Mother and Child Reunion

Dear Blogger Family & Friends,

Heartfelt greetings and warm wishes to one and all. Extra hugs to all our mothers as we sing their praises on this special Mothers Day edition of The Pink Crusader.

Oh the mother and child reunion
Is only a motion away
Oh the mother and child reunion
Is only a moment away

-Words & Music by Paul Simon

As most of you know, the Pink Crusader has been MIA for nearly two weeks after joining my son, Dalip, in a marathon road trip which we had been planning over the course of my treatment this past year. It was somewhat of an early Mother's Day present in addition to an opportunity to spend quality time with my only child who lives on the east coast.

So, with my husband's blessing, and the help of map quest, the two of us embarked on an ambitious journey, visiting nearly 30 friends and relatives, in four states, within nine days! Not too shabby. It really was the "Great Race" of all road trips clocking memories by the minute. I thank everyone who welcomed us with open arms along the way.

Road trips are nothing new to us. My son is a born roadie like his mom. He cut his teeth on the car upholstery and grew up thinking that all families used their cars as a second home. Flying was reserved for people like my husband Tony, who travels for a living......or for celebrities, or people who live in foreign countries.

As a baby, Dalip (his name means "he who loves"), was always a good little traveler. He was very compact and portable and could make the 6-hour drive from Chicago to my family home in Ohio with one feeding and two diaper changes. Most of the time he would sleep contently in his car seat, however, if he got cranky I would pop in a Disney sing-along cassette and belt out an Ethel Merman version of "Zip-a-dee-do-da." That was enough to stop an infant's sniffle, mid-tear.....although it might also have been enough to make a grown man cry.

If Dalip needed a feeding before I needed to refuel, I would steer with my left hand and prop the bottle in his mouth with my right (in the days before infants were banished to the back seat), and we would continue on our merry way without further incident.

As my son became a little older, (and years before the inception of Game-Boy), we would create our own travel games to help pass the time. Once, during a drive from Boston to Ohio, and after he had learned to read, write and spell, we stopped at every exit in the state of Connecticut, creating a journal of each gas station, food stop and shopping center along the way. Don't laugh.....it came in handy on many future trips after that......and I still get a kick out of seeing his childish scrawlings and doodles scattered throughout the pages.

On another occasion, while driving for 8 hours through the mountains of Pennsylvania and upstate New York, we kept a running count of all the identifiable roadkill on the highway. Deer placed high on the list, followed by raccoons, possum, fox and black bear. Yep....nothing like rotting, mangled roadkill to keep the attention of an 8 year old.

For years, depending on where we lived (Chicago, Boston, Cleveland, Providence, etc.) my boy and I could easily spend up to 16 hours in the car driving from one destination to the next. Good thing we liked each other.....up to a point. When his interests turned to sports and music, the Sony walk-man (with a mega supply of extra batteries) became his new travel companion. Looking back, I missed the two-way conversation and often felt like I was driving solo. "Sh-h-h-h-h Mom, I can't hear my song."

I think I should just skip over the teenage years and jump ahead to the day the music died. We were living in Cleveland, when Dalip received his driver's license. He had his official ticket to freedom and independence and no longer needed me to be at the helm. "C'mon Mom, let me drive.....I'm getting bored....this is stupid.....blah, blah, blah." I reluctantly relinquished the keys and the wheel to my son. I passed on the torch to a new generation of road royalty and he claimed his rightful place on the throne of the driver's seat. The tables had turned and I was now the sidekick in the passenger seat. I became his "Gilligan" and he became the "Skipper." I sulked at the role reversal. The shoe was on the other foot and it was not a good fit.

Once in college, Dalip would frequently make the 4-hour drive from Cincinnati to Cleveland without blinking an eye. It was in his blood. He had been pre-conditioned that 4 hours behind the wheel was as casual as a stroll around he block. What's more, his car resembled a sound stage on wheels. He had worked all summer to customize his "ride" with a multiple cd player, elevated sound system, and satellite radio. "Zip-a-dee-do-da" had been replaced with "I'm too sexy for my shirt." His car was a pleasure palace.......and he was king of the road.

Meanwhile, I had become a frequent flyer and was learning to enjoy the view from a higher altitude until grounded by cancer in 2003. And, ironically in 2007, it was my frequent flyer miles that carried me from Houston to Philadelphia for our emotional reunion, following my recent relapse. But, as previously noted, the joy and success of this trip did not happen over night. It took careful thought and planning along with a lifetime of vivid memories to make things feel right again.

Looking back, I fully acknowledge that I had the time of my life, regardless of where I sat or who was at the wheel. This time, it wasn't the adventures of Gilligan and the Skipper, but rather the irrepressible joy of a mother and child reunion. Thank you, Dalip. Once again, you have lived up to your name and continue to make me proud to be your mom. Love you, baby boy!

FYI:

From Martha Aziz:

Dear Lord: So far today I've done all right, I haven't gossiped, I haven't lost my temper, I haven't been greedy, grumpy, nasty,selfish, or very indulgent. I'm very grateful for that. But in a few minutes, Lord, I'm going to get out of bed, and from then on, I'm going to need a lot more help. Amen. - by Trish Kuffner

From Rosemary Herron and Dorothy Slater Paterson:

Here's an easy way to help Komen win $5,000 and secure a mention of the
organization in Prevention Magazine, potentially reaching more than 3
million readers. It's simple, just cast your vote for breast cancer survivor
Dr. Janet Vittone. Voters can only vote once so please pass this along to
friends and family. The polls close May 18 at midnight.

Dr. Janet Vittone is a breast cancer survivor and is now one of the five
finalists for Prevention Magazine's and "Good Morning America's, Picture of
Health" contest. If Janet wins the contest, she will receive $5,000 as well
as $5,000 donated to the charity of her choice, which is Komen for the Cure.
Janet will be featured in the June issue of Prevention and possibly on the
cover of Prevention in October. To place your vote for Dr. Janet Vittone, go to:
http://communication.komen.org/site/R?i=dh9T3Fq--r-YGI5wB_x1jg.

From Beth Irvine:

This week, bloggers across the country are writing about Healthy Mother, Healthy Child. You can follow the tour at MotherTalk, where links will be posted to the bloggers who are talking about the book each day. Follow the links to read what they have to say, and be sure to join in the discussion and share your thoughts as well! Please send this on to anyone who might appreciate it. Watch Beth's TV segments on www.healthymotherhealthychild.com
Log on and have some fun:http://www.mother-talk.com

DAILY REMINDER:
"Fund Free Mammograms"
Go to The Breast Cancer Site at http://www.thebreastcancersite.com/tpc/EEB_0115_BCSm
and help fund free mammograms for the homeless, working-poor, and un-insured women. It costs nothing to you, except one daily click on the pink "Fund Free Mammograms" button. You can even request automatic reminders via e-mail. Please make your free click now, and thanks for your continuing support! The Breast Cancer Site, One Union Square, 600 University Street, Suite 1000, Seattle, WA 98101
Phone: 1-888-811-5271

UPCOMING EVENTS: Mark Your Calendars and Save the Dates!

Walk to Empower
3-Mile walk, Sunday, May 13, 2007
MacGregor Park, Houston, Tx 9:00am
Y-ME National Breast Cancer Organization
No Fee Register online at www.y-me.org

The Alice Thomsen Lymphedema Awareness Group of Houston
Meetings are scheduled on the 3rd Tuesday of every other month at the American cancer Society Building,6301 Richmond (between Hillcroft and Fountainview) at 7:00pm. The 2007 dates are May 15th, July 17th, September 18 and November 20th.
For further information call 281-546-6438.

Rosebuds Meetings
Open to all Breast Cancer Patients/Survivors
1st and 3rd Tuesday of each month 5:45 - 7:30 p.m.
MAY 15 JUNE 5 & 19

Rosebuds II Meetings
(For those who have had or are at high risk
for recurrence and/or metastasis)
2nd and 4th Thursday of each month 5:45 - 7:30 p.m.
MAY 24, JUNE 14 & 28
www.RosebudsSupport.org

CanCare Survivors Day Luncheon
Date: Thursday, May 31, 2007
For More Info: patwh@cancare.org
As most of you know our Survivors Day Luncheon will be held on Thursday, May 31 at the Intercontinental Hotel. Our luncheon event is a wonderful way to honor friends, family and employees who are cancer survivors and the medical communities who treat them. Our keynote speaker is Scott Hamilton, who is considered to be the world's most celebrated figure skater. In addition to being a role model and humanitarian, Mr. Hamilton is also a ten-year testicular cancer survivor.

2007 Komen Survivor Party
August 22, at The Houstonian
Details to be announced in future posts.

"The Faces behind Breast Cancer" Launch Party
Save the date, Sunday August 26, at 1:00 pm.
Details will be announced in next week's post.

Living Fully
M.D. Anderson Annual Conference
September 6-8 2007
Marriott Westchase - Houston, Texas
Additional information to be announced.

Tour De Pink 2007
Pink Ribbons Project
September 9, 2007
at Prairie View A&M University
www.tourdepink.org
Additional info in future posts.

2007 Breast Health Summit
"SAVE THE DATE" for the 2007 Breast Health Summit to be held on October 18, 2007 at the United Way in Houston. Please pass this information on to others who may be interested. Additional information will be sent out later by both e-mail and postal mail. And of course, if your mailing address has changed, please be sure to forward the updated information to me. I look forward to seeing you in October!
Pat Dames
The Rose-
12700 North Featherwood
Houston, TX 77034
281-464-5150
Fax 281-484-7083
pdames@the-rose.org
www.the-rose.org

"Sharing is Caring"
As always, The Pink Crusader welcomes your comments, stories, poems, and events. Posts are updated every Sunday. Please send your written contributions to thepinkcrusader1@aol.com.

Coming next week: Update on "The Faces behind Breast Cancer" and details on the Launch Party.

"Love the whole world as a mother loves her only child"

-Hindu Prince Gautama Siddharta

Until then, stay strong, stay well and keep on dancing in celebration of your mom.

Love, Josie
The Pink Crusader
thepinkcrusader1@aol.com