So what are necessities bags, you ask? Well, the short answer is that they are tote bags given to mastectomy patients and that they are full of supplies that will or may be useful during and after treatment. According to the National Necessities Bag web site, the bags are “reusable totes filled with wound care, comfort and practical items, which are given to women facing mastectomies, through their breast cancer nurses and surgeons and some breast cancer organizations. The bags are especially useful if given to the patient about a week before surgery.”

OK, so what’s in the bag? And why??

The items in the bag were developed by a woman who had had a mastectomy and then realized how unprepared she was for this traumatic and difficult surgery and recuperation. Lots of thought and care went into the selection of items in the bag. They include:

Soft, cotton, men’s A-shirts, which can be pulled on rather than stretched over the head when arms are too sore to lift. The A-shirts keep bandages in place, provide some compression, and provide a place to pin drains. If stained, they are inexpensive and can be tossed, and are great under other clothing.

Two small, cheery, soft, handmade pillows. Women who are recuperating from mastectomies can’t get enough pillows! These are great seat belt barriers, and are used to prop up aching arms. Women find comfort in the fact that the pillows are handmade by other women who care.

Extra bandages, bacitracin and paper tape for homecoming, if not supplied by the hospital and to save a trip to the drug store.

A pop-top water bottle that is kept by one’s side, when reaching for that cup of water on the bedside table is too painful. Lip balm and some sweet candy for dry mouth and cracked lips after surgery and anesthesia. Pocket tissues for tears and personal wipes to help keep fresh until showering is allowed. An emery board just because!

A colorful, two-pocket folder, to organize all of the paperwork the patient will collect. A small notebook and pen to jot down questions for the doctor, doctor’s orders, keep track of fluid amounts from drains, and express feelings and thoughts. A pre-stamped and addressed notecard to Necessities Bag Sacramento, so we can collect feedback from patients to ensure we are doing a good job.

The Woman to Woman Guide for Mastectomy, written from experience in plain language about preparing for and coming to terms with the surgery.

For more information or to make a donation or to volunteer your time, visit these web sites:

Necessities Bag – National web site

Necessities Bag – Sacramento web site

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And it goes like this:

Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday, Petra B
Happy birthday to you!

Nice song, huh? I didn’t write it. But I wanted to publicly wish her a great, great, wonderful day, today and everyday. I love her a lot.

As much as can be…

On a personal level, I like his politics and voted for him. Normally when I do that, the person loses. But not this time! But it’s not just me. He enters office with a huge approval rating and millions and millions of people willing to work with him and support him. In reality, his views are those of most of America, though some would try to call him liberal or extremist. But he stands for what most of America wants and that is why change has indeed come to America.

In my long life, this is one of the best things I have ever seen. After all the disappointments and cynicism, now I finally see a sense of hope after all these years. And the best thing about it, most of the coutry feels the same way! So, to President Obama (I love to write that), I say thank you for inspiring people and helping us to come together. The healing has begun and we are looking forward to this great journey and to restoring the greatness and pride in America, both here at home and around the world.

Did you watch his inaugural speech? Wasn’t it great? You can read it and watch it here.

Yes we can!

As you may or may not know, Petra is adopted and adoption records are sealed in all but five or so states so that people, even grown adults, can not know their family or history. That is a wrong that needs to be corrected. But that is another story. In our case, Petra managed to track down, with the help of her (adoptive) parents, information about her birth family. Her birth father is deceased and her birth mother sadly wants nothing to do with her, even after all these years. Petra has had some contact with a couple brothers and their families but none of that compares to the relationship that she had with her birth father’s brother, her beloved Uncle Jim.

They met and visited a number of times and found many remarkable, striking similarities in personality and mannerisms. Adopted people rarely get that “you look like your mother” or “you write like your brother” or “you have his eyes” or any of that. But it turned out that she had a lot in common with Jim even though they grew up and lived 2000 miles apart and they never even met until Petra was over 30. He quickly became a very important person in her life.  He was the only person that had a version of her in him. They had a special bond and had many long phone calls and letters, as well as some visits in person over the years. He meant the world to her, and was very, very special. But now the only person that she could see parts of herself in is gone.

Of course, Petra is loved by many, but this loss cut her deeply. If you have not been in her situation you may not be able to understand the depth of the loss. An adopted person, with no one “like” them, finally finds a biological familiy member that she identifies with, and then that is gone. But she is getting through it. She created a temporary tribute web site here but they only allow those for a brief time. Go see it now and look at the pictures too. There’s also a one-month guestbook here and there is also an obituary here, though the picture is NOT what Petra would have picked and doesn’t represent him well. Another guestbook is here. Petra may build a more permanent web site, and if so I will post the link on this blog. In the meantime, take a minute and feel her loss. She didn’t find Jim or any biological relative until she was around 30. And now the most important and closest one is gone. RIP, Ol’ Uncle Jim. Smile down on your niece, she loves you very much.

Actually we have put an ad on Craigslist. We have over 600 issues for sale (as a lot, no single issues). And we’re throwing in 20 or so Spin magazines too. The catch? You gotta pic ‘em up! But hopefully by the time you read this we’ll be well on our way to a sale. Those suckers can take up lot of room and we’ve got other, more important, junk to store.

Now as for that picture of Prince, what do you think he is doing? The headline says he is “on fire” but he doesn’t look like he is burning up. Hmm, maybe he is thinking about Petra …