Giving Back

JUNE 29TH: THE RIDE TO CONQUER CANCER
MAY 14TH: ARTSCAPE - A BLOOD DONOR CLINIC


Dear friends,
These days I am feeling somewhat like the peace lily I was given while an inpatient at PMH during that very cruel and cold month of January. The plant, having long lost its delicate white lilies has once again began to flower. Although I am long past the white lily stage of my life, I am also feeling regenerated. It is wonderful to know that spring has finally arrived and I can celebrate both my new-found energy and revitalized spirit. I may not have found a stem cell donor match but for the time being I continue to be in remission and I can enjoy the moment as I immerse myself in other projects.

THE RIDE TO CONQUER CANCER - June 20 – 22
I am thrilled to announce that we have raised $17.383.00 so far in our Ride to Conquer Cancer. This means that the four members of the team, Sebastian, Liam, Laura and Sarah qualify to participate in the Ride on June 20th thanks to your extraordinarily generous support.

Needless to say we have been inspired by your pledges and continue our fundraising. As the fundraising barometer rises, the spirit soars. For those of you who are still interested in making a donation to a member of the team, For the Love of Lupe you can you go directly to http://www.conquercancer.ca
and click ‘SPONSOR A PARTICIPANT’
Then search for the team name For the Love of Lupe
Click on the team link and select the team member you want to support.
Team members:
Sebastian Cushing
Sarah Gadon (team leader)
Laura Rodriguez
Liam Cushing

Donations can be anything you want.

For the Love of Lupe

When Liam and I found out about our mother's leukemia we felt helpless. We knew that we would play a big part in providing the emotional support she needed but when it came to her treatment, the reality was that there wasn’t much we could do. This changed when the opportunity arose to join “The Ride to Conquer Cancer.” The journey lasts two days with cyclists biking from Toronto to Niagara Falls helping to raise money for cancer research. In total the trip is 200 km.

I couldn’t help but imagine myself biking alongside someone else who has been touched by cancer. I was telling my mother that I now feel like we are part of a huge extended community of people who have been affected by this disease. Just as I want to support my mother, I also want to support others in their struggle as well as the doctors who are doing the research and the treatments. Needless to say, I have been getting very excited during the training process. Together with my brother Liam, my cousin Laura, and her friend Sarah, we have formed a team which we have appropriately named “For the Love of Lupe.”
In order for us to qualify we need to raise over $10,000 as a team ($2,500 each participant) If you would like to support us, please make your donation before June 19th, 2008 to help us reach our goal.

To make your pledge you can go directly to http://www.conquercancer.ca

ARTSCAPE HOSTS BLOOD DONOR CLINIC
As many of you may know, my mother has been a tenant of Artscape for the last twelve years and was recently invited to be on their Board. Her studio is located in Liberty Village where Artscape will be hosting, with Corus Entertainment and the Liberty Village BIA, a Blood Donor Clinic on May 14, 2008 from 12 -3 pm for our friends, colleagues, fellow artists and the general public. The clinic will be held at 33 Jefferson Avenue. To help make donating take up as a little of your time as possible, you can call 1 888 2 Donate to book an appointment for the May 14th clinic. Or if you have any other questions about the Clinic, please feel free to contact Robyn at Artscape at robyn@torontoartscape.on.ca

We are grateful for the time and effort Artscape has put into organizing this.

Sebastian

Creative Healing

Due to the demands of hospital appointments, university essays and business trips to Hong Kong we’ve been somewhat delayed in communicating with you. As this is Sebastian and Liam’s last year at U of T., the pressure is on to finish their last courses and prepare for final exams. Danny has been busy traveling with the Rotman students to Asia and I’ve been regularly receiving chemo treatment as an outpatient at PMH.

Besides the preoccupation with their studies, my two sons, in company of my niece Laura and her friend Sarah have formed a team to participate in The Ride to Conquer Cancer. They are now training so that in June, they can cycle 200 kilometers from Toronto to Niagara Falls. Their objective is to raise funds to support cancer research at Princess Margaret Hospital. I am not only proud of them but extremely moved by their interest in helping others. Once you have experienced cancer as a patient or as a family member, your perspective on life inevitably changes. You see the darkness of life but you also discover the wonderful sense of hope. I know that some of you may be interested in
making a donation towards their goal. In the next entry of our blog we will provide you with all the necessary information to make your pledges.



Now, how am I feeling? Allowing the magnitude of this illness I am actually feeling quite good and energetic. Following my remission I’m in the consolidation phase of my treatment. I’ll be starting the final stage of chemo tomorrow. I had thought it was all over until a nurse asked me if this was my first or second consolidation chemo treatment. My immediate response was “What do you mean second treatment?” Apparently it is a common practice. So, for the next month I’ll be repeating a very similar procedure as in the past. Hopefully I will not develop that nasty sore throat although it keeps me out of trouble. As I’m not able to tolerate anything too sweet, spicy or acidy, I don’t eat rich foods, drink wine or eat desserts. It is the ideal diet but hardly any fun. Consequently I have been storing up this past week, eating and drinking anything that I fancy.

I have been informed by my doctor that once the consolidation period is over the objective is to have a stem cell transplant. However, it is crucial that I remain in remission and that we find a donor match. Unfortunately we have not found anybody YET so I am hoping and praying that in the next six weeks we do find some stranger in some part of the world who happens to have an identical match. You would think that with 10 000 000 donors the chances are good. However, like everything else in this healing process, nothing is guaranteed. Having leukemia is like jumping hurdles. As you look ahead you don’t know if you will be able to make that jump. However, with the support of a superb doctor, an outstanding team of nurses in the transfusion clinic, a loving family and wonderful friends I remain optimistic.



Since I was diagnosed over three months ago I have received a wonderful collection of letters, cards and emails, I’ve kept them all and occasionally reread them as it helps me in the healing process. Some of you have visited me bearing beautiful gifts and others have sent your warm wishes via the telephone. Delicious meals, dulce de leche cheesecake and a bottle of whisky have been left at our front door, while flowers have been delivered continuously. I have been spoiled as in any day I might have an exquisite white orchid, a bouquet of tulips dancing in all directions, and vases filled with bright yellow daffodils or white lilies Then there are those exquisite arrangements in “Lupe colours” a combination of reds, oranges and fuchsia. I recently received a collection of beautiful paintings created by colleagues and friends, an inspirational project inspired by my friend Hilary Inwood. My wish would be to have a show and tell so could share my gifts with you. As that is not a realistic proposition I have included some examples of the painting in this blog entry. I hope you enjoy them.



Thank you to all the artists.

Lupe

Good News

After mom was discharged, we arranged to attend a lecture given by her doctor and his wife who both work at PMH. Dr. Mark Minden spoke about the science of mom’s condition covering everything from cytogenics to chromosome abnormalities. Despite the complexity of his work, he was able to draw up some interesting metaphors to help us ordinary brains understand. When one former patient asked what blasts were, a common term for Leukemia cells, Dr. Minden took a moment to consider an explanation. "Blasts are kind of like guys in leather jackets," he said with a smile, "If you see one or two walking down the street its no big deal, but if you see a couple of hundred, then you know something’s up."

Following Dr. Minden’s lecture, his wife Dr. Mary Elliot, a PMH psychiatrist, took the podium to speak about the emotional impact of Leukemia on Families. As she spoke about the importance of moral support and living in the moment, she told a profound story that stayed with me. On a warm summer day she went for a walk with her son and after some time in the park they began walking home. During the walk he took some dandelions he had just collected and placed them in a Starbucks cup, which he then gave to his mother. An epiphany then came to her when she realized that these are the moments that we need to appreciate. Happiness is ultimately an accumulation of small experiences like these that we share with the people we care about. I suppose why I found this story so profound was that I knew that my family and I have really known this all along. It has always been the simplest moments that we have shared that have been the best.

It was a tense period of waiting to hear about the success of mom's treatment but the news is in. Mom is officially in remission. While we are happy with this new development we recognize that this battle is not over. Mom now resumes what is called consolidation chemotherapy where doctors attempt to kill any remaining leukemia cells. Then comes a stem cell transplant where mom receives donor cells, which will help start a new supply of red cells, white cells and platelets. Unfortunately my mother’s two brothers Victor and Javier were not stem cell matches, which means that we now look to an international registry for a donor. The good news is that we have discovered that the famous Spanish tenor Jose Carreras has been instrumental in developing the bone marrow registry in Spain. We have been told that the chances of finding a match increase when searching among people of the same ethnic background. After surviving Leukemia following a stem cell transplant in the late 1980’s Carreras has since devoted his life to helping people battling the disease. Leave it to mom to find a connection to Spain and a Spanish celebrity even when she is battling Leukemia.

We remain grateful for all of the support friends and family have given us. I have adopted a mantra I heard from an AML survivor that I regularly say to my mom. "The strength behind you is greater than the challenge ahead of you."

On a practical note, mom is trying to slowly connect with all of you by phone or email. Don’t hesitate to continue sending her emails. Thank you again for all of your support.

Sebastian

The Many Faces of Lupe post PMH

So here is the tranformation of Lupe after her chemo treatment at PMH. First is Dr. Rodriguez, Professor of Feminist Studies, second is Lupe Blavatski, the Fortune Teller, and finally we meet Perky Lupe. While my mom has enjoyed the blog, she felt that it was in need of some visuals. I couldn't agree more. Thus, she commissioned my brother Liam to be her designated photographer. Little did Liam know that this would be the most demanding, most arduous job of his life. Move over Cindy Sherman, Lupe has discovered the magical world of wigs, scarves, and staged photography.

Update 2

I am sitting here next to my mom in our family living room. Having her here is beginning to add normalcy back in our lives. She came home on Tuesday after a month in Princess Margaret Hospital On a very positive note, her blood count is going up along with her platelets and electrolytes. I don't exactly understand what it all means, but we were assured that these are all good signs. We are being as positive as we can right now, and we're looking forward to the next step in my mom's treatment.

It was a great relief to have her home after spending an entire month in the hospital including all the Christmas and New Year's holidays. As beautiful and spacious as her room may have been we were all getting a little sick of the hospital, and bumping into distant friends and colleagues who would innocently ask. "And how were your holidays?". As much as we loved and appreciated the help and consideration of the nurses and doctors at PMH, I had a feeling my brother; my dad and especially mom were looking forward to a change of scenery.


On several occasions in the past few weeks, mom was allowed to come home and stay overnight. Her overall reaction to the chemo treatment had been good as she had very little nausea and no fevers. Living a ten minute car ride from PMH was a plus. Mom's doctor, the thoroughly professional, funny and charming Dr. Lutynski, granted her day passes based on her response to the treatment. For her, it was a bit like having "a sleepover" at her own house. She was able to bring home her new collection of stylish pyjamas, books and magazines and then cuddled up with her new blanket on our living room couch.

The chemo seems to have had some recent delayed side-effects which have altered my mom's behavior. She has developed a throat virus which means she has constant pain in her throat. This has meant eating very bland foods and not talking. Now, this is definitely not normal for my mom. It takes some adjustment to watching her eat porridge and Jello and asking her a question to which she doesn't answer or offer an opinion.The doctors and nurses alike have assured us that all these are normal side effects and that we shouldn't be worried.

Another reaction to the chemo is that my mom has a buzzed head now. On one of her "sleepovers" I decided I would be the barber and shave it, which turned out to be a pretty unique experience for both of us. When she allows her head to be totally bare and puts on her glasses she looks like a professor of Feminist Studies. There are also moments when she puts on her exotic collection of Indian silk scarves and she looks like Lupe Blavatsky, the fortune teller. The latest addition is a new wig, which gives her a gentle, pixiesh look. Cancer is tough but there is rarely a dull moment.


She is slowly getting into the rhythm of being at home again with the family. With the invaluable help of our abuelita, Dora, we are all trying to make life at home as normal as possible. However, we do miss the nurses. These exceptional women were especially amazing, with their constant care, respect and sense of professionalism. They have been nothing but supportive and positive. As they had to deal with mom every four hours she soon discovered their unique and personal stories. Having come from areas as diverse as India, Italy, Greece, Vietnam, the Philippines, the Ukraine, Russia, Newfoundland, and beyond, their stories were a microcosm of the Canadian experience. We have spoken often of the many times we have passed by Princess Margaret hospital without being aware of how fortunate we are to have such a remarkable hospital so close to home.


On behalf of Sebastian and my mom and dad, I want to thank all of you for your many acts kindness and concern that we have experienced in the past month. It helps a lot knowing that you are all out there supporting us.

Liam

P.S. We’re sorry that we haven’t been able to respond to all of your email and phone messages. As well, my mother has been unable to see visitors, due to her recent throat virus, but she promises me that once she gets better she is going to eat a huge hamburger and fries with a nice cold bottle of beer, and then she will call all of you.

First Post

The first round of chemotherapy is over and thus far mom is doing great. We have been told that more side effects are likely to come in the next two weeks, but rest assured we are all ready. We as a family have been coping much better with this crisis then we did in the first couple of weeks. Now that the initial shock has subsided, we are determined to beat this cancer with everything we've got. We have been very lucky with the support of family and friends and with the help of some of the best cancer doctors in the world, we are confident that we will get through this.

My mother was fortunate to get one of the largest hospital rooms in Princess Margaret with a beautiful view of the city. You can even see our neighborhood from her window, as she symbolically faces us, just as our house faces her. We have been in good spirits and my mother’s nurses and doctors have been fantastic. We have found a bit of a routine where every day as a family we get together in the room for a few hours of conversation and then a movie. I will admit that Liam and I are a bit proud of ourselves for coming up with the movie idea. When we first saw the room, we tried brainstorming ways we could use the large barren wall that stands on the opposite side of my mother’s bed. We decided to try and test out mom’s multimedia projector that she uses for her art lectures and through a bit of trial and error, we were able to turn the wall into a movie screen. Needless to say the nurses have been impressed with how we have been able to transform the room. This combined with my mother’s artwork, my brother’s photography and your generous gifts have made for a vibrant ambiance.

We are now going into a period where things will get to be more difficult, however we remain optimistic. One of the side effects of the chemotherapy is that mom’s immune system will be seriously depleted. Her doctors and nurses have told us that during the next two weeks we may have to restrict the number of visitors. It’s very much day to day, so if you want to visit mom, we’d suggest that you first send her an email, and if she’s up to a visit she’ll reply. Hopefully once she’s home later in January she’ll be able to see more of you again, because she does love hearing from you. She is hugely appreciative of your cards and emails. As she has told my dad, she is being told things that you usually don’t hear about someone until they’re dead. As you can see, she hasn’t lost her sense of humour.

Many of you have asked if you can help us in any way. Thankfully we’re pretty good at feeding ourselves (and buying slices) and my grandmother Dora has been busy preparing soups and other meals for us. Mom has asked me to pass along a suggestion. Right now there is a shortage of blood products because people stop donating blood over the holidays. So if any of you donate blood, now would be a good time to do it. If mom can get some platelets by the weekend, she might be allowed to come home during the daytime on Saturday and Sunday.

We thank everyone for all of your love and support. It gives us more energy to push forward and send this disease back from whence it came.


Love you all

Sebastian

p.s. Regarding contacting my mother, sending an email is still the best way of reaching her: luperodriguez@sympatico.ca or you can post a message on this website. Either way, we’ll make sure that she receives it. She can’t respond to all of the emails, but she is reading them all and they help to lift her spirits. We are grateful for all of your support.
We’ll be updating this site in the coming weeks.