Houston Smoking Ban Vote Today

In two days Houston City Park and Library property will become smoke free and the Mayor would like to extend the ban to other public areas. Some Council members are saying, “It’s not fair…smoke outside, just goes in the air.”  They’re right it’s not fair for CDC data shows secondhand smoke exposure in Texas is higher than in the nation overall and there is no risk-free level of secondhand smoke.  Children whose lungs are still developing and elderly who are fighting chronic diseases are especially vulnerable.  It’s not fair that the 19.2% of smoking Texans can create a toxic and hazardous environment in those public spaces we love to hangout and share with tourists.  Support extending the ban today!

Morth Mariam Vanitha Samajam

This week I will speak at the annual Diocesan meeting of the Southwest America Indian Orthodox Church ladies Morth Mariam Vanitha Samajam organization.  Their moto is Pray, Act, and Shine.  My message to them will focus on the sacred moments that shine throughout our lives as we strive for whole person living.  For it is only through whole person living that we have the energy to connect with life’s meaning and purpose, and become embedded in something greater than ourselves.  Strive for whole person living today and “shine”!

2nd Hand Smoke

Wednesday, I was on my way to speak in Omaha at the Nebraska Safety and Wellness conference, when a man sitting next to me in the airport asked me if I worked at MD Anderson.  He told me his mother was being treated for cancer that was now in her lungs.  I asked him how long she had smoked, he paused and with tears in his eyes said, “She never smoked, but I’ve been smoking since I was 11”.  I asked him if he had ever tried to quit, he told me he was 7 hrs. 11 min. without a cigarette, and I had shown up like an angel reminding him of how much he loved his mom and much he would give to be smoke free.  2^nd hand smoke kills!    

Life Ripples

Several years ago I’d been asked to follow a palliative team around that was undergoing high stress.  My 10 years of hospice work had prepared me for the experience, but not for ripple of emotions I’d feel.  We were near the end of our daily rounds when we entered a room that didn’t feel like a hospital room.  Maybe it was the warmth of the handmade quilt on the bed or the family pictures spread around the room or maybe it was the ripples of my mom’s room so many years ago.  It really didn’t matter, what mattered was the joy of life ripples were there, and I was being reminded once again the power of never ending love.  Find joy in your life ripples today. 

Sitting is Killing Us!

Sitting is killing us, and there is an accumulation of evidence that indicates prolonged sedentary time increases the risk of illness and death from chronic disease, independent of the protective effects of exercise.  Studies at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center suggest, “You can’t exercise enough to counteract the effect of hours of sitting.”  If you sit all day your body adapts to sitting and major muscle groups stop functioning properly and lose flexibility that leads to chronic back, neck and shoulder pain.  What can you do?  Stand more!  Consider incorporating standing opportunities into your day (phone calls, stretch breaks every 30 min., walk-n-talk meeting). 

Dr. Ron DePinho - Presidential Address

Yesterday, as I crossed the bayou after the presidential address, I spotted a whooping crane and was immediately caught in awe by his long shadow.   Dr. D reminded us we are 20,000 cancer fighting champions and 1,080 volunteers.  MD Anderson is the most impactful cancer institution in the world and knowledge and caring are our weapons of choice.   You could feel the pride when he told us “the patients and families we serve are our North Star in our fight to make cancer history”.  The whooper moved toward dinner and his shadow grew longer, just like MD Anderson’s reach across the world as our research innovations develop better treatments, protocols and interventions to eliminate cancer.  Watch our shadow grow!

Tying Flies and Learning Patience and Perseverance

Growing up the across the street neighbor family was a stay at home mom, three girls, and Mr. Bankston who was an engineer for the water company.  My dad was a great dad, but pretty much absent my kid years for he traveled throughout the southern states as a salesman.  Late elementary school I realized Mr. Bankston had some pretty neat hobbies he was willing to share.  He fly fished and tied his own flies, and made me a clothespin vise, gave me hooks, feathers, thread, and examples of the flies he used.  He never took me fishing, but paid me .25¢ a fly, and planted the seeds for the patience and perseverance I find so necessary in my cancer life today.  Plant some seeds today.