Traveling with Metastatic Breast Cancer

In the Insights on Metastatic Breast Cancer newsletter, Claudia Luecke writes:

"As anyone facing a metastatic cancer diagnosis knows, there is nothing like a life-threatening illness to add a sense of urgency to your "I’ve-always-wanted-to-do-that" list. Visiting all seven continents is one of my goals. Since my mets diagnosis in 2007, I’ve made travel a bigger priority."

Travel is also a priority for me. My son Adam lives in Holland and I am hoping to go for a visit this fall. One of the big concerns I have is medical coverage. I went on an Africa safari a month after a wedge resection of my lung to remove a tumor. Both Blue Cross and Great West Life (my work insurance) told me that they couldn’t offer me coverage.

I’m excited to read in Claudia’s article that she has been able to get insurance that covers pre-existing conditions. I went on the travelguard.com website that she referenced and the website says:

"A pre-existing condition exclusion applies to medical conditions and/or symptoms that existed prior to travel. There may be no coverage if you have a pre-existing condition."

I plan to contact them by phone to get more information.

Return to Peggy's Cove

My fellow wharf hag, Dianne, and I spent several wonderful hours at Peggy’s Cove, walking on the rocks and watching the waves crash against them. It was great to be there with someone who ‘gets it’; who can appreciate the magic and the power of my ‘special place’.

I'm not sure what it did for my body, but the visit was definately good for my soul.

Hello from Nova Scotia

Having such a good time in Nova Scotia that there’s no time to write! Here's what we've been up to:

Walked along the Halifax harbor front, coffee at Cabin Coffee (next to a table of senior hippies, one of them with grey dreadlocks – that’s so ‘Halifax’), visited my old swimming hole at Kidston Lake, sat on the rocks at Herring Cove, climbed the Dingle Tower (slowly, but I made it to the top!), coffee with Frances and her sister, drove through the lovely town of Mahone Bay, had lunch overlooking the water in Lunenburg, swam in the ocean at Hirtles’s beach and hiked to the ‘secret beach’, and had a visit with my awesome niece Erin last night.

The highlight was our trip to Peggy’s Cove on a beautiful clear day. Yup, the rocks were still there, the waves were still there, the magic was still there.

Today we are going Tidal Bore rafting. Will write more later … if we survive. :-)

Pilgrimage to Peggy’s Cove

It seems like every time I’ve struggled with my health, I’m drawn back to the ocean of my birthplace for healing.

Dianne knows how special Peggy’s Cove is to me and so she suggested we take a trip there together. We plan to go in early July, before I go back to the oncologist.

What I'm grateful for today: The opportunity to let the power of the rocks and the ocean work their magic on my mind, body and soul.

I just received some lovely pictures of the time I spent with the Calgary gals at the conference in Philadelphia.

What a great group of women: supportive, courageous, fun and just darn good company!

In the picture: Sue, Krystyna, me and Danie

Hugs to all the amazing women I met in Philadelphia! xo

Ongoing adventures of Adam and Tara

Facebook says that "Adam is 'Back in the (former) USSR' -- in Riga, Latvia on a summer-like day." I guess the ash has cleared again over Amsterdam because the prodigal son is on on the move. I can't keep up with him!

Secret Garden

While our hotel is smack dab in the middle of the city, it has a beautiful courtyard – an oasis from the busy streets of Philadelphia. Leaves grow up the stucco walls, the bricks are mossy underfoot and it feels like I’m in my own secret garden.

Being at the conference with 200 other women with metastatic cancer has certainly reminded me of how important it is to enjoy the unexpected magic moments in my day.

As I soak up the ambiance in my secret garden before heading for the airport, I’m grateful for so many wonderful moments in my life: drinking wine on a patio in a small town in the Czech Republic with my son Adam; sitting on the rocks at Peggy’s Cove feeling the power of the ocean; riding a camel in a rain storm in Tanzania; listening to the chant of Buddhist nuns in the mountains of Nepal; gliding down a river in a wooden boat on the Mekong Delta.

I could go on and on… I am truly blessed!

Adventures of Adam and Tara - Romania

Here's a note I received from Adam:

I'm in Brasov, Romania right now. Very authentic here! There are wild dogs everywhere (pretty sad). And loads of gypsies. Today when I was driving on a main road -- which isn't very 'main' since there are crazy potholes all over -- I had to squish between two horse-drawn carts on the road going in opposite directions! And I had to stop and honk at a cow to make him move. I just ate like a king for about 6 euros. Grilled meats and cabbage salad, mmm. About 50 feet down the street from where I'm staying, there's a place that has Canadian flags on the windows, so I got a closer look -- it's some immigration thing signing Romanians up to move to Canada. Interesting. It wasn't open, but I looked in the window... I think they are being sent to Quebec for something (guess they need cheap labour?) b/c there were Quebec flags inside.

As for me, nothing quite as adventurous. Katey & I are spending Easter in Stevensville with my Mom. When Mom gets back from mass, we're going to the casino for breakfast. How's that for a new Easter tradition?

Adventures of Adam and Tara

On a recent trip to Tuscany...

Adam's caption: Put some pants on!

What I'm grateful for today: Frances and Kent for their 'previously enjoyed' dresser which has found a new home in my guest room. It's amazing what happens when you speak up and say you are looking for something!

The prodigal son returns in: 42 days

Ongoing adventures of Adam and Tara: Estonia

Adam sent me a text message this weekend to say that he is in Tallinn, the capital of Estonia.

I had to look it up to see exactly where Estonia is.










What I'm grateful for today: That, even though he is far away, Adam takes the time to email, call or send me a text message to stay connected.

The prodigal son returns in: 63 days

Ongoing adventures of Adam & Tara

I was going to call Adam tomorrow but, according to his Facebook status, he "is in Italy -- doing a little road trip around Tuscany". I can't keep up with him!

Here are a few pictures from their trip at Christmas.

At the pyramids in Egypt,
in Jerusalem (Israel),and Wadi Rum (Jordan), where Lawrence of Arabia was filmed.

I want their life!

Ottawa Ammas making a difference

Our Ammas for Grammas leader, Peg, sent out some information about two of our members who are doing some important volunteer work over seas:

Susan left Ottawa on Jan. 2 for a three month volunteer committment in Palestine. She is with an Eccumenical International Council of Churches Organization, that send volunteers to act as observers and, if needed, mediators. She and her group go to the Check Points where Palastinians cross over to Isreal every day, to go to work, school, to shop or to work in their fields. You can keep uinformed about Susan's adventure at her blog ... http://susansojourn.blogspot.com/

As well, Eleanor left Ottawa two days after the earthquake in Haiti and is working there with the Red Cross for three months. She is a trained nurse and has previously done this sort of Emergency Relief work, in other natural and political disasters, in other parts of the world.

Way to go, Ammas!

Favorite Moment of 2009

Sylvia, Frances & I had a wonderful ski after their lesson at Mooney's Bay this morning. Sylvia mentioned that at a recent family reunion everyone was asked what their favorite moment of 2009 was.

As I wrote in my last post, I had a lot of great moments this past year. But my favorite one was probably sitting on a patio in a small town in the Czech Republic with my son. Adam had surprised me with a trip to Prague and then a few days in the country side. The patio was in a square in the centre of the town and the waiter didn't speak English. The only thing remotely recognizable on the menu was something called "Gordon Blue".

Adam ordered what he thought was a glass of red wine, which turned out to be a bottle. I'm not much of a drinker, but we were in wine country and the wine went down very easy. I got tipsy, on a patio in a square in a town who's name I can't remember, with my grown son and I wouldn't have wanted to be anywhere else in the world at that moment. The four days I spent with Adam in the Czech Republic will certainly go down as four of the best days of my life.

What was your favorite moment of 2009? Please leave a comment to share a special memory from the past year.

What I'm grateful for today: Sylvia & Frances, for agreeing to go for a ski with me, even though they were already tired from their ski lesson.

Further adventures of Adam and Tara

Adam was in Poland for the FIBA European Basketball Championships (aka ‘EuroBasket 2009’) this past weekend. His latest Facebook post says:

Adamski is wandering the interesting yet gritty streets of Krakow. EuroBasket semi-finals tonight: Spain vs. Greece, Slovenia vs. Serbia. Definitely hanging with the Slovenia supporters beforehand again since they are the most fun fans here (the Greeks are a close 2nd). Plus, Tara is half Slovene, so... go Slovenia!

Ongong adventures of Adam & Tara

Adam hasn’t posted any new pictures on Facebook since Berlin, but he’s been to Turkey, the Czech Republic (with me!), Belguim, Edinburgh and Oslo. That’s just since May! Tara is currently in Calgary visiting family and Adam is home 'home alone'. Behave yourself Adam ... and don't forget to water the plants! :-)I took this picture of them at a restaurant in on the beach in Den Haag.

Dutch art

One of the many things that I love about Holland is the art. Not just in the museums, but on street corners and in the squares you will find random pieces of art for your amusement and appreciation. I took the picture below at the beach.

The next 2 pictures were taken in a square not far from Adam & Tara's house. From a distance it looks like a rough round of wood but the detail is amazing.

I spent some time a few days ago at the M.C. Escher museum in Den Haag. You can get a bit lost trying to figure out how he created some of the impossible structures and sketches, many of them morphing from one creature to another (i.e. fish to birds).

Escher's art is fascinating and at times a bit twisted. I was drawn to the eye below. If you look closely you can see a skull in the pupil.

Road trip

The surprise was... a flight to Prague and a road trip through the Czech Republic!! After a day spent visiting Prague castle and checking out the amazing architecture in the city, we headed south through Bohemia, to a fairytale-like town called Cesky Krumlov. We continued on through Morevia, with several stops in interesting little towns and villages, drinking beer and eating sausages with the locals, spending a night at a farm B&B in the country - complete with goats in the yard and a rooster outside our window to make sure we got up at a reasonable hour.
Most of the driving was along roads that zig-zaged through small towns and villages, or at other times, through dark forests with trees so tall the sun could barely peek through.

It was a special 4-days spent with Adam; an experience made even more precious because he arranged it as a surprise for me. I am one lucky mom!!

The mystery continues...

I just got a text message from Adam at work telling me to pack a bag for a few days. I'm not sure where we are going but it's exciting!!

Food, glorious food

I am eating my way through all of the pastry, cheese and broodje (sandwich) shops in Den Haag. As you can see, it's hard to resist.

Grocery shopping is interesting in Holland. Everything is sold in very small portions (no Costco quantities here), probably because their fridges are so small.

I decided to make dinner last night but baking powder, baking soda and turnips were not to be found. I settled on Stuffed Chicken Parmesan, mainly because it was the one thing that I could find all of the ingredients for.

Stuffed Chicken Parmesan

My surprise

This must be my month for concerts. Last night Adam & I went to Rotterdam and had dinner. He told me he had a surprise for me but I didn't realize until we were about to go into the concert hall that we had tickets to see Neil Young. Poor ol' Neil hasn't aged well... but we had a great time. The venue website referred to him as a "Canadese rockdinosauriër" (Canadian Rock Dinosaur in English).

We were in the standing section, right up at the front. It's hard to tell from the picture, but that's Neil in the background behind me.

Neil Young rocks!

And so does Adam!