Welcome to Laura Santiago's

Journal

December 29
Hi everyone-
I am FINALLY in Maintenance- the last phase of chemo, it will last for approx. 1 yr. 4 mos.   
So, far it's easy.  I'll have a spinal tap and every 3 months, and pills at night as well as a chemo every month- but small side effects. Fri I will be getting radiation orientation- I will get radiation for 5 times in one week- and then that's it. Have a great new year!
Laura

December 25
Hey Everyone! How were the holidays? Mine was great. I hope yours was too. On Mon. Uncle Phil and Aunt Sue came, as well as Uncle Jimmy. Joelle sang in the church and then we came home, my friend Allie visited for a while also. We had paella- mmmm. On Tues. I went out to lunch/dinner at the Farmington Marriott where they had a buffet. My cousins- Jessica and Greg and Aunt Mona and Steve, as well as Uncle Jimmy, mom, Joelle, and a family-friend whom we call "Uncle Dick". It was fun. Tonight we went to a party at my neighbors. I hope that for everyone that has no school to have a lot of fun and rest because it;s "CHRISTMAS VACA."
Laura

December 22
Hi everyone, so I found out that I have AVN and multiple hip fractures. Fri. they gave me a med. that will harden my bones. It will hopefully help. Thurs. is a spinal tap and maintenance will begin. I ask you to continue praying for Nikki and that you also pray for 3 more kids- Maria and Amanda who have reoccurrences and Jay who may. Thank you very much. Happy Holidays!
Laura

December 16

Hi- I got admitted last Wed. for pain, and they think that perhaps my hip has a stress fracture, but they are not sure. I will find out more Thurs. I am home now. Happy Holidays!
Laura

December 11

Hi everyone,
I am doing ok- Fri. night at Kids For Kids was great. I decided to join the organization too. On Sat. the Madrigal was also fun. It turned out that it's not a pulled ligament, they believe it's something with a nerve, so yesterday I had a Cat Scan and today a MRI, But, they still don't know what it is, so I'll be getting an EMG sometime soon. Hopefully then I'll know. Thurs. I will be in the OR for a bone-marrow test- it was scheduled about a month ago... Otherwise, everything else is great. Got to go- I have math homework- ughh
Laura

December 6

I ended up not needing a transfusion. I have been doing great. I've even been popping occasionally into school. Last night I sang in the Madrigal- it was fun, except I pulled a ligament somehow, so I had to go to the clinic for it today. Fri. at 6:30 at Riverdale Farms I will be lighting a torch for Kids For Kids. Then Sat, I'm singing again in the Madrigal. I hope all goes well. 
Laura

November 28

Hi everyone!
I'm doing good, except for a headache and a cold which is doing better. My counts are low, so I need to be careful. Also, tomorrow I may need a platelet transfusion. I am hoping though that tomorrow night, if my counts are good, that I'll be able to go to the Madrigal Rehearsal. Got to go.
Laura

November 25

Hi everyone!
I went to NJ for thanksgiving. It was fun. While there I saw Harry Potter and we went to a museum about Washington and the house that he stayed at. We got back late Sat. night. I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving also. Tues. I may need a platelet-transfusion, but I hope not. Well, got to go.
Laura

November 21

Hi everyone-
I hope that you all have a good Thanksgiving. 

Last Sun. I went with my friend Nikki out to dinner and then to the Goodspeed Opera House, it was a lot of fun. Yesterday, I needed a blood-transfusion. I was .2 before the mandatory blood transfusion, so they gave it to me anyway, so that I don't have to get it over Thanksgiving weekend. Well got to go
Laura

November 15

Hi everyone! 
My MRI and spinal tap went good. I'm almost in Maintenance (last phase of chemo) but I'll be in it for two yrs. I'm really happy. The chemo I'm getting now will make my counts drop so I have to be careful, I may need a transfusion sometime soon too. Oh well... that's life :) got to go
Laura

November11

Hi everyone! Guess what? They won the football game and I went for part of the homecoming dance which was good. I should probably mention that Avon's homecoming dance is very casual- jeans... It was fun. The next day there was a fund-raiser at Healthtrax where my jewelry that Elise Rosenstock is making was sold- if anyone wants any please let me know- I think the prices are $85- necklace, $45- bracelet, $25- earrings... Plus Healthtrax had a bunch of raffles too. I think that they raised a lot of money for our family- which really helps. Thurs. I got chemo (we had to spend all day) I was a little nauseous and tired this past weekend with no appetite at all but not so bad.- tonight is the last time I have to give myself ARAC shots till next week for 4 days. Next Thurs. I also will have a MRI. I hope everything will go good. Got to go-Laura

November 1

Guess what everyone? The varsity football team at my school is dedicating their Homecoming game to me and I get to keep the ball that they use! They never do it for a freshman- but they are this year :)
Laura

October 31
Well as it turned out I didn't make counts- I missed it by one tiny point! Oh well. I am feeling better- I still have a small headache, but not bad. Tonight I think Joelle is going trick-or-treating with some friends, and I'll hand out candy. This weekend is homecoming- I'm hoping that I'll be able to go- Well got to go- Laura

October 26
Hi Everyone,
Well they gave me 75% of the chemo. It's the last vinchristine chemo that I will have to get for a while. But, the pain didn't go to my legs it went to my head! I had a VERY bad headache on Sat. I basically lied on the sofa bed and watched videos from Blockbuster that my Mom got. I dosed in and out through them all. Thurs. is a new phase of chemo- hopefully it will go good but I need to go to the clinic ALL day long (BORING- this means a trip to the library, Blockbuster and I need to bring all my homework and crafts with me too) Well got to go- talk to you all soon
Laura

October 21
Hi everyone! I had a really good b-day! On Fri. morning- about 50 kids and 3 teachers came over from the High-school with cards and a burned cd to sing happy birthday, I was SO surprised and happy, it's a good thing I wasn't in my pj's! Oh, and on Thurs. I sang at my school concert- it was fun. They gave the freshman roses. Sat.- on my real birthday, Joelle made me breakfast- scrambled eggs- it actually wasn't too bad. At night a couple of family-friends came over for cake. Also Aunt Theresa and Uncle George (friends from NJ) came up- so we went out for Chinese with them. Today, Sun. I was exhausted. I woke up late, went to a special healing mass that they had at the church- it was nice, came back home- had lunch, and then went back to sleep until 6:30 when I had C.C.D. class- I came home and checked my e-mail and am now I am going to go back to bed. Tomorrow I should be great. I'm going to carve some pumpkins. Oh yeah, while I was resting Mom and Joelle decorated the outdoors, it looks really good. That's why I get to help decorate by carving the pumpkins. If anyone wants to help carve pumpkins- stop by, I can give you one to take home and then if you drop it off at my house- we'll light it. It looks SOOOO pretty at night. My Mom is also collecting food in her office to give to the food-bank . Well got to go- I will keep everyone posted on how I am doing.
Laura
P.S. Wed. is Nikki's birthday- she'll be 15- if you want to send her a card her e-mail is nilli34@aol.com

October 16
Hi everyone,
The chemo went good. No pain so far- just a little tightness in my elbows and knees. I am VERY happy about that. Thursday I hope I can make it to the choir concert and sing in it. I will be allowed to use my music and sit on a chair (thank goodness). Well got to go. I will write again soon.
Laura

October 14
Hi everyone, 
I am doing a bit better now. They decided to hold off my chemo to give me a small break. The pain in my legs was worse then when I broke my arm! They are trying to figure out a way to prevent it. Tomorrow, Monday I will go early and get only 1/2 a dose. Hopefully- I will have no pain. Today my ankles are sore and my knees are stiff- but I'm doing better. Last night I had a fund-raiser done by teens 2000 from my church and a few around the area. They raised a lot of money and I thank everyone. It will really help. I am so grateful that people that live in Avon are like this.- They even had a surprise b-day party for me at it- since I'm turning 14 on Sat. The cake was so cute- it said "Laura- we're puttin for you" and there was a girl golfer on it- it was really sweet. Everyone went golfing in the dark using glow-in-the-dark balls. I watched for a while, but then got tired so had to go home. I thank anyone that came. Well I got to go. I will let everyone know how the chemo round goes.
Laura

October 6
This last chemo has been rough. It has caused my legs to have difficulty to move with extreme pain. My Mom gave me a heavy pain med which helps relieve some of the pain so that I can sleep at night. I'm happy on the side though that on the day of my birthday- Oct. 20th I won't have to take any more steroids. Right now I have an ANC count of ZERO! This means that I have NO immunity- I currently have to stay home and not leave. I would also like everyone in their hearts to keep in mind my friend Nikki Giampolo, she has had cancer since July. She was given some un-happy news, but is doing better.  I am very worried about her and would really, really, appreciate it if everyone would remember her. 
Thanks- Laura

October 3
Sorry I haven't written a while. The chemo from 2 weeks ago went pretty rough! I was very sick and nauseous and had to be put on IV fluids at home for a few days because I couldn't keep anything down. I started steroids again so I'm beginning to blow up a bit. Oh well... It was making me have very, very severe stomach pain so on Mon. I went for a CT scan- luckily it was neg. so they changed a medication to help with it and  now I'm feeling MUCH better. Thurs. I'll be in the clinic for about 3 hrs. to get chemo and then I will be home. My counts are LOW so I must wear a mask for visitors and be careful when I go any place. I'll will write again soon...
Laura

September 16
Hi everyone I am doing good. this past weekend i went 2 a wedding it was good. I also shaved my hairdressers head for a cut-a-thon next week. Here is some info. on it:

also- I am having a necklace designed for me along with a bracelet and earrings. All proceeds from it will also go to me. It can be custom sized to fit your size if necessary. Please call Elise Rosenstock at (860)-675-3738 or Christina Bill @ 677-5245 or go to www.eliserosenstock.com to order one.
Thank you to anyone that goes to the CUT-A-THON or orders a piece of jewelry.
Laura
P.S.- My counts are dropping- but hopefully I'll be able to make count Thurs. so I can get my last in-patient chemo for a while.

September 10
Hi everyone! I am doing good. I am home now- the teen group meeting went well. This chemo round was luckily good. I had my tutor again today- it went well. Tomorrow I'll have both my tutors and then I'll also go to chorus.
Laura

September 4

I'm doing really good today- just a little bit tired. Today I was admitted. It went ok, as  with my spinal-tap. My friend Nikki and I watched a movie today and then we went to a teen-group meeting. It was nice to see everyone. But, right now I am getting really hot, so I have to go tell the nurse, so I don't get another burn. Laura

September 4

Hi y'all! So- today was the first day of school- I had a good time- it was nice seeing all of my friends again. But there is SO much hwk. on the 1st day! I stayed till after 6th per. and then walked home- I felt like I had senior privileges- signing myself out and then walking home-lol. Tomorrow- I'll be going to chorus for the length of a per. (about 40 min.) and then come home- so I can get credits for that class to move up to 10th gr. and to graduate. Thurs. I'll be admitted again- Luckily my friend Nikki is too! Well- got to go. Laura

September 3

Hi everyone! I'm doing really good! My last chemo wasn't that great though- I ended up with a 2nd degree acid burn oh well- but it's fine now! This past week has been VERY busy. On Mon. night the Squillaro's came down from NJ and on wed. my friend Anthony had the blood drive. We had 133 potential donors of people who wanted to donate. Thank you to anyone that came! On Fri. I had my freshman orientation, it was really good to see all my friends and my teachers seem nice- I'm still going to be home-schooled for now though. On Sat. I went to my friend Amanda's Bat Mitzvah- she's from Durham. She did a really good job. We went in the morning for a ceremony and then went back at night for the party. I had SO much fun dancing. Then on Sun. I went to see Rat Race with my friend Erin and her Mom- my Mom went also- I can tell you now- even though some of the parts were funny. It was a really stupid and bad movie! (sorry to anyone who liked it.) Today, is Labor Day and I pretty much hung-around. Jolie, my old babysitter and close family friend came over for dinner. but that's bout it. Tomorrow- I'm going for the 1st day of school- for about 3/4 of the day! I'm also going to try and make chorus as often as I can, because I can't be home-tutored for that subject- and I need the credits from that course. Thurs. I'll be admitted- and hopefully out by Sun. Well got to go- Laura

August 23
So right now I'm sitting in my room getting chemo. it is SO hot! The chemo bag is HUGE and Bright yellow! Not much is happening here though. Oh but about the surprise- I wrote smile doc on my back and during your spinal-tap your allowed to play music- so you  I play a slow song from someone like *NSync- but this time I played "Baby Got Back"- everyone started cracking up. Oh and as it turned out Dr. Gillan did the tap but Dr. B. came into the room, while the song was playing-lol. Well- I have to go. adios!

Aug. 22nd-
I'm doing pretty good. Not much is happening. I had both my tutors today. It went well. Math is starting to get harder- but not to much. Tonight the Squillaros (they recently moved to NJ) are coming to sleep over our house- so I've been busy picking-up around the house. Tomorrow I'm going to be admitted into the hospital for High-dose methotrexate- I have a lil' surprise for Dr. Bergstrum (he's an oncologist @ CCMC) when he does my spinal-tap. I'll tell you about it later. Well- I have to go- I want to work on a little homework so I don't have to do it all at CCMC-
Whoops- I forgot to mention this- yesterday I went mini-golfing and to the golf range with one of my Mom's patients Mrs. Batch and her neighbor. It was a lot of fun- we also went out for breakfast- and since it was SO hot we even got ice-cream- Ok well- I don't think I forgot anything now. 
Laura

8/20/01
Hi everyone! I am doing good, this past weekend I went to West Farms Mall. Joelle bought a lot of clothes and some shoes, and I got some shoes and 2 pants from Abercrombie and Fitch. Joelle is pretty much done- but I'm going to go to some stores like Bannana Republic, Gap, Express, and Limited to find some more. Did you know that Gap and Bannana Republic are almost the exact same stores, owned by the same person just different names?!! Well I'll hopefully be able to go there tommorow-night- Luckily their only in the next town- Simsburry. Hopefully tonight I may go swimming. Well I g2 split. Au revoir (French), Arrivederci (Itallian), Adios (Spanish), Adeus (Portugesse), Auf Wiedersehen (German), Yebay (Pig-Latin), BYE!!!! (i don't need to tell you that one do i?)

8/17/01
Hi everyone! 
I'm sorry I haven't written in a while- but I've been kind of busy- but I promise to write more often. Everything is doing good except for a few mouth sores from the Methotrexate chemo that I'm getting right now. I am in the hospital every other week for about 4-5 days getting chemo and then being rescused from it (having it all flushed out of me) since it's a high amount and a lethal dose. I've made a new friend their named Nikki Giampolo who's 14 and going to be a sophomore, and almost one year older than me to the date. She's really nice- oh yeah she has a type of sarchoma. (did I spell it right?) any way- she has 2 be admitted the same time I do- so we were watching movies in her room. It was actually a lot of fun. You can check out her web-site at www.caringbridge.com/ct/nikkisstory Well back 2 my entry- Last Sun. we got home and On Monday we went to Philly for a second opinion/incase I need a bone-marrow transplant. We took the train down. But Mon., I ended up in Chop's (Children's Hospital of Philadelphia) ER- because I became dizzy and thought that I would need a blood transplant which happens a lot because my counts dropped. But it turned out that my counts were fine and that I was really only over-tired. On Tues. we met with a Dr. Ana Meadows- who was really nice and does a lot of work with Lymphomas- she said that my protocol was the best one that they have to offer- and that I'm working with one of the best oncology groups that they have to offer, she also says that if I were to need bone marrow/blood stem-cells it would only be if I got a reoccurrence- and even then I wouldn't need it for 3.5 yrs. I was happy about that. My Uncle Phil met us there and he flew us back in his 4-seater plane. Oh yeah- while we were in Philly we saw the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall. This week- I've had school- as usual- and actually it's pretty easy- and we even went to the beach on Thurs- Watch Hill- with the Buonomes- I love it there. Well I have to go- I promise to write more often- Laura

8/4/01
     BLOOD-DRIVE
Hi everyone- i still have a lot of mouth-sores, but they are getting better. I want to tell you all about a blood drive that my friend Tony Squilaro is having in honor of me for his eagle-scouts service project. Here is some info. on it
                   Date: Wed. Aug. 29, 2001
                   Donating time: any time from1:45- 6:45    
                   Volunteering time: any time from 11:45-8:45    
                   Training session for volunteers: this Tues. 8/7- please attend
                    Where: St. Anne's Church (Father. Bennet Hall)
                    Donating eligibility: 17 or older- over 110 lbs.
                    Volunteering eligibility: any one with a good-heart
                    More info call- (860)- 306-6757 or 673-1376      
                     
Thank- you to anyone who can help donate blood, donate items such as food, and help volunteer (even for 1/2 hour or 1 hour)- Thank you so much again...

7/28/01

I'm doing ok. Actually we found out that this chemo does lower your counts bad and causes severe nausea. I was nauseous today with a lot of headaches- and very tired. I slept pretty much most of the day. But now I'm feeling much better. Well g2g- write again soon.

7/22/01
I am doing great! Last Thurs. I made count and started chemo. again- I began taking 6MP- a pill that cuts back DNA- every night and this coming up Thurs. I'll be admitted for 4-5 days for Methotrexate- a strong chemo that tends 2 give u mouth-sores. Tues. and Wed. I plan 2 see 2 of my friends in 2 different plays- Allie and Erin. I'm happy about that. This weekend we went to Watch-hill Beach- I had a lot of fun! I even got some color.

7/12/01-
I'm doing really good. 2 weeks ago I had a platelet and blood-cell transfusion, and this Sat. I had another blood-cell transfusion. I was really shocked when I got to the ER- I thought i was going 2 be in one of these tiny rooms- but I was actually put in a room in the back that had a TV, VCR, regular bed, movies, windows, a recliner for my mom, a closet- just like on the hospital floors- which is much different then the regular ER rooms which are small, crampy, and stuffy- with no windows, TV, vcr... just a cot and a chair and med. supplies. I went to the movies a couple of times with my friends- so I was happy- I also had some friends over. I'm supposed to be in Inter maintenance- but I've missed count for 2 or 3 weeks- hopefully next Thurs. I'll start- than the week after that I'll be admitted for 4 days, then the following week-at home, then the next week-admitted... it'll be like this "off-and-on" for about 10 wks. Talk about BORING when I'm in the hospital. But oh well... I'm also going to go to a teen-group meeting for other kids with cancer- and also 2 c Grease that my friend is in and her older bro. is staring in. Well I have 2 go. Write soon...

6/26
I am doing really good. Class-night was a lot of fun and it was great to see a lot of fun- (the food though is another story). After class-night we went to relay-for-life- it was really pretty to walk with the luminaries all lit up. On Sat. night we went out to dinner and then saw "Kiss Me Kate" in New Haven- I really liked it. I even got the actor's and actresses autographs afterwards. Sun. Joelle had a piano recital which I went to and which she did a good job on. Mon. I basically stayed home except for the afternoon- I went with Donna Squillaro and her 2 yr. old son Domenic to the park- there we saw 4 baby birds just hatched and the mom wasn't there so we called animal control and they brought the tiny birds to the nature center. Tues. was the last day of school- it was only a 1/2 day also- so I went to that. I was again happy to see all of my friends. After school- I went to the clinic- we went there originally for counts and then lunch across the street (My friend Allie came also). But- it turned out that I needed my 3rd blood transfusion. Oh well! Today, I think I'm just going to hang-around and relax.

6/15/01

I have been in and out of the hospital for more than 2 weeks. I have been admitted 3 different times in the past few weeks. The 1st 2 times were due to fever, and the reason that I am admitted now is because I had a port put in to get chemo- because my hickman tube became infected and fell out and I also got aggressive chemo in the same day, and the next day I was very sore and had terrible nausea and threw-up about 8 times. I also got a 101 fever, which broke by the time I got to the hospital. They believe that I'm not feeling that great because of a type of chemo called ARAC. I'll hopefully be going home tomorrow or the following day. On Tues. our friends from Australia will be coming to CT, so I'm excited about that and on Fri. I have class-night for the 8th gr. I can't wait... I'll write again soon.

5/31/01
I had a good weekend - I went to the movies, out to lunch, and even saw a friend of mine that had moved to NH. But, early Tues. morning about 3 - I woke up and my face was bright red so I took my temp. and it was 103. If you have anything at or above 101 you have to go to the hospital incase you have an infection or if your counts are going down- which is most common and is what append to me. You can't leave until your counts are up again because it basically means that you have a low or none immune system and they don't want you to get sick. But, I should be home soon. I feel pretty good now - yesterday my neck and back hurt a lot whenever my fever started again. But it's not as sore today.

5/26/01
The blood transfusion went well. I felt much better afterwards and my headache went away. That evening was my 8th gr. spring concert- I went originally to watch and sing maybe one song on the group but Mr. Kawiecki called me up on stage when I was sitting in the audience and had me sing the whole program minus one song with the group. (I had no idea how one of the songs went). I was also invited in the band-room to play with the band- but I told him I wasn't real sure that I had enough energy to play with the band. On Fri. Mrs. Miller came at about 11:30 (Mrs. Teblagne is still sick). I basically hung around the house all day till about 8 PM when we went over to visit the Squillaro's- which was nice because I hadn't seen them in a while. Anyhow- Mom had to give me at-home chemo at night on Thurs., Fri., and today- but luckily today is the last day till next week! :)

5/24/01
Today is Thursday... On Monday- I was feeling GREAT! So great in fact that I decided to go to school for a couple of hours. I went to the end of chorus, Spanish, English, Math, and Lunch. It was great seeing all of my friends because I was starting to miss seeing their smiling faces. Except I think that I did to much because on Tues. I had a terrible headache and I was very nauseous- I also had a low-grade fever. So, I pretty much rested on that day. Wed. or also known as chemo day. Yesterday we went to the clinic for only 1 1/2 hrs. which is great :) All they had to do was take my vital signs, draw blood for counts, and give me chemo. through my hickman-tube which only took about 30 sec. After that- we went to the airport because we missed our trip to Peru because I was in the hospital to give the airlines a letter from the hospital and to see if we could get a refund for our tickets. After that we went out to lunch and then came home. I had a bad headache then so I slept for the rest of the day. Today I'm feeling a little bit better-but we have to go to the clinic again. Yesterday, when we came home there was a message on our machine that said that my Hemoglobin counts were very low and I need a red-blood cell transfusion. So that's where I'm going today. But, not to worry because a ton of people who are on consolidation phase of chemo have to get them. They said maybe when I get the transfusion my "never-ending" headache will go away. Well, I have to go because we are leaving soon for the clinic. Until I write again...

5/21/01 - Well... after a rocky start I'm doing great! At home chemo ended for this week, so the terrible headache I've been having is finally gone. My dress for class night looks great- I even got matching shoes and a handbag to go with it. Sun. morning we went to Litchfield to go to Lourdes- and outdoor church that's in a grotto. It was very pretty. There were hundreds of motorcycles there, because after mass there was a blessing of the motorcycles- it was pretty funny (We should have called Aunt Mona). Afterwards we had lunch at Friendly's and then invited a good friend of mine Casey Klippel to go see Shrek at the movies. Shrek was rather funny- she came over for an hr. afterwards. I hadn't talked to her in a while so it was nice for the company. Joelle went to Jolie and Craig's house for pizza and I stayed home with Mom. We rented Men of Honor- it was really good. Today I have both Mrs. Teblagne and Mrs. Miller coming. More School!

5/18/01
The new chemo. is hard. But- I know that I have to use it. Today- is the last
day my mom has to give it to me at home until next week. Yesterday, it made
me feel like I had the flu- I had a terrible headache, nauseous, and a 100
deg. fever. If it gets to 101 deg. I have to be admitted into the hospital.
Luckily it didn't. My Aunt and her gentleman friend Uncle Steve came up- it
was good because when my Mom was working there was an adult to keep an eye on
me (I canceled Mrs. Miller because my head hurt to much.) I am also lucky
because my Uncle Jimmy had come up other weeks to do acupuncture and my Uncle
Phil and Aunt Suzan have flown up on their plane to give me a wig and to
visit...Aunt Nancy Mazur (a naturopath) gave me remedies which are making me
feel better and my mom before I went to sleep worked on me chiropracticaly.
Today, I am feeling much better. We are going to the mall to pick up my dress
and may even go to the drive-in tonight if I feel good. Well got to go, until
I write again...

5/17/01-
Today is the first day after a new "phase" of chemo called consolidation. It
makes me feel like I have the flu- but hopefully will get easier. Today I got
this new hat that has a pony-tail coming out of the back of it. It looks
almost like my reg. hair color and it's pretty cute. Today both Mrs. Tablagne
(math) and Mrs. Miller (all other subj.) came. School is different now-
instead of sitting in a chair and desk- I'm lying down on the sofa-bed in the
family room, and my chalk-book is a "lovely" notepad. The other day my Mom
took a picture of Mrs. Miller and of me studying- I guess school pictures are
different too. It was nice last week to go to the Rotary breakfast and to
have breakfast with an extended-like family. I'm really honored that they are
dedicating Relay-for-life for me. Oh yeah- my mom's friend Dr. Mozzicato came
over and taught me self-hypnosis- it's pretty cool. and the next day a lady
named Heddy- took it a step further with a little different type and even
made a tape- so between the two it works... Well, I should probably be going.
I'm getting kind of tired. Until I write again.... 

5/11/01 - Laura received a standing ovation on her presentation to the Avon/Canton Rotary Club. She thanked the Rotary for her sign, flowers, many cards, prayers, the web site and the many well wishes.

An early note from Joanne to Friends.