Thursday 13: A Chemo Angels and Senior Angels Update

1.   Since it has been over two years since my last Chemo Angels/Senior Angels update, I decided it’s definitely time for another one.

2.    If you’re not familiar with Chemo Angels and Senior Angels, you can read my long post about them here.  (Other updates are here and here if you’re interested.)  The short version is that they’re programs that match patients undergoing chemotherapy and seniors (both known as buddies) with volunteers (known as card angels or chemo angels) who send them a card or letter at least once a week.  It’s strictly mail-based, and volunteers are matched with buddies based on interests.  I started volunteering with both programs as a card angel in 2019 (I did take about five weeks off right after Hurricane Helene hit), and I absolutely love doing it.

3.    As usual, with this kind of post, the photos are just a random assortment.

4.    Unfortunately, this update includes some sad news, so I will share that first, so we can end on a happier note.  My senior buddy (called Agnes for blogging) passed away in October last year.  I knew it was coming (she was in her 90s and was in hospice care), but I had been writing to her almost since I first signed up.  (I signed up in August of 2019 and started writing to Agnes in November of 2019).  I cried when I got the email and cried again when her daughter sent me a very sweet letter letting me know that she had passed away and saying that she enjoyed my cards right up to the end. 

5.    The other senior buddy I had (called Callie for blogging) also passed away last year.  She had Stage IV cancer, so it wasn’t a surprise, but it was still sad.  Her husband found me on Facebook and sent me a very sweet message. 

6.    I’m sure you’re ready for some happier news in this update, so here’s a happy ending for you.  The teenage boy (called Sam for blogging) who I was writing to the last time I posted an update, finished chemo and is now cancer-free.

7.    Whenever one of your buddies finishes the program for any reason (hopefully for finishing their treatment), they always ask if you want to get back on the list for another assignment.  That works well for me since I usually get a new buddy fairly quickly and can stay in the habit of writing to someone. 

8.    Chemo Angels had a shortage of volunteers last year, so I’ve cycled through a lot of buddies since my last update.  At one point, I got a new buddy just two days after a previous buddy finished the program.

9.    Four of the buddies that I had since my last update have written back to me.  They’re not required to write back, and volunteers are told repeatedly not to expect or ask our buddies to write back, so it always feels really special to get a letter from one of my buddies. 

10. Fortunately, all four of those buddies have finished their treatment and were cancer-free at the end of the treatment.

11. I currently have two relatively new buddies.  We’ll call them Adam and Josie for blogging.  I’ve only been writing to Adam for about six weeks and to Josie for about two weeks. 

12. I had another buddy finish this week, so I’m back on the waiting list for a third buddy.  I seem to stay at three buddies pretty consistently.  (I would be allowed to have more if I wanted to, but more than three gets to be hard for me to keep up with.  I’ve had four before when there’s a real shortage of volunteers, but I prefer to stay at three.) 

13.  As I’ve said before, I learned about Chemo Angels when Bijoux and Betty shared their experiences on their blogs, and I’m so glad they did.  Volunteering with them feels like the perfect fit for me.  Now, though, I am especially grateful to them for sharing their experiences because I have a friend going through chemotherapy, and I told her about Chemo Angels.  She signed up as a recipient and absolutely loves getting her angel mail.  Seeing how much joy it brings her has definitely made me want to continue volunteering with them indefinitely.  

A Helene Update

First of all, we have home internet again!  We finally got it back at the end of October.  It has gone in and out a few times since then, but it seems to be working overall. 

I’m going to try to answer all of the questions from my last Helene post, emails, etc. 

The first thing everyone wants to know is if things are back to normal.  They’re definitely not.  We have times when it feels like things are normal again, but I don’t think an entire day has been like it was before. 

Everywhere we go, there’s damage.  The city and county aren’t able to keep up with picking up the debris, so there are still trees down all over the place.  People’s ruined belongings are still piled up next to the street, waiting to be picked up.  So many houses were underwater.  There’s a lot to pick up. 

Most of the parks are still closed.  We went a couple of weeks ago to one that was partially re-opened, and there’s still so much damage.  Several of the trails and fields aren’t open.  We took a trail that went under one of the bridges that was flooded during the storm.  We both drive over this bridge almost every day, and it still seems surreal that the bridge was underwater during the worst of the flooding.  You can see where storm debris wedged into part of the bridge.

There’s a street sign in a creek.

There’s still a layer of silt on everything that was underwater.  You can see a lot of it on this tree.

There are still entire roads gone.  Some people are still using footbridges and ATVs to access their communities.  We’re some of the fortunate ones who can drive to home and work.  But there are still so many roads that are down to one lane or don’t have guardrails.  A lot of bridges are still out.  Several bridges are down to one lane or don’t have any kind of guardrails. 

We had our first significant amount of rain since Helene last week, and it definitely made people a little edgy and anxious.  I have a hard time sleeping when it rains at night.  There are still so many things that aren’t fixed and roads and trees that are barely hanging on.  What would otherwise be minor flooding could potentially cause a lot of damage right now. 

Our furnace isn’t fixed yet.  We’ve been denied property damage assistance from FEMA because there was “no property damage reported.”  We’ve gone in person to the disaster relief center, and I’ve called.  Everyone agrees that our application clearly shows property damage.  They told us to appeal the decision, so we’re currently waiting for the decision on our appeal.  My sister was nice enough to set up a fundraiser for us in the meantime.

That brings me to FEMA.  Everyone we’ve dealt with from FEMA has been incredibly nice.  And entirely unhelpful.  Other people have said the same thing, that FEMA didn’t help them at all, but it was almost hard to be upset about it because they were so nice.  No one seems to be able to figure out any kind of pattern or rationale for the assistance people get from FEMA.  I’m only sharing firsthand stories from people I’ve known for years, but some of the examples are:

A friend had a very similar thing happen to their furnace.  They received a significant portion of the cost of the replacement by early October. 

One friend was without power for 12 days and lost all of the food in their fridge and freezer.  They’re on a well, so they also had no water and had to get bottled water for everything.  They have a medical condition that requires daily nebulizer treatments and had to buy a generator for that.  They submitted a letter from their doctor stating as much with their FEMA application.  They were denied all aid, including help with food. 

Another friend had flooding in their basement.  A FEMA inspector came to their house, and they’ve received what they said is more money than it will likely cost to fix all of the damage. 

So, really, I think if you asked five different people about their experience with FEMA, you would get five different answers. 

A lot of people ask about outside help and media coverage.  Initially, there were people from all over.  There were so many power trucks from so many different states and even Canada.  There were volunteers from all over coming to help with things.  But it has been almost two months at this point.  People had to go back to their regular lives, and there have been other disasters and problems. 

The optics are different now, too.  Initially, there was water everywhere.  It’s easy to see that something is wrong when roads are underwater, and people are in lines for bottled water and MREs.  While there is certainly still an unbelievable amount of damage from floods and landslides, some things look normal again.  Some of the places that don’t have potable water have running water. The towns are no longer underwater, so it doesn’t necessarily look like the infrastructure isn’t back to normal.   Take our house, for example; it looked bad when our crawlspace looked like this. 

It looks normal now, even though it isn’t.

I think, too, everyone thinks of hurricanes as a summertime problem.  I certainly never would have thought about hurricane damage causing significant problems heading into wintertime.  This article is a good example of what some of the smaller towns are facing. 

In reading over this post, I feel like it has turned into a total whine fest, which was not my intention.  We are definitely some of the lucky ones.  Our house is still standing, and we got through the immediate aftermath with the best neighbors in the world.

And there are moments of normalcy every day now.

The chickens still come over every day for their snack.

The cats are still being adorable. 

We all know that things will eventually get back to normal.  And I promise my next post will be more cheerful.  

Thursday 13: A Chemo and Senior Angels Update

It looks like it has been over a year since I did any kind of Chemo and Senior Angels update, so it’s time for one.  The Thursday 13 format seems to work well.

If you’re not familiar with Chemo Angels and Senior Angels, you can read my long post about them here.  (Other updates are here and here if you’re interested.)  The short version is that they’re programs that match patients undergoing therapy and seniors (both known as buddies) with volunteers (known as card angels or chemo angels) who send them a card or letter at least once a week.  It’s strictly mail-based, and volunteers are matched with buddies based on interests.  I started volunteering with both programs as a card angel in 2019, and I absolutely love doing it.

As usual, with this kind of post, the photos are just a random assortment.

Now, on to the update.

1.     Unfortunately, this update includes sad news, so I’ll get that out of the way first.  The buddy I was matched with in April of last year (I called her Jane for blogging purposes) died in early December.  I certainly didn’t expect not to care, but I didn’t think the death of someone I hadn’t met would be so sad to me.  I cried when I got the email.  Cancer is just so unfair.  Jane was relatively young and seemed like she was full of life based on her hobbies and interests.  She also had three children, as well as other family. 

2.     I also learned that another former buddy passed away last year.  I started off as her substitute in the summer of 2021, and then became her regular card angel.  Her time with the program ended, but we stayed in touch with the occasional email and exchanged Christmas cards.  She passed away in the fall of last year.  Again, she was only in her 30s and seemed so full of life.  Cancer really sucks. 

3.    I knew when I first volunteered that this was likely to happen at some point.  I also know that I don’t want to stop volunteering as a card angel, so I immediately got back on the list for another buddy. 

4.    I was also able to do some substituting (volunteers can request that another volunteer fill in for them if they’re unable to keep up with writing every week for a short period of time) during the holidays. 

5.    I currently have four buddies instead of the usual three. 

6.    I was matched with another chemo buddy in February.  We’ll call her Deidre for blogging purposes.  She didn’t provide a ton of information on her application and doesn’t share much in her monthly check-ins, but overall, it seems like her treatments are going well.

7.    I’m still writing to the same senior buddy that I’ve had since November of 2019.  I’ll call her Agnes for blogging purposes.  She’s in her 90s and in assisted living but seems to be very active.  Her daughter manages her checkins and is great about sharing information about things she especially enjoys, so it has become easier and easier to write to her.  In December, she sent me a sweet card thanking me for writing to her and being her friend.  It came a few days after I learned that Jane had passed away, so the timing was perfect for me.  And it really does feel like she’s my friend, even though I’ve never met her in person.  Sometimes, I’ll see something and think, “Oh, I need to tell Agnes about this.” 

8.    Some volunteers prefer not to take on a senior buddy because the commitment is so much longer, but that’s actually one of the things I like about having a senior buddy.  It feels like you do establish a friendship, and I enjoy that.

9.    I was assigned to another teenage buddy for about six months last year.  She was 14 and turned 15 during her treatment.  Fortunately, she finished her treatment during the fall and is now cancer-free.  Those are very happy emails to get! 

10. Earlier this year, there was a shortage of volunteers for senior buddies, so I got on the list for one more.  I was matched in March to a senior lady I’ll call Callie for blogging purposes.  She enjoys reading and growing flowers, so I have plenty of things to write to her about.

11. I also got back on the list for another teenage buddy when there was a shortage of volunteers, particularly for male buddies.  I was recently assigned to a 15-year-old boy I’ll call Sam for blogging purposes.  Cats are his favorite animal, so I have plenty of pictures and cat stories to share with him.

12. Chemo Angels and Senior Angels are currently experiencing a shortage of volunteers for both programs, so if you’ve been thinking about giving it a try, this is a great time to volunteer.

13.  I’m still so glad that Bijoux and Betty shared their experiences with Chemo Angels on their blogs.  I really enjoy volunteering with them.  I truly believe that we all can and should, do something for others.  Sometimes, it’s hard to find the right volunteer fit, though, especially with a busy schedule, but Chemo/Senior Angels is a great fit for me.  

Thursday 13: A Chemo and Senior Angels Update

 It looks like it has been almost two years since I did any kind of Chemo or Senior Angels update, so I think it’s definitely time for one. In the interest of not letting it get too long, I thought a Thursday 13 would be a good format for it.

If you’re not familiar with Chemo Angels and Senior Angels, you can read my long post about them here. The very short version is that they’re programs that match volunteers (known as card angels or chemo angels) with patients or seniors (known as buddies), and the volunteer sends cards/letters to the patient/senior. I volunteer as a card angel with both programs.

As usual, with this kind of post, the photos are just a random assortment.

 

Now, on to the update.

1. I’m still writing to my original senior buddy. I’ve been writing to her since November 2019, shortly after I started with the program. She has written me back a few times and is doing well overall.

2. Her daughter manages her check-ins and is great about mentioning specific things that she enjoys hearing about or pictures she really likes, which makes it much easier to write to her.

3. My chemo buddy from last time (the one who sent me the sweet gift at the beginning of 2021) finished with the program. Unfortunately, she’ll most likely be back for more chemo at some point, but she was getting an extended break and leaving the program for that.

4. The chemo buddy who became my regular buddy after I was substitute card angel for a while also finished with the program during an extended chemo break. We’ve exchanged a few emails since then, and she sent me a Christmas card last year. It sounds like she’s doing fairly well, which makes me very happy.

5. My first-ever teenage buddy, the one I called Anna in my last update, finished her chemo and is cancer free. Her mom has posted a few updates on the Facebook page she set up during Anna’s chemo. Anna’s hair has grown back and was beautiful in her prom pictures. She will start college in the fall and is living life to the full. I love those updates, and I’m delighted at how well she’s doing after everything she went through.

6. I had another teenage buddy for most of last year. We’ll call her Kate for purposes of the update. Kate finished her chemo earlier this year and is now cancer free. Kate’s mom wasn’t as detailed in her check-ins as Anna’s mom was, so it was a little harder to gauge what she did or didn’t like. I’m delighted that she’s finished and cancer free.

7. Last summer, I substituted for a 10-year-old girl for about a month while her regular card angel took a break. We’ll call her Denise for purposes of the update. Denise loves to draw, and at the end of my time writing to her, she sent me some pictures she drew of my cats. (Yes, I always share pictures of my cats with my buddies.) Because I was only her substitute, I didn’t get updates about Denise and her progress. I truly hope she’s healthy and happy now.

8. That’s the only bad thing about being a substitute; that you don’t find out when they finish their treatment or how they’re doing.

9. Once my assignment with Kate ended, I got back on the list for another buddy. I was matched to my newest buddy last month. We’ll call her Jane for update purposes.

10. It’s too soon to have heard anything from a check-in of Jane’s, and her information sheet was a little sparse. So, right now, I’m mostly guessing about what to write to her about. I’m hoping that she’ll provide a little more information in some of her check-ins. She does like to read, though, so talking about books is always an option.

11. Recently, Chemo Angels has asked for volunteers willing to write to male patients (adults and/or teenagers). Apparently, some volunteers are only comfortable writing to women or young childreb, and there’s a shortage of volunteers willing to take on male buddies. If you’re interested in volunteering and willing to have a male buddy, this is a great time to sign up. If you’re on the fence about volunteering with Chemo/Senior Angels, I highly encourage you to give it a try. It’s not very time-consuming at all, and it’s an incredibly rewarding experience. So many of the volunteers in the Facebook group talk about feeling like we get more from it than our buddies do, and I really feel like that’s true sometimes.

12. I’ve volunteered to take a male buddy if there’s someone with some interests in common with me. Now that I’ve had a couple of teenage buddies, I’m fine with having a younger buddy (though I’m still not up for taking on a very young child). And I work in a very male-dominated field, so I’m perfectly fine with having a male buddy.

13. I’m still so grateful to Bijoux and Betty for sharing their experiences with Chemo Angels. I don’t think I would have heard of the program otherwise, and I love being a card angel.

 

I truly believe that we all have a responsibility to do something, however small, to help others if we’re able. At times, I’ve had a hard time finding that something for myself, but Chemo Angels/Senior Angels has been a really good fit for me. I know it’s a very, very small thing in the grand scheme of things, but I’m okay with that. I like small, behind-the-scenes things, and I’m very much okay with sending cards that hopefully brighten someone’s day a little bit.

Duke Update

A quick explanation for those of you who may be visiting as part of the A to Z Blogging Challenge, Duke is our three-legged wonder dog, one of our many foster failures.  He had surgery for the adrenal form of Cushing’s Disease in January.  Now, on to the update.

Duke is officially recovered from his surgery.  Dr. S. cleared him to resume all of his normal activities.  He’s still on steroids, though they’ve already lowered the dose to half of what it was.  Dr. V. has turned over managing the steroids to Dr. M., and the hope/plan is that he’ll be able to come off of them at some point.

Duke’s muscle strength isn’t back to what it was.  No one is really sure if that’s lingering from the Cushing’s Disease or if it’s simply because he’s an older dog.  He has had an ongoing issue with a sore (like a pressure sore on a person is probably the best description for it) on his back left leg, kind of near his knee, and it got much worse in the weeks leading up to his surgery.  Steroids can impede wound healing, so that’s part of the problem.  Dr. M. said those sores are also very common, especially on older, larger dogs.  It’s practically impossible to keep it bandaged because of where it’s at.  Dr. M. has told us that encouraging Duke not to lay on hard surfaces may help.  Our floors are all hardwood or vinyl, so we’ve put down some rugs and have pet beds and blankets scattered throughout the house.  We keep adding more because it seems like Duke will always pick the spot without a rug to lay down.

We put a little outfit on Duke for a while to try to help pad his knee a little bit.  It’s hard to find clothing for larger dogs, but I finally found one that fits from Target.  Duke doesn’t mind wearing clothes and I think he looks adorable in it.  He got it pretty dirty pretty fast, so we took it off of him to wash; then we had some fairly warm days, so we haven’t put it back on him yet.  We have several cooler days coming up this week and next, so we may try putting it back on him to see if it seems to make a difference. 

Duke’s leg with the sore got really bad a couple of weeks ago.  The sore looked a lot worse, and his leg was swollen to about twice the size of his other back leg.  Since he’s already down a leg, we tend to panic over anything involving his legs.  Dr. M.’s office worked him in that day.  Dr. M. has put him on a very long course of antibiotics, and it seems to be helping.  The swelling went away within 48 hours, and the sore doesn’t look as bad. 

I asked Dr. M. about the muscle weakness while we were there.  He said there’s a chance it will get better, and there’s a chance this is as good as it will get.  He said it’s possible that Duke’s age, the missing leg, and having had Cushing’s Disease are all catching up with him.  He also said that Duke seems happy and doesn’t seem to be in pain, so even if this is as good as it gets, it’s not a bad life right now.

Duke is still wearing the Help ‘em Up harness.  He’s able to get up without help from a rug or a firm dog bed but struggles with getting up from the hardwood floor and cannot get up from the vinyl floor.  Since he still likes to lay on those floors, we’re keeping the harness on him so we can help him up.  It makes it a lot easier on him and on us.

Howard is still Duke’s shadow.  He pretty much follows him everywhere, which Duke seems to be okay with. 

Duke had a fantastic weekend.  We had our neighbors over to dinner, and the kids were very generous in sharing food with him.  And I’m not sure there was a point in the evening where there wasn’t someone petting him.  Food and attention are Duke’s favorite things, so he was very happy. 

An Update on Duke

Duke is home from his surgery.  He came home last Saturday.  Overall, he’s doing fairly well.

The surgery was mostly a success.  Dr. S. was able to get about 95% of the tumor.  The rest of it was growing into his vena cava, and removing it would have been too risky. 

The pathology report on the tumor came back.  It is cancerous.  Apparently, everyone except me was expecting this.  I thought it was going to be a benign mass because I seem to excel at denial whenever anyone is sick.  It’s a slow-growing tumor, and Duke is an older dog.  There’s a chance he’ll develop Cushing’s symptoms again.  There’s also a chance that he’ll live out the rest of his life without problems from what’s left of the tumor. 

Dr. S was great about calling with updates about Duke.  She called at least twice a day, even after hours, to let us know how he was doing.  She also let me know that Dr. M2 would be taking over Duke’s care on Friday.  I’ve seen Dr. M2 in the lobby before when Emma was going almost monthly for bloodwork.  Dr. M2 always seemed to talk to the dogs first, then the people and would get down on the floor with the dogs.  So it seemed like she was very caring.  She was also great about calling us with updates about Duke.  Both vets commented on how good Duke’s appetite was, which made us happy since eating is Duke’s favorite thing in the world. 

We brought Duke home on Saturday.  The incision is quite a bit larger than I thought it would be, and his feet were a little swollen.  Dr. M2 told us to massage Duke’s feet to help with the swelling.  Duke seems to enjoy his foot massages, and the swelling has gone down significantly.  His activity is extremely limited for a few weeks, and he’s still having some trouble getting up, so they fitted him with a Help 'em Up harness.  It was expensive, but that thing is a lifesaver!  It’s so much easier on him and us when we use that.  I’m planning to do a more in-depth post on the harness and a few other things soon, but if you have a dog with mobility issues, I highly recommend a Help 'em Up harness.  I usually can’t lift Duke on my own, but I’m able to with the harness.

Right now, there’s a lot of lifting Duke up.  We have to stand him up and get him to move around several times a day to help prevent blood clots.  The medications he’s on cause excessive thirst, so there are extra bathroom trips and changing out his puppy pads since he’s not quite back to his usual excellent etiquette.   He does seem to be getting a little stronger and seems to go a little faster and farther every time we take him out.

Nick and I have been taking turns sleeping out in the living room with Duke since he seems to need a bathroom trip or a puppy pad change every few hours.  We’re exhausted!  It has been over twelve years since we’ve had a dog recovering from major surgery, and we’re definitely feeling the difference between lack of sleep in your 20s versus lack of sleep in your very late 30s.

Duke is on several medications, which he gets in Pill Pockets or cheese, so he’s happy to take the pills.  He’s on pain medication, anti-coagulants (blood clots are a big concern after this surgery), steroids, and a few other medications.   The steroids are because it takes some time for the other adrenal gland to start functioning after the surgery, which pushes them into Addison’s Disease.  The steroid dose will be tapered over months, and there will be bloodwork to determine when and how.

Dr. V. started Duke on the steroids but has said that Dr. M. should be able to take over managing the medication.  I’ve talked to Dr. M., and he agrees with me that it seems hopeful that getting 95 percent of the tumor was good enough to stop the Cushing’s Disease since bloodwork is showing that Duke does need to be on steroids.  Obviously, we may not know for sure for a while, but I’ll take hope where I can find it. 

Howard has been Duke’s self-appointed caregiver, companion, and massaging pillow.  Howard adores Duke and has barely left his side since he came home.  I wasn’t able to get a picture of it, but yesterday, Duke was sleeping with his chin resting on Howard.  It was so sweet!  There’s some thought that cat purrs may promote healing, so as long as Howard doesn’t seem to be bothering Duke, we’re happy to let him stay with him.

Duke’s follow-up with Dr. S is in a couple of weeks, and we should know this week when Dr. M. will want to see him for medication management. 

Now we’re just hoping for a speedy recovery and that what’s left of the tumor doesn’t grow at all. 

A Chemo Angels and Senior Angels Update

Since it has been almost a year since I’ve posted much about Chemo Angels, I thought it might be time for an update.  As usual with this kind of post, the pictures aren’t related; I just think they’re good pictures. 

If you’re not familiar with Chemo Angels and Senior Angels, you can read my long post about them here.  The very short version is that Chemo Angels matches patients who are undergoing chemo treatment (known as “buddies”) with volunteers (known as “angels”) who write them letters and/or send them small gifts on a weekly basis.  Senior Angels is a sister program but matches seniors (still known as “buddies”) with volunteers (still known as “angels”) who write to them on a weekly basis.  I’ve signed up as a card angel with both programs. 

I still have the same chemo buddy that I had last time I posted about the program.  She’s the one who sent me such a sweet gift at the beginning of the year.  I’ve been writing to her for over a year now, and she has written to me a few times.  She seemed to be doing fairly well in her last check-in.  I love hearing that she’s doing well. 

I still have the same senior buddy that I’ve had from the beginning.  November will be two years that I’ve been writing to her.  She has written to me a few times.  I always love hearing from my buddies, especially since they’re not required to write.  Her daughter does her check-ins and always mentions if there was something she especially enjoyed hearing about.  That makes it much easier to write to her!  I sent her a copy of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, and apparently, she loved it.  Knowing that, I think we must have very similar taste in books, which has given me lots more ideas for different books to send to her. 

On a side note, if you haven’t read The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, do yourself a favor and read it A.S.A.P.  It’s such a great book!  It’s one of my all-time favorites, and I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve read it.  

Charlie

I’m still writing to my teenage chemo buddy, but it’s no longer official.  We’ll call her Anna (not her real name) for the purpose of this update.  I received an email in April that Anna had completed her first year of treatment and that because the treatment is so long (two years or more) for Anna’s type of cancer, those patients are only allowed to stay in the program for one year.  The email came exactly one year after the email that I’d been matched to Anna. 

Anna’s mom had shared the link to her Facebook page about her treatment and progress in one of her check-ins and invited her angels to join the group, which I did.  Anna seems to have a lot of ups and downs.  There are times when her treatment is going well, and she’s able to keep up with a lot of normal activities.  Other times, she’s sick, losing weight, hospitalized, and in need of blood transfusions. 

The email that Anna’s time with the program was up arrived the same week that she spent some time in the

 hospital and needed a blood transfusion.  That seemed like a horrible time to send a last card saying, “well, your year is up, good luck.”  So I kept sending cards as usual.  I also sent one to Anna’s mom, asking if it was alright if I kept writing to her for the rest of her time in treatment.  Anna is 15, so it seemed like a good idea to get a parent’s permission to keep writing to her beyond the official limit of Chemo Angels.  I gave her my email address and told her how to find me on Facebook so she could tell me yes or no. 

Anna’s mom sent me a really sweet Facebook message.  She made me cry!  She said they’d love it if I kept writing to Anna and that she had saved all of my cards and pictures. 

Obviously, I’m still writing to Anna.

Duke

I don’t want it to sound like I’m bashing Chemo Angels in any way.  Overall, I think it’s a great program, and I understand that everything has to have rules and limits.  I just think sometimes you need to look at a situation on its own, not through a filter of “these are the rules.”  There are plenty of things where hard and fast rules are the only good option, but this didn’t seem like one of them. 

I’ve also signed up to be on the substitute list.  One of the most important requirements for volunteering with Chemo Angels or Senior Angels is that you must send something weekly.  The idea is that one positive thing needs to be reliable.  But, they do recognize that volunteers have lives outside of volunteering and that you may need a little break.  So they have a substitute list.  I haven’t used it, but my understanding is that you ask for a substitute for your buddy for a certain amount of time; vacation, you get sick, move, etc.  Someone else writes to them during that time, and then you start back. 

When you join the list to be a substitute, you’re added to an email group, and they send emails to the group with the basic information about the person they need a substitute for, as well as how long the assignment is expected to last.  If you don’t think you’d be a good fit, can’t take on another buddy, etc., you don’t have to respond.  If you’re interested in being their substitute, you respond, and they let you get an email with all of their information if you’re matched as their substitute.   

I signed up as a substitute card angel for a lady who loves cats and enjoys baking.  It seemed like we had plenty in common, so she’d be easy to write to.  I was supposed to be her substitute for about six weeks, but her regular card angel wasn’t able to start back.  The program sent me an email giving me the option to become her regular card angel or end the substitute assignment and have her assigned to someone else as her regular card angel.  I opted to become her regular.  It seemed like a lot of passing around if someone else became at least her third card angel, and we have enough in common that I don’t think I’ll run out of things to write about.  In her last check-in, she mentioned enjoying my cat pictures.  We all know I have no shortage of cat pictures to share! 

Howard

I still love volunteering with Chemo Angels and Senior Angels.  September will be two years that I’ve been volunteering with them, and I don’t see myself stopping any time soon.  Sometimes I think I get more enjoyment from it than my buddies do, especially during the pandemic when it forced me to focus on something positive every week. 

It’s definitely a little easier to write to them now that things are getting back to normal and we’re getting out a little more.  We visited a National Park earlier this month, and I was able to get postcards to send to them.  And I really enjoy taking pictures I think they’ll like. 

If you’re curious about Chemo Angels or Senior Angels, you can check out their website here, and there are links to posts about other blogger’s experiences in my long post. 

 So, have you sent or received any fun or interesting mail lately?