I have been in and out of the Rain recently (and I don't mean to stir up emotions again), so I missed hearing the
news, but sadly, yesterday I read a post about the passing of perhaps
one of the best bloggers here in the Rain on August 23rd. As
Brad Andersohn
so beautifully wrote in his post,
we
lost an Angel. That Angel was Karen George. And Karen has a message to share with everyone!!l!
I did not know Karen personally but only a couple months into my coming
to AR I saw a post by
Adam
Waldman asking the AR family to rally together and
help raise much needed funds for Karen and her battle with cancer.
I had read some of her posts and felt the need to help too so
I wrote a post as well,
Helping
Karen George . The outpouring was amazing and a
sense of community was felt in the Rain.
While Karens presence on
Active Rain helped
countless members with their own blogging, her message should
NOT
be forgotten. After reading Brad's and all the other tribute
posts and comments, I went to Karens outside
blog
fighting-breast-cancer.com to
read about her long battle with breast cancer. Throughout her
entries the message was clear...
DO NOT BE
COMPLACENT WITH YOUR HEALTH!!
When Karen found her breast
lump her doctor misdiagnosed it 
and
didn't order any
further tests and
time was lost! By the time all
tests were finally completed the
following
year Karen was diagnosed with Stage IV Breast
Cancer!! The battle was on!
The purpose of
this post is not to hash out the what "ifs" for Karen, but to spread
her overwhelming message!!
DO
YOUR BREAST SELF EXAMS!
MEN CAN GET BREAST CANCER SO BE AWARE OF YOUR BODIES TOO!
IF YOU FIND A LUMP DON'T IGNORE IT!
ALWAYS ALWAYS GET A SECOND OPINION!!
JUST BECAUSE YOU ARE NOT IN THE "HIGH RISK" AGE OR CATEGORY DOESN'T
MEAN CANCER WON'T GET YOU! KAREN WAS ONLY 29 WHEN
SHE FOUND THE LUMP!
DEMAND TESTS AND A MAMMOGRAM AND IF YOUR DOCTOR WON'T LISTEN, FIND ONE
THAT WILL!
LISTEN TO YOUR BODY! IT TALKS TO YOU WITH PAIN OR SYMPTOMS!
IF YOU ARE DIAGNOSED WITH CANCER SEEK ONLY THE BEST TREATMENT
AVAILABLE! (Karen recommended the Mayo Clinic.....see her
blog for more info)
WHATEVER YOU DO, DO NOT, I REPEAT DO NOT,
JUST ACCEPT "IT'S
NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT" UNTIL YOU
KNOW WITHOUT A DOUBT IT'S NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT!!
EARLY DETECTION IS THE KEY TO BEATING CANCER!!!
Karen you were a gallant fighter
of a terrible disease.
May you soar in
Heaven, free from pain and misery.
Your fight may
be over but your legacy lives on and your voice
will be heard!
Rest In Peace Angel!
As always help support the fight against breast cancer by supporting
organizations like the
Susan G Komen Foundation
and October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Get your
mammograms.
Sandy
Noll
Realtor
Keller
Williams Realty Kirkland
425-890-0878
sandy@sandynoll.com
www.letsachieveyourgoals.com
http://youreastsidehomespecialist.activerain.com/
Your
Kirkland, Woodinville, and Bothell Home Expert
Sandy Noll
Realtor
Keller Williams Realty Kirkland
425-890-0878
sandy@sandynoll.com
www.letsachieveyourgoals.com
http://sandynolls.eastsidepowersearch.com/
www.sandynollskirklandupdates.com
Kirkland, Woodinville and the Greater Eastside
;)
;)
SANDY - Nice reminder that we need to be aware of how quickly cancer can spread. I was saddened to see the loss of Karen as well. I'm glad that there is going to be a tribute to her on AR in the future. She gave so much of herself, even when she barely had anything left to give physically.