Saturday, November 22, 2008

Day One-hundred-and-forty-five: Running out of time

Since I am "running out of time," I did what I normally do in those situations, I procrastinate. This means that I watched a lot of football rather than get any of my real work done. I was so lazy today that I had to turn on the furnace to compensate for my lack of activity.

Not that I only watched TV but the amount I watched didn't allow me to make a lot of progress. I did get a too wordy draft of a flyer I hope to post on my Den of Inequities tour. As substantially the only thing I got partly done today, I should post it. I did already send it by email to a few of my regular readers. Actually, by using my "family" distribution list, it may have made it to more readers than posting it here would show it to. Ah, obscurity in my Life after Layoff.

By posting it here, I'm doing something I have avoided thus far, directly posting my name. It wouldn't have been all that difficult for anyone to figure it out as several of my posted links show my name, but this is yet another line erosion. But even posting my name doesn't mean that I will be posting other peoples' names, even as my relationship descriptions get a little awkward at times. (I haven't had anyone who might be reading this tell me to go ahead and use their name.)

And now for the flyer draft:

As if cancer patients didn’t have enough to deal with, many cancers and cancer treatments cause chronic lymphedema. Many people, including some in the medical profession will tell you that there is no effective treatment. But, THERE IS!

The swelling of lymphedema can also be life threatening due to increased susceptibility to infections. However, it most often causes severe mobility issues as swelling around joints restrict their motion or the mass of the fluid that builds up cannot be easily moved with overstrained muscles. Then there is the reduced circulation that can cause other problems and pain, which is a problem on its own.

The most effective treatment, in conjunction manual lymph drainage massage therapy, is garments specifically designed for treating lymphedema and custom fitted for the sufferer. Unfortunately as many states do not recognize these garments as medical devices, many insurance companies do not cover them.

As a memorial to Marilyn Westbrook, who passed away from cancer December 23, 2007, the Marilyn Westbrook Garment Fund has been established. She also suffered from lymphedema as a byproduct of her cancer. It was so bad in her left leg that she had become bedridden. The day after she got her garment from Don Kellogg of Telesto Medtech, (Visit http://www.telesto-medtech.com/ for more specific information about their garments.); she was back up and moving around the house. What’s even better, she was able to participate in her daughter’s wedding. Read more about this story at http://www.lymphnet.org/patients/westbrookFund.htm.

The National Lymphedema Network, a 501(c)(3) organization http://www.lymphnet.org/, was established to educate the medical profession and patients that there were treatment options on dealing with lymphedema. It has expanded its charter to help provide garments to people suffering from lymphedema who could not otherwise afford them.

If the Marilyn Westbrook Garment Fund had to subsist on my money alone, the “memory” would be far too short and the help far too little. Please join me in relieving the suffering of others by donating to the fund. Help give the gift of “living” to those who need to make every moment count. Even those who are cured of their cancer cannot truly live, if they have been left with the debilitating effects of lymphedema.

Thank you,


Doyle Westbrook
Loving husband of Marilyn Westbrook
P.S. Read about Marilyn’s life as it is being written for the grandchildren she will never know at http://memories-of-marilyn.blogspot.com/.

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