Hearing From YOU

This is a day when I am able to bask in the comments of others who have read this blog and to offer a bit of clarification.  First, the clarifying.  Several readers have asked me about leaving comments under the comment section.  As best I can determine, this option is only available to those who are members of Blogspot and/or have their own blog.  In view of that, I will change the message I often put at the end of an entry and ask that comments come via email.  I know that there has been frustration with trying to enter a comment and having it lost in cyberspace. 

Now to the comments that have gotten through.  I am delighted, first of all, to find that my entries have achieved the goal that I set out for myself.  That people find it interesting is the basic wish, but additionally my hope was that there would be value for the reader, that you, the reader, would find topics that touched a chord and perhaps offered guidance, caused reflection or answered questions.  I cannot tell you how touched I have been with the feedback that I’ve received. 

From a practical standpoint, I know that friends and family are finding this site a way to keep track of me.  To know how I am feeling physically and coping emotionally helps them stay in touch.  Sometimes I think that it is easier to express the emotional through the written word, probably I am giving a more intimate picture than I might in a conversation or an email.  I am touched by the number of people who make reference to something that I wrote in the blog as we talk on the phone.  Just this morning a friend asked about how I survived the October wave of company (very well, I loved it) and whether I had any news from my doctor (yes, I am cautiously optomistic).

Yesterday I got an email from a former colleague who shared her own cancer experience, thoughts that were triggered by the entry on exercise.  It gave me comfort to know that my experience with being exhausted at times was not unique.  She helped me recommit to the exercise program even on those days that I’d like to be lazy.  The help goes both ways.

Other entries from those with serious illnesses and reflections of caregivers tell me that I am helping them feel less alone, that comments in the blog help them feel connected during tough times.  I love hearing that readers are moved to laughing over some of the strange or challenging times I’ve found myself in.  I am touched to know that this blog makes a difference.

My hope is that every reader finds some value in this column.  That it brings comfort or laughter or the knowledge of what it is like to be in the midst of an illness over which one often feels powerless.  My lesson is that I can learn from those who are moved to give me feedback and I invite you to do so at jodiekacer@aol.com