Another day at the clinic ... in the books.

Every Wednesday we head to Vanderbilt so I might "volunteer" as much blood as they will take. I seem to have plenty. It’s changed colors. Used to be a Razorback bright red but now it’s Mississippi State maroon. Don’t know how it changed, but it did.

Giving blood is how the docs know if you have the correct balance of elements in your body. They're particularly interested if you’re in an experimental program and they’re not entirely sure what it might do to you. If you are low on magnesium, for example, it’s a serious problem and can get your body totally out of sync. They check this really closely. I received a call late one afternoon from my panicked RN. I was seriously low on mag and they needed me in there “pronto”. I told her I would be in the following day. She suggested I might not have a "following day", as time was crucial. This had to be corrected immediately. J and I loaded up and away we went. Now, every week I go for the look-see and must stay to be infused with mag if I don’t hit the magic number (I haven’t hit it yet) but I’m getting closer every time!

While I was at Vanderbilt waiting for my mag results another patient gave me a LiveStrong arm band. They come from Lance Armstrong’s foundation. It’s yellow and is all about supporting cancer patients. This made me think of all the Champions I have met this last year. My perspective has changed in the last 8 months as to who Champions are. I used to think about my favorite team winning a championship. I tried to be a Champion at my office. I used to think I had it all together. The bank could ask me to do anything and they received my best.

If you want to see true grit and unrelenting pursuit of health, drop in on any cancer clinic. Watch the patients. They are going through chemo treatments that have so many side effects you stop counting, but they keep coming back and keep smiling. They have radiation that will make you look like you have been in the sun for a week. It’s very uncomfortable and then you peel.

Tonight I have a strong compulsion to talk about a few cancer patients that I see regularly.

“Steve” has colon cancer. He just reversed his colostomy. Quality of life has become a real issue. He has been involved in experimental programs for 3 years. He is 40.

“Mary” has breast cancer that has now moved into her lymph nodes. She is 30.

“Deborah” has breast cancer and is traveling 150 miles one way to see Vanderbilt Doctors as her doctor back home told her no alternatives were available.

“Jim” is 78 and has been fighting cancer for 18 years. He takes every new med his doc will prescribe.

All these people are Champions. They relentlessly pursue alternatives. They are as determined as I that cancer is just another word and will not defeat them. It is easy to spot these Champs as they are listening to a healing tape, reading the Bible, or lugging around a case full of other healing literature from treatment to treatment. Seeing them with their “gear” is how I recognize the real Champion fighting spirit.

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