A letter to The Liz Army
Dear friends,On Sept. 17, 2008, I had a craniotomy and found out I had brain cancer. In February 2009 I had another brain surgery. Since then I have gone through seven chemotherapy treatments, and still have at least 17 more to go.I also went from having a stable job to starting a new job; to having to leave the job (surgery), then returning to the new job and having to leave the job again (surgery 2.0); to not being able to return to the job (the position was eliminated), and then being jobless with cancer.Over the past year I have relied heavily on you, The Liz Army, to help me survive and pay bills, including the most important bill of all: medical insurance with Kaiser Permanente. I am deeply appreciative of the help and love you give to Brett and me.That all being said, I have some exciting news to share. I got a job. Yep, that's right. In this economy, when the unemployment rate is at the highest its been in 20 years, the "girl with brain cancer" got a job. And not just any job--a good job with great medical benefits. Yeah!I started my new job on Mon., Aug. 31 but didn't want to "go public" about it until the first week was over. I am working in the communications department for a large organization that has a "political agenda". I am very excited to be doing the stuff I love to do (i.e., Web, design, communications, creative stuff, insert something cool here). Not only was my first week great, but it was great AND I survived it during a chemo week. This makes me smile (you can smile too). If you want to read more about me working during cancer (and what my new co-workers know) check out OMG, I have a job.A few weeks ago Brett also started a new job. He is working three days a week right now but is still looking for a full-time gig. Again, email him if you know of any potential job opportunities in the communications/marketing/writing field. We appreciate it.Next week we will be traveling to Redwood City to see my neuro-oncologist. I still get MRIs every two months as we track the effect chemo has on my brain. My last MRI was on July 17 (the day before my 30th birthday). If you like looking at brain scans you can see mine at The Proof is in the Pudding.Also, I want to share with you a video I made last month during my 6th chemo treatment. This will give you an idea of what chemo is like for brain cancer. Surprisingly, it's not that bad. See my Oral Chemotherapy video.Thank you again for being the best Army a Liz could have.xoxoLiz (and Brett)
