets 

Be aware that it is a work in progress, and not all the pages are there yet. The About page is missing, for example. Also, there is no Paypal link to buy anything through this blog, so e-mail me if you want to buy something. 

Feedback welcome. 

@ Jeanne Sather 2009. 

Deb's Last Post

During the final days and weeks of her life, my dear friend Debutaunt was thinking of us, and what she wanted to say to us, the friends she left behind. 

Her older sister, known as Sis #1 on the Debutaunt blog, posted Deb's last message. 

Here it is:

Not Even Death Can Stop Deb From Having Her Say

If you would like to do something for Deb, or in her memory, may I suggest making a donation to her daughter Zoe's college fund? There's a link to do that in the right hand column on her blog. 

I don't know how long Deb's family is planning to leave her blog on the Web, but I hope it will be for a good long time. 

And for those of us who are also living with cancer, and blogging, here are some things to think about: 

For Cancer Bloggers ...

@ Jeanne Sather 2009. 

Support This Blog, Please

p>You may have noticed a "donate" button at the bottom of some posts on my blog. A button that looks like this:

The button is there because, with two small exceptions, I have decided to keep The Assertive Cancer Patient ad-free. The exceptions are a link to Amazon whenever I mention a book, and a Netflix ad on my Cancer Movies pages.

There are any number of ways to put ads on a blog. It's simple and easy. I tried this for a week or two when I first put my blog up. I used the ad service provided by Typepad, which hosts my blog.

But--and this is a huge BUT--most of the ads that popped up on my blog were for Web sites, products, and services that I personally couldn't endorse. And I didn't want them on my blog. An awful lot of them fell into the quacks category.

Cancer patients are fairly easy targets for exploitation--because we're sick, because we're afraid, because we'd like a magic cure that came with no side effects ... I don't want the exploitation of any cancer patient to start with an ad on my blog.

So there are none. But I still need to make some money from the blog, which takes the best hours and the best energy of my day.

The result? The donate button.

Thank you for any cash that you might be able to spare. I appreciate it more than you will ever know.

A special thanks to the cancer patients who have sent me donations, and then apologized for not being able to send more!

I know who my audience is, so I expected that if people were able to send a donation at all, it would be in the $10 to $20 range. Those $20 contributions are keeping me at the keyboard, blogging away.

If you want to read more about me, go to the About page.

A note about using PayPal: You can make a donation by clicking on the donate button and going through PayPal without setting up a PayPal account if you don't want one. There is an option to simply donate with a credit card.

@ Jeanne Sather 2009.

Debutaunt Celebrates

If there was one thing my dear friend Debutaunt--who died yesterday--knew how to do, it was celebrate. 

So if you were a friend of Deb's and are, like me, mourning her loss, please go to this link to see a photo of Deb in happier times. Jenna posted this photo to her Flickr site, and it is of Jenna and Deb at one of the THREE parties Deb had to celebrate her 40th birthday. 

Like I say, the girl knew how to celebrate. And we loved her for it. 

Deb and Jenna

@ Jeanne Sather 2009.