Well the vote was almost unanimous for Can’t Help Falling in Love. This is my very first attempt at singing along with anything other than a single strum. Coordinating right and left hands along with singing is more difficult than I ever could have imagined. Hopefully there will be improvement with time..."Can't Help Falling in Love" What do you say when someone has not only cancer, but is going through some other medical crisis? Many say nothing and retreat for fear of saying the wrong thing. In writing my manifesto, I tried to alleviate some of those trepidations by clearly stating what was going on and my plan of attack. As a very independent and stubborn person, I always declined offers of help, only asking if I was physically incapable of doing the task myself. There were many conversations that ended with “just let me know if you need anything”. Over the course of my recovery, I have come to the realization that the best thing that anyone could say is: I have X amount of time on X day that I’m free to do whatever you need. Offer options that you are willing to do such as just visit, go out to lunch, set aside time to talk on the phone, cleaning, errands, or whatever you think that individual might need. Try this out on someone you know who may be lonely, recovering from an illness, or is suffering in some other way. Let me know if it works! Time for audience participation! I have two songs ready to record and post that i can actually sing as well as play on my ukulele. Vote for either "La Vie En Rose" or "I Can’t Help Falling in Love". Whatever song has the most votes by Monday will be posted. My first Ukulele You Tube video.
My "channel" is Strive Thrive https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7WYdtY0TEw Chemo brain is real and it sucks, especially for someone who prided herself on her ability to recall random information from the netherregions of her brain while juggling many tasks simultaneously. Through this whole journey, the loss of brainpower was the most devastating. I learned to adapt by making lists for everything. I tried doing brain puzzles everyday, which I was actually pretty good at. It was using my brain in daily life that was the biggest problem. After months passed, I learned to forgive myself for what was beyond my control. My family came to expect that word retrieval was no longer my strong suit and that my italian heritage, led to increased hand gestures, that became a personal sign language for me. They helped me without complaint when I misplaced something, yet again. In January 2021, I decided that maybe if I tried learning something new, my brain power would improve. I always wanted to learn to play an instrument, but as a child was never able to master reading music, likely due to lack of effort. After a google search of the easiest instruments to play, I stumbled upon the ukulele. Small, affordable, the chords written in letters, so I didn't have to recite “every good boy does fine” while trying to read music; it was a match made in heaven! For Mother’s Day this year, my children surprised me with a beautiful solid koa wood ukulele, which makes me want to play and learn so much more. I am slowly improving and will soon post a new video. Mastering new chords, strumming patterns, and feeble attempts at singing have improved not only my brain power, but also gives me something to look forward to doing. My ukulele is my new found friend! My newfound optimistic, joyful spirit has been crushed. No, it’s not that my cancer has returned,but that I have not built any immunity to covid. The drugs I am on to keep my cancer at bay have also severely impacted my immune system. My blissful sense of safety is gone and I’m dreading the colder weather that will bring social isolation back into my life unless all friends and family who wish to see me are vaccinated. I know many people don't feel the need to get vaccinated for themselves, feeling that they are not at risk for developing severe symptoms, or that the vaccine is too new or unsafe. Please understand that a vaccinated population protects everyone, especially those most at risk like myself. With the lifting of mask mandates for the fully vaccinated, some unvaccinated people are abusing the relaxation by entering public indoor spaces without masks. This behavior scares the shit out of me, not only for myself, but for the health system and economy. The argument that masks do not add any safety is wrong. Surgeons do not wear masks to protect themselve; they do it to protect their patient! By wearing your mask in public when you are not vaccinated, you are preventing the spread of your potential infectious secretions to others. I will likely start wearing a mask and face shield when shopping to further protect myself from the socially irresponsible. The news that I had cancer did not bring me to tears but this did. I have to trust others to protect me. I am so tired of living in the bubble that I had briefly exited. I attended an indoor party this summer without knowing the vaccination status of everyone and had a brief moment of hesitation, but then put that aside knowing I was vaccinated. Those days are over for me for the foreseeable future. |
AuthorBarb Schlatter Archives
May 2022
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