Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Sometimes, all we need is a little push...

Awkward family photo courtesy of Bethann
Sometimes, all we need is a little push...

Well I guess my boyfriend finally got his after 15 years :o)

So... just a quick post:
Marriage license: check ✔


lots of love...  little lisa lollipop

















P.S. While at City Hall today, we stopped by LOVE park, and I got a little closer to the big mac-n-cheese.



B-E-A-T CANCER...............my fight/my cause

little lisa lollipop
with 2 legs & a kick
a*# scrunchie
B-E-A-T 
BEAT Cancer
BEAT Cancer
FIGHT!!

Back in the good 'ol days of Bensalem High School, this was one of my favorite cheers.  Years later, a little girl at the hospital was obsessed with cheerleading, so I created this cheer for her. Except in the original version, you say beat panthers or tigers or whatever the mascot of the opposing team would be. And if we meet in person, i can show you the moves that go with the cheer as well :o).

Well, kind of an awkward subject for me, since i am usually not one to ask for help... probably because i'm very stubborn... but that will have to be my next post. I think Frank's Place said it best in his comment about my tip jar/donate button. So I want to share with you my fight and my cause.

____________________________________________________________ 
Irish twin, Father Sam, little lisa lollipop
Back story:
Years ago I met Father Sam at the campus church in college.  He is the epitome of what one would imagine a priest should be. In fact, I'm going to send his picture to Wikipedia! He is so loving and warm, and he has the best advice ever. While in college, I was fortunate to join his mission group called Project México which forever changed my life.  We connected again years later when we lost our baby, and he spoke at the mini funeral we had for Rylan. He now currently runs the Saint Gabriel parish in Norwood, PA. So like any good Catholic/Christian is asked to do, I will be tithing 10% to Father Sam. I whole heartedly trust that he will allocate any funds appropriately. Here's a recent picture of a Father Sam Sandwich.



My second cause is childhood cancer research, of course, so 25% of my tips will go towards my hospital... where I was once treated as a patient and now work as a nurse. (Kind of like the commercial: not only do I work here, but I'm also a client... ha ha ha... I crack myself up :o)

My last and final cause is myself, duh. Lol. For medical expenses et cetera. And truthfully, my biggest fear is leaving my boyfriend behind with the burden of paying off
                                                        our mortgage.

But tips are not required. I am content that you are reading my blog and getting the prayers out there. I am so grateful for your love and support.

In the meantime, keep praying and cheering with me.
B-E-A-T... Beat Cancer...
Beat Cancer... FIGHT!!

lots of love... little lisa lollipop

P.S. I recently came across this old saying that I had written and placed inside my notebook years ago.












Monday, March 4, 2013

It must be in the water...



Buenos dias, Lolly friends!

Sorry if my last post was in Spanish. It was a long overdue love letter to Mexico: a country that I fell in love with when we first met in 1996.  Also want to report that I was overjoyed to see that my blog has reached the Netherlands!! See, over the past years,  many Dutch families have come to CHOP for a special antibody treatment for Neuroblastoma *CH14.18 & IL2 to be specific. And there's just something about these families that I just can't quite put my finger on.  They are all so warm & loving. Their children are so well behaved and polite, not to mention beautiful too. So adorable, they should appear in a children's catalog.  To know these families, is to love them.  And I love them to pieces! I don't know what it is about them, but it must be in their water :o).  Gotta go to Netherlands to get me some of the Kaj water :o)  

I did go to the Netherlands years ago on a Contiki tour with some great girls from college. Here's what we got to see:  
Windmills (that's a given) 
Anne Frank Huis
Van Gough Museum
Heineken factory
Coster Diamond tour
Of course, the infamous Red light District too
(The last one makes me think of the song Roxanne
which I love thanks to C.T.)

Sorry, starting to sound like a travel agent. It must be the O'Keefe Travel  in me. *Small local travel agency started by my grandfather, Art O'Keefe. 
Here's a pix of me in Amsterdam years ago.

The Contiki girls & little lisa lollipop in Amsterdam 1999.
My sunglasses are horrible!

Also want to include a quick medical update that I like to call My Nursing Progress Report:
Patient experienced some chills and flushing of face and chest on Saturday evening. Afebrile. Sunday brought fatigue and back aches. No intervention needed. Piece of cake!

Bedankt, Netherlands for your embrace and prayers.
lots of love... little lisa lollipop

P.S. Happy birthday to my brother-in-law, Eric E, who never ceases to make me laugh!





Sunday, March 3, 2013

Querido México..........

Querido México,

Pues, si no te has dado cuenta, estoy enamorada contigo. Y la verdad, fue amor a primera vista cuando nos concocimos hace ooooohhh... un chingo de anos en 1996.

Me has dado muchas lecciónes importantes en la vida que nunca voy a olvidar. Como...
  • La cosa mas importante en la vida es familia
  • No necesitas cosas materiales para ser feliz
  • Está bien para expresar tu fe. (Me encanta como la gente se persina cuando pasan frente a una capilla o una iglesia).
  • Y no hay ninguna occasión tan pequeña para tener música, baile, y chupe :o)  Por arriba, por abajo, al centro, y a dentro. ¡Salud!
Me encanta tu gente, tu cultura, tu generosidad, y tu queso oaxaca!
Lisa Joan Cervantes Malagon
Igual me encanta todo de tu desmadre en general.

Todavía tengo muchos familiares allá... y aunque estamos lejos de distancia, estamos cerquita de corazón. Mi familia mexicana y mi otro apellido es Cervantes Malagon! Siempre me han tratado como familia y me consienten mucho. Amo a mis tocallas Katia (por su cumple) y Lisita (por su nombre). Y por su amor y amistad que compartieron conmigo, tenía que regresar a México para hacer un año de servicio después de graduarme.

little lisa lollipop & some of her chicos
Entonces, después de salir de la universidad, conocí a mi otra familia... super grande...  de Nuestros Pequenos Hermanos (NPH). Una casa hogar donde convertí en una pequeña cuando viví con ustedes (1997-1998).  Pero hay demasidas historias buenas que no caben aquí en esta carta de amor.

Pues hay mucho amor en esta casa, pero también hay muchas pruebas que te hacen fuerte. Por ejemplo, como somos muchos... es demasiado para recordar los nombres de todos.  Por eso, casi todos tienen un apodo. Y más seguro, tú apodo va a ser tú peor característica.  Si pesas demasiado, tú apodo es gordo. Si tienes 2 dientes grandes en frente de tú boca, tú apodo es topo. Pero mi apodo favorito pertenece a un niño, muy buena onda. Pues, ese niño ya es un adulto.

The famous Mami
Su apodo fue Mami... "me fije, que raro, que un niño tiene un apodo de Mami"...pues me contaron que la primera noche que llego a los pequeños, lloro mucho por su mamá. Y desde allí, tenía esta apodo. ¡No manches!  Y lo chistoso es que muchas veces, los niños no saben sus nombres reales de otros. Y todavía, yo no me acuerdo del nombre real de Mami.  Pero entiendo la importancia de los apodos...

Me acuerdo bien cuando yo me presentaba a un niño allá... Yo diria, "Yo soy Lisa. Como te llamas?"... y su respuesta no seria Roberto simple.  No... seria yo soy Roberto Alvarado Figueroa Trinidad... su nombre completo de 4 palabras... ¡Chale! Repitalo por favor y repitalo más despacio.  Te quiero los pequeños. Y para que sepan, yo robe el durazno. (A que hora vamos por el pan, papi?)

Y mi otra familia allá es la del durazno o Dorantes. ...
Y aunque no conozco a todos... porque ústedes son muchos también... los quiero muchísimo. Mi cuiñada, Ana Lilia, la changa...te quiero aunque eres un sabelotodo a veces... pero siempre me das risa.  Mi sobrina, Ana Karen, la piggy que comió todos los chocolates cuando su mamá y yo tomamos una siesta. Y su hermanito Derek. Y Ricardo... pues no puedo incluyir tu apodo aqui, pero ya tú sabes.
Querido Armando está con mi banda de ángeles cuidándome desde el cielo. ¡Que buena onda! Y sus niños que adoro... Billy (por el Padre Wasson), Paola, y el más chiquito Amaury.


Y aqui, cuando veo otra gente mexicana o latina, yo le digo a mi novio, "Mira, allá hay banda."
Y cuando cuido familias latinas aquí en el hospital, siempre me comentan que hablo muy bien en español y que no tengo acento de gabacho: ¡Me encanta!  Y por eso, me preguntan de donde soy...
Soy chilanga (o tal vez de Jalisco porque me dicen que hay mucha gente güera allá y con ojos azules).  Pero aunque soy muy güera, siempre soy una mexicana de corazón.

A todos, les quiero mucho. Te quiero mucho, México. Gracias por tocar mi vida como ningún otro.  Has cambiado mi vida por siempre. ¡Te adoro!


Un grito para ustedes:
¡Viva México! ¡Viva México cabrones!

Te amo, México. Tu y yo por siempre!


Te despido con mucho cariño...
lisita paleta

Y para ti... aunque me pica, voy a echar el polvo de chile en la paleta... porque te quiero mucho y mucho mas que tú puedes imaginar.

P. S.  Y para que sepan - mi grito de mariachi es muy chingon!







Saturday, March 2, 2013

My Favorites/ Mis Favoritos...

Greetings to all my Lolly friends! :o)
Just a quick note to let you know that i am feeling well.  No cankle yet. No nausea. Even feel a little guilty that i'm not working - since i usually only work on the weekends. Shout out to all my Baylor peeps! They're my favorites or mis favoritos.

Also wanted to share my new favorite Iphone cover. It looks like
a lucha libre Mexican wrestler mask. Love it! 
#1  Because it's Mexican and everything about Mexico is cool. Que Chido! And #2  The verb luchar means to fight.



Also want to include my favorite poem that I came across after we lost Rylan.

And these are my three little birds... 
Pitch by my doorstep... (but they're actually in my window box)
Singin' sweet songs... Of melodies pure and true, Sayin' This is my message to you-ou-ou. Singin' Don't worry 'bout a thing, Cause every little thing gonna be all right!... One of my favorite songs... Always found it very comforting after losing Rylan and still do.                                                                                                                ~Song by the legendary Bob Marley.  But you have to pronounce legendary like Barney Stinson does on How I Met Your Mother.  One of my favorite tv shows. Little birds by Target (another favorite).


Until tomorrow... Will be writing to a favorite country of mine...
lots of love... little lisa lollipop

P.S. Happy Birthday, Dr Seuss! My favorite childhood author.
Always remember... A person's a person no matter how small.
I love my t-shirt with that saying. Appropriate because i work with
and love kids.  And i'm on the short side myself. Vertically challenged
if you want me to be p.c.  Lol.



My McDonald's story..........part deux

            warning: sensitive pictures below


Now back to my McDonald's story.  In hindsight, yes, I had some signs of pregnancy, but having been told that I would never conceive, I didn't think much of them... and hindsight is always clearer.  And in my defense, I was also planning my sister's baby shower at the time.  So I thought it was wishful thinking.  The good thing about being an idiot and not knowing that I was pregnant... I only had to wait one week to find out the sex: a beautiful baby boy! One of my coworkers told me that this was the feel good story of the unit.  Like one of those Lifetime movie specials as I mentioned before.  Well, I wish this part of my story had a happy ending.

On the morning of April 21, 2010, I woke up with intense abdominal pain at 5:00am. After resting and attempting to get out of bed several times (to drive myself to the ER), I finally gave in.  My boyfriend and I decided to call my sister who lives nearby, and then they called the ambulance. Fortunately, they were both off from work that day.  Well when the ambulance arrived, my blood pressure was 60/38, and I passed out when they placed me upright onto the sitting stretcher.  Now being a nurse, I knew that 60/38 was a crappy blood pressure.  What I didn't know... was that my uterus had ruptured.

I arrived at Hahnemann Hospital, and I later went to the OR for an exploratory laparotomy. Because of my complex medical history, they weren't quite sure where I was bleeding from. The medical team estimated that I had a total blood loss of about 5 Liters. As a nurse, I can not believe what my fluid resuscitation entailed:
5 Liters of Osmolite
1 Liter of Cell Saver
2 Units of Platlets
4 Units of Fresh Frozen Plasma
8 Units of Packed Red Blood Cells

Stop here. Sensitive pictures up ahead.
______________________________________________________________________
At the point that I coded in the OR for 4 minutes... and my life was at risk, the decision was made to deliver our baby by emergency c-section. He was born at 9:44pm. 
I heart Rylan Cruz Dorantes Haffner!!

He was definitely a fighter! Even that morning, with the pre-op ultrasound, he was still kicking his little legs... like he would frequently do on my ultrasounds.

He was 1 pound, 2 ounces.
He was 11 inches long.
He lived for 14 hours.

It's hard to know that he was fine and that it was my body that failed him. The doctors say that this too was the result of my radiation treatments as a child.  Since my uterus was in the radiation field, it was small in size. As a non-pregnant woman, it was fine.  But as it grew during pregnancy, the walls became thin and compromised... and ultimately led to its rupture.
Side note:
Don't mind my pumpkin head in these pictures.  From all the fluid resuscitation, I gained over 30 pounds.  I couldn't even fit my arms into the holes of my forearm crutches.  I was so fortunate to have had an excellent team of doctors caring for me at H.H.  I was so lucky to survive.  My sister just told me today- the doctors had worried about possible brain damage from when I coded in the OR. I never knew that part of it.

Well, the physical healing is one thing; the harder part is the emotional healing. How do you heal a broken heart?  It was exactly one month... from that first ultrasound on March 28th... confirming our pregnancy... being at the happiest in your life... to the day of his burial on April 28th...  your life's lowest low.




More on grieving the loss of your child on another day... I'm feeling a little drained right now.    

Keep fighting on all my wonderful bald headed friends... sending you all the love back that you have sent to me in your uplifting comments these past days... lots of love... little lisa lollipop


P.S.  Rylan Cruz is the notorious gang leader of the angels watching over me in Heaven!!! 
Watch out!!!



          






Friday, March 1, 2013

"Let's Get It Started, in here..." by the Black Eyed Peas


Hi Lolly friends!
Was at the hospital 8am to 4pm today. 
Not even a full day of work!

Surgery and port placement in the morning:
check, check.

Look at my booklet; i got a SMART PORT...
Glad I didn't get a dumb a** one.  Lol.

Chemo in the afternoon: check
Picture of me below working the pole.  Lol.

Met lots of nice people at Penn Medicine today!



All that talk of McDonald's in my post yesterday made my sister and i crave it, so we hit that on the way home.

At home now & elevating my leg... since leg swelling can be one the side effects of Gemcitabine. And i don't want cankles. Whoops: typo there.
I only have one leg, so it's a cankle. :o)

Going to take a quick nap. Will continue McDonald's story part deux afterwards.

Ya a la cama...  lots of love... little lisa lollipop


P.S. My pee pee already smells like chemo. Yuck!