Note from Kathy- The following is a note that Darbee sent out this morning to her fundraising team. I thought it was great and asked her if I could post. If you haven’t purchased tickets to the September 11 event, please do it today. Darbee needs to be focused on her health now and not worrying about tickets!
Hi all,
Yes, I have brain cancer…about the worst possible kind one could have but the real issue here is that I became physically disabled overnight and became totally dependent on others for my physical survival.. Last week, I thought of the analogy of Crocodile Dundee who landed in NYC from the Outback. That is similar to what I’m going through. I can go nowhere nor do anything on my own.
The nature and treatment of this cancer is different from other cancers such as breast cancer. I’ll make no judgment on better or worse…just different. The chemo for breast cancer may be more grueling but breast cancer is easier to cure than what I have.
If I were poor, and uninsured, without the support that I have, I would not have lasted until now, trust me! As it is, with under insurance, i am racking up many thousands of dollars a month…in prescriptions alone.
I had to wake dr. Bob up at 4 am because I experienced the worst focal seizure I’ve had to date. He held me,breathed through it with me, cried, and assured me that I was going to get through it. I did and I will talk with the doctor later this am about the seizure but this is a mystery to them as well as it is to me.
My “condition” brings up all kinds of issues..personal, cultural, societal and financial. As a former teacher, I’ve dealt with kids with disabilities in school and have witnessed what happens with adults who suddenly become disabled…too much to talk about here. There are handicapped people who can be a joy to work with and others who are an energy drain. My goal is to stay fun.
Because I don’t look that bad, I suppose, and because I have a good attitude, sometimes people expect me to deliver more than I can.I know I have been annoying at times to family and friends! They forget or just don’t appreciate my limitations because, thank god, they’ve never had a brain tumor.
As we are coming into the last 2 weeks of this fundraiser, and some of us are losing our enthusiasm, some are wondering if we’ve sold any tickets? Wondering if we’re going to pull this off, not feeling empowered to “sell this event”, tired from all the political campaigns and other fundraisers…please remember that the real issue is my instant physical disability caused by the cancerous brain tumor and the cost of dealing with it!, and part of my mission is to lead the way to hope and healing for us all.
Let’s please communicate well with each other and give each other energy to create a really successful event that we can pass on to the community!
The article in The Maui Weekly was great!….and I do hope to remain The Queen of your Hearts! It’s a big title to live up to.
