BCNA Morning Tea at BP

Yesterday we had an amazing morning tea at BP where we had 150-200 people show up!  The morning tea included having Maxine Morand, the CEO from BCNA come and do a presentation on what BCNA do, as well as the other sister organisations like McGrath and Mothers Day Classic do.  I then presented "my story"...but the story was about awareness.  It's about getting all of us to think about how to ensure we do our health checks so we are more proactive.

It was an emotionally charged day with many positive outcomes.  Thank you all who attended and those who then took the initiative to follow up with me and share your reflections of the morning. 

My team was amazing by supporting the event by catering with cakes and all sorts of yummy things.

Thank you to BP who are passionate about making a difference to the community and supporting the team or as we say, the BP family.

If you are interested in what my presentation I have copied it below....

 

(these are just my notes so not meant to be read this way so)

Pink Presentation - Connecting the Dots

Firstly, I would like to thank Brooke and Chris for their support in letting Project Services bring this event to you.

Secondly, I would also like to thank Jodie Chadwick and all of the participating Project Services Social Team putting this even together.

Finally, I thank all those in Asset Management for supporting me through this journey…It makes all the difference in the world when reaching deep for strength in the fight.

This will be a story about connecting the dots so I’ll ramble a bit and then connect the dots.

I first envisioned this event when I laying in the hospital bed for my mastectomy which was going to occur the next day…and here is why….

It was a very significant moment as I reflected upon the future and specifically…what I was in control of and what I was not in control of which was as follows:

In Control:

1.   The election to do surgery

2.   The election to do chemotherapy (at that point it was not a point of discussion yet)

Out of control

1.   Outcomes of the surgery

2.   Outcomes of the body scans to know where the cancer had travelled to

3.   The outcome of my prognosis

So the “out of control” was bigger than the “in control” column…I don’t do well in that space  (not that I’m controlling or an “A-Type personality”

Out of balance – needed to get the balance back

I needed to get a more balanced spreadsheet in my mind.  So I thought about all the things that I could be in control of and that was when I started thinking about the Awareness side.  So I emailed back to my team (Jodie) and said I had a vision to do this event…and she got onto it straight away.

My thoughts at that point in time were this….

Cancer was NEVER ever in my plan – still isn’t by the way.

So why was I surprised…even that I/we know that cancer is all around me….all around us.  One in two men and one in three women will have cancer before they are 85.  Look around that means the one person you are looking at will be affected?  Or one in 8 women will have breast cancer…THAT is why we are here today.

So what I hope is different in my journey is being open and honest and talk about it so it can help others and hopefully save some lives.

The start to my story…

Let’s go back to the moment when I knew that life was going to be a bit different…My short story.  The finding the lump and being diagnosed was no different than any other person…cancer does not discriminate….and I was just a  faceless nameless person cancer attacked….

Let’s put this all in context….In January I had four team members that were dealing with cancer either themselves of their family members on a daily basis.  Since that time three of the people have passed away…

So, when I found a very large lump on my breast I late February it was a a real “ah shit moment” (I’m not good at routinely checking so was just a moment for me to do the right thing for myself).  So since I had a heightened awareness from my own team…I did the right thing by calling the doctor…and the doctors office said, “okay we’ll see you on Monday”.  Hmmm…no messing around…that’s good…?.  But wait, let me check my schedule (okay, self talk moment…yes, I had things scheduled and I was BUSY…but I was going to have to re-schedule).  I went to the doctor and it was clear throughout the day as I did the mammograms and ultrasounds and then being walked to the surgeons office and then being walked to the biopsy room that there was a sense of urgency building.  By the time I got out of the office I called my husband to tell him about my day (of which I had not shared with him ahead of time).

So we waited two days (two long days) to wait to hear about the results.  Again, I had an all-day leadership team meeting that day…did I really have time to head to the doctors to hear what he was going to tell me (really…did I have to ask myself that?).  So I ducked out quickly of that meeting to find out the results….yes, you have cancer.  Yes, you need to have a mastectomy…what are you doing tomorrow-we can book you in for surgery? Tomorrow was a bit too much for me.  What went through my mind was the following week was International Women’s Day….and I had been working on the NAWIC event where we were hosting 300 engineers….that should be the day I should do it.  Where I get the energy of the NAWIC group I have put so much energy into over the years.

This is where I start to connect the dots

Funnily enough, that morning I had exchanged emails with none other than Maxine Morand.  I said this to the doctor after he handed me a BCNA book to give my husband I information to put everything into context.  I said I knew of the organisation and of Maxine.  He then asked me “why and who was I that I knew Maxine”.  I explained that I had been President of NAWIC and I run a mentoring program and had gone looking for someone to help fund the program where we set up mentoring for over 100 engineers each year.  I had gone to Maxine when she was Minister for Women and asked for funding.  And as a result she was going to be our guest at the upcoming IWD event.

So the Surgeon started telling me about his daughter who was an engineer who was currently working in Asia and a mentoring program would be great and highly beneficial.

We walked out of the room and my husband turned to me and said, “only you” …only you can turn any situation into a positive one.  I don’t know how you do that.

Connecting the Dots

So to conclude, when sitting there in the hospital bed thinking about how to connect all the dots so I could stack my odds on the positive side… I thought about doing something like this.  THIS is how in my mind I could stack the odds in my favour and make a difference…. by bring in all of you and get you aware that Cancer can strike any of us at any time.

So in the name of our BP Values I implore upon you to

Think Safety, Courage and OneTeam to:

·        Do your health checks

·        Don’t feel like you’re too busy to take care of you!

The greater the awareness …the greater the opportunity to save lives.

Summary

In summary people have commented on my courage to come into work while I work through this but I want to also say that if BP were not so supportive of me then I would not be here so I’m thankful to BP for being highly supportive of me during this journey and letting me share it and bring awareness to all of our community.

Just when I thought it was safe ...

Typically when I get through the chemo haze then I'm good to go for another couple weeks until the next Chemo Cocktail hour.  Well, there is nothing like a little false sense of security to humble oneself!  Last night after I got home from work I felt a bit "itchy" but didnt' think too much about it.  I had a big day ahead of me and wanted to get a good nights sleep so took some antihistamine and went off to bed. 

I woke up very early to find myself COVERED head to toe with a rash that was not only unsightly (like chicken pox on steroids) but also VERY itchy.  Great.  So I quickly readjusted my schedule (a special thank you to Peter for responding to me in the early hours of the morning with a "I have your back" lifeline email) for the day and waited for the stroke of 7am to come to contact the Oncology Nurse (Marisa hadn't even had a sip of her coffee yet poor thing!). 

Her instructions, after a couple questions, were to take some Dexmethsone and she would call me back once she had reached the Oncologist.  She rang back shortly thereafter with the confirming instructions to "take Dexmethsone for the next couple days and a antihistamine and ride the storm out"....hmmm, basically it was a "suck it up Princess" moment for me.  So I asked her if this would give me instant relief....I could hear her smile across the phone.  The answer was a "no" and a reconfirming, "suck it up and you'll be ok" (of course she didn't say that but that was how I played it back in my head and to my husband Tony). 

Okay...a lot of self talk as I sat in the car getting ready to head to what I thought several minutes earlier was going to be to the doctors office or even perhaps hospital (but had no fever so thought that was low risk... even though I packed just in case) ....So I slowly got back out of the car and decided to work from home and keep the skin cool for the day. 

Thanks for all those who have been patient and resilient with this change to my day!  (I did get a phone call late in the day from one my team leaders who said, "man have you been on fire today...the office here is hopping as you have turned up the fire!"....who me?). 

Resilience is accepting your new reality, even if it's less good than the one you had before.

Elizabeth Edwards

Sunday Night Reflections

I cannot tell you how incredibly blessed I feel as we are constantly being provided with love and support, especially through these post chemo weeks.  This week was a bit more challenging but when on the receiving end of so much support it makes it so much easier to get through.  The food has been an amazing blessing to me and the family.  Thanks for the texts and emails from around the world.  I know I don't get back to everyone but they are really appreciated and help a lot in building  my strength back up.  Thank you my friends.

End of the week check in

How do I feel is the question of the day?  Well, this week I was challenged a little bit longer than the last two rounds but less of a challenge overall (except for right now as a familiar fatigue is trying to get into my body as  type!  Grrr....go away!).

I worked all this week from home and tried to stay away from all the wintery cold and germs.  Lots of teleconferences today (about 4-5 hours on the phone all up!) with lots of good work being done.

Tomorrow we have a friends Greek Orthodox wedding to head to.  I guess the good thing is that if I still feel a bit foggy in the head all I have to do is drink some Ouzo and dance more!  We're looking forward to being a part of such an auspicious occasion.

I look forward to sleeping the next couple nights as I work the through the haze and fatigue of round three.  A good nights sleep these days is something that feels absolutely amazing!

Sharing an Email

Today I started to battle the "chemo haze" but managed to get through the day being fairly productive in the whole scheme of things. 

A couple of thanks for the past day or two:
Thanks Jodie for the words of encouragement tonight. 
Thanks to Maria for getting my computer fixed. 
Thanks to Shonelle for beating up Maria for fixing up my computer!
Thanks to Sharon for calling me from Abu Dhabi just to check in!
Thanks to Nat, Sue, Ros, Narelle, and Sam for all their cooking this week!
Thanks to my team for continuing to support me when I work at home during these chemo weeks.

I wanted to share an email with you that I received from Ronja (thanks for the courage of sharing this with me/us tonight)....

"Dear LT,

Another BC bombshell for me yesterday. A school friend younger than me, very fit and healthy.  Already had both removed and still doing chemo until December and radiation. L  She is handling it very privately and did not text me or call me. She had to tell me in person and I have not seen her since June last year as our schedules are very conflicting.  She called me yesterday morning and I had to go back home to get kade and then back to school basically to meet her for coffee. Had vacuuming planned at home.  Thankfully I went because then she told me her news and all I could think was and you were going to vacuum instead of meeting a friend for coffee.   She had one removed last November and the other in April this year.  Now also looking at hysterectomy and ovaries. Looks like both girls may have the gene. 

I cried again in the coffee shop this time.  This horrendous disease strikes so many women and it is so awful.  So much courage is needed to fight this stupid disease and so much surgery and chemo and radiation.  Christ. It is such a hard slog. 

I did the vacuuming at 10.30 last night. J

You hang in there. You are doing awesome.

This will be our next walk  to support a local family who also have the gene.  Elisha is 30. Both sisters have had double mastectomies.  The Mum has bone cancer now after fighting breast cancer twice and the father died a few weeks ago from liver cancer.  MAN!!!!  Elisha was to late she wanted to have a second child before the surgery but never got the chance, the cancer beat her to it.

http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/health-fitness/elisha-neaves-sad-story-sends-vital-warning-on-breast-cancer-angelina-jolie-double-mastectomy/story-fneuzlbd-1226643701662

I read Angelina’s story on your blog.  Awareness is good!

Sorry to ramble.  Miss you..

Big hugs

Ronja"

I share this email because it continues to bring the awareness to a very "real and personal" level for many of us. 

Chemo Number 3 - DONE AND DUSTED!

Yesterday I went in for chemo cocktail number three.  Since I didn't have to go to the surgeon as well Tony and I got a bit more time between the blood test and the start of the chemo treatment/visit with the oncologist...so we went and had a breautiful breakfast which was a lovely switch and nice start to the day.

When we got to the Oncology Treatment Room, all the nurses welcomed me back by name, "hey Trouble Maker, how are you today?  Going to try to get more attention by reacting today?".  Ha ha ha.  I said I bet they couldn't stop me from reacting.  The nurses responded with saying something about percentages of people NOT reacting by the time they get to the third round.  I retorted with saying I think they spike my cocktail just for the fun of it!  And on went the banter.

So I was quick to get into "the chair" and start into the routine this time which was a nice switch over the last two treatments (due to short weeks from Easter and ANZAC day holidays).  All was going swimmingly until we got to the "good stuff".  All eyes were on me...and I did not fail to let anyone down!  I started to get the feeling in my lungs, followed a second later by my face started to go bright red.  "Shut it down, the Trouble Maker is reacting again".  The nurses said at least I was a consistent Trouble Maker!  Too true...most days of my life (I hear all you knowingly laughing out there!). 

The one thing I did differently this time though was I didn't ask Tony to get me a coffee right before which meant the Phenergan (antihistamine) kicked in with a bang and I was really sleepy!  So I slept all the way home and dropped straight into bed...nothing wrong with that!

So chemo treatment 3 is now done and dusted.  I just need to get through the rest of the week and then onto Chemo 4...LAST ONE!  Yippeee!

Gearing Up for Round 3

This weekend I will be gearing up for round three which is on Monday.  What do I do to gear up?

1.  Cook/chat with the Team Laurice cooks about the upcoming week
2.  Restock the vitamin supply
3.  Drink LOADS of water
4.  Pay all the bills so don't have to worry about that during the week
5.  Rest

It's funny how the routine around the house is now based on what week it is:

  a.  chemo week (goes day by day...the couple days after are "easy" and the Thursday and Friday (or as I refer to days 4 and 5) are ones that take more energy and focus to get through)

  b.  week 2  (coming out of the chemo haze and feeling good to be moving on!)

  c.  week 3 (feeling good and working hard and as such most don't hear from me now during that week)

Monday marks 3/4 the way through!  Wooooo hoooo!

Sharing Angelina Jolie's story

If you didn't see this article in the past day or two you might want to have a look.  I've known several people to take this same path.

My Medical Choice

By ANGELINA JOLIE

LOS ANGELES

MY MOTHER fought cancer for almost a decade and died at 56. She held out long enough to meet the first of her grandchildren and to hold them in her arms. But my other children will never have the chance to know her and experience how loving and gracious she was.

We often speak of “Mommy’s mommy,” and I find myself trying to explain the illness that took her away from us. They have asked if the same could happen to me. I have always told them not to worry, but the truth is I carry a “faulty” gene, BRCA1, which sharply increases my risk of developing breast cancer an ovarian cancer.

My doctors estimated that I had an 87 percent risk of breast cancer and a 50 percent risk of ovarian cancer, although the risk is different in the case of each woman.

Only a fraction of breast cancers result from an inherited gene mutation. Those with a defect in BRCA1 have a 65 percent risk of getting it, on average.

Once I knew that this was my reality, I decided to be proactive and to minimize the risk as much I could. I made a decision to have a preventive double mastectomy. I started with the breasts, as my risk of breast cancer is higher than my risk of ovarian cancer, and the surgery is more complex.

On April 27, I finished the three months of medical procedures that the mastectomies involved. During that time I have been able to keep this private and to carry on with my work.

But I am writing about it now because I hope that other women can benefit from my experience. Cancer is still a word that strikes fear into people’s hearts, producing a deep sense of powerlessness. But today it is possible to find out through a blood test whether you are highly susceptible to breast and ovarian cancer, and then take action.

My own process began on Feb. 2 with a procedure known as a “nipple delay,” which rules out disease in the breast ducts behind the nipple and draws extra blood flow to the area. This causes some pain and a lot of bruising, but it increases the chance of saving the nipple.

Two weeks later I had the major surgery, where the breast tissue is removed and temporary fillers are put in place. The operation can take eight hours. You wake up with drain tubes and expanders in your breasts. It does feel like a scene out of a science-fiction film. But days after surgery you can be back to a normal life.

Nine weeks later, the final surgery is completed with the reconstruction of the breasts with an implant. There have been many advances in this procedure in the last few years, and the results can be beautiful.

I wanted to write this to tell other women that the decision to have a mastectomy was not easy. But it is one I am very happy that I made. My chances of developing breast cancer have dropped from 87 percent to under 5 percent. I can tell my children that they don’t need to fear they will lose me to breast cancer.

It is reassuring that they see nothing that makes them uncomfortable. They can see my small scars and that’s it. Everything else is just Mommy, the same as she always was. And they know that I love them and will do anything to be with them as long as I can. On a personal note, I do not feel any less of a woman. I feel empowered that I made a strong choice that in no way diminishes my femininity.

I am fortunate to have a partner, Brad Pitt, who is so loving and supportive. So to anyone who has a wife or girlfriend going through this, know that you are a very important part of the transition. Brad was at the Pink Lotus Breast Center, where I was treated, for every minute of the surgeries. We managed to find moments to laugh together. We knew this was the right thing to do for our family and that it would bring us closer. And it has.

For any woman reading this, I hope it helps you to know you have options. I want to encourage every woman, especially if you have a family history of breast or ovarian cancer, to seek out the information and medical experts who can help you through this aspect of your life, and to make your own informed choices.

I acknowledge that there are many wonderful holistic doctors working on alternatives to surgery. My own regimen will be posted in due course on the Web site of the Pink Lotus Breast Center. I hope that this will be helpful to other women.

Breast cancer alone kills some 458,000 people each year, according to the World Health Organization, mainly in low- and middle-income countries. It has got to be a priority to ensure that more women can access gene testing and lifesaving preventive treatment, whatever their means and background, wherever they live. The cost of testing for BRCA1 and BRCA2, at more than $3,000 in the United States, remains an obstacle for many women.

I choose not to keep my story private because there are many women who do not know that they might be living under the shadow of cancer. It is my hope that they, too, will be able to get gene tested, and that if they have a high risk they, too, will know that they have strong options.

Life comes with many challenges. The ones that should not scare us are the ones we can take on and take control of.

Angelina Jolie is an actress and director.

Happy Mothers Day

We ended up having about 30 + for the Mothers Day Classic 4km walk today.  What a gorgeous day and walking in and amongst thousands of people with a common cause was amazing.  It's just a shame that it's for breast cancer which shows just how many people are  impacted by this horrendous disease (let alone all the other cancers!).

Thank you to all of Team Laurice out there walking with us!  Here are a few pictures ... 

BP, Energy Australia and the Duff Clan combining forces!

The Duff Clan out supporting Team Laurice!

Thank you to my beautiful friend Nat (and GG) for running the 8km and then coming to meet for a well deserved coffee!

BP Supporting the McGrath Foundation



BP Supporting McGrath Foundation

If you have been by a BP station this week you might have noticed a bit of PINK (see above).  This is a very exciting initiative being rolled out starting this week (officially today).  There will be over 119 sites in Victoria where proceeds will go to the McGrath Foundation (see hyperlink - below right for more on the McGrath Foundation).  Anyone who has had a breast care nurse whilst going through breast cancer will know what positive impacts they have and how important they are when going through the challenges breast cancer brings with it. 

So from 7-10am tomorrow I'll be out at the Eastlink Scorseby site in my pink shirt and pumping fuel for people and washing windows as a part of the BP leadership teams support of this initiative.  Stop by...I'll make sure you have an extra clean window and start your day with a smile!

So today I think is fitting to thank Angela and Gisella over at the Freemasons/Epworth for their special care!  You deserve a medal! 

Mothers Day Classic - This Sunday (Go Team Laurice!)

If you are out at the Tan (in Melbourne) this Sunday please keep an eye out for us.  We'll be the ones with green, white and yellow ballons and green and gold metallic balloons.  We'll meet at the assembly area prior to the 9:15 start.  The group is currently around 50 in total so we should start to see each other there!  We'll then meet at Brunetti's on Swanston afterwards for anyone interested in a coffee.

See you there!

Coming out of the Haze

Setting the Scene:  Imagine Clint Eastwood in a western like Pale Rider...Clint just coming out of a gun battle on the main street where he was far outnumbered and there is no way he could come out alive... and yet you see him step out of the haze of the smoke...standing there in the middle of main street as a silhoutte against the thick smoke from the shootout...He is surrounded by dead bodies all around him or the wounded running away...and he stands in confidence and lights up his cigarette as to say, "that was easy".

Well, that's about how I feel....as I step out of the storm fight in my body, and my head clears from the chemo haze ...I envision any nearby lingering cancer cells that have been killed off laying all around.... and I walk on, feeling like it was a pretty "easy" week in the scheme of things.

I look forward to feeling good and having a "chemo haze-free" week!

Post Chemo (round 2) days 1-3

Okay team, doing well!  Days one, two and three are done and they were very much like those days after Round One.  So tomorrow is always the trickiest of the days...the dreaded DAY 4 (can you hear the music back behind as I type that?!).  I will make sure I get some good rest tonight to ensure I battle the fatigue / haze that likes to creep in on day four (or as Marisa the Chemo nurse would put it, "feels like getting hit by a mack truck").  Tomorrow is supposed to be a nice day so I can get outside and do a walk to fill the head with fresh air as well.

Here's looking to the last two treatments and the last 6 weeks of chemo!  It's a great view from where I'm sitting!

Reminder:  The Mothers Day Classic is coming up.  If you are walking the 4km walk keep an eye out for Team Laurice. We'll be carrying balloons (will post the exact kind closer to the day) and have a large crowd as it appears the number of people walking may be around 40-50!  If you are wanting to sponsor Tony or I just go to the link on the right hand side of this blog and it will take you there)!