Neuro Film Festival

Check out PattiG's entry for the Neuro Film Festival below or on YouTube here. It's awesome. Crossing our fingers for her!

Happy Thanksgiving!

We here at AS want to wish you a wonderful Thanksgiving. But now you must excuse us. We have to go don a pair of stretchy pants and gobble til we wobble. We highly suggest you do the same!

A Few Announcements...

In case you haven't noticed, I've added some videos to my sidebar. If you scrawl down, as in wayyyyy down on the right, you'll see that not only do I have a rotating video bar for YouTube but that I've also permanently placed videos by PattiG, Project 2020, and a few others beneath it. I just hope you find them as helpful and inspiring as I did.

And speaking of PattiG, I'd say it's way past about time we officially placed her on Angiomas Suck's People Who Rock list here. Agreed?



We can't thank you enough, Patti, for all you've done. You rock. You completely do.

The Project 2020

Have you met Kristie York yet? Please do.

After being diagnosed with a brain tumor, she suffered a stroke as a complication of the resulting brain surgery. She's also the creator of the Project 2020--saving Oregon, one story at a time.

It's one of the most amazing and inspiring websites I've ever come across.

Check it out here. Check out her blog here.

I loved this video. The idea that we learn so much about ourselves from how those we care about introduce us. I'm going to listen better next time, learn about myself next time. And I have to wonder--am I any fun to be around?

Are you?


Are You Fun To Be Around? from 2020 project on Vimeo.


Embedded video courtesy of The Project 2020. Thanks to PattiG for pointing the way.

We've Got More Holiday Gifts Ideas On The Brain...

In more ways than one.

For my three men, who all sport major cranial scars thanks to their surgeries, I'm getting each one of these shirts cause it's so true:



Buy the t-shirts here yourself.

You can also get this one here. It's a nice touch how you can get it on thong underwear. Ahem. Thanks PattiG for the link:

Or there's this one here. I think it's my favoritest.:

And then there's this one, which I have to thank Crystal for enlightening me to its existence. It says, "My brain is bleeding..." Get one yourself here:

They also all come in tanks, sweatshirts, water bottles, and on and on. And because they always say charity should start at home...I'm thinking I should get me one of these:



Whatta do you think, hmmm????

Free Issue!

Go here for a free November/December 2010 issue of Stroke Connection. I just love that article title--"Of Bubbles and Force Fields." Can't wait to read it!

Check out the moving video here by the same title. Thanks to PattiG for the links!!!

Falalalala Lala La La...

Yes! I'm still talking about presents because it's the season for candy canes!!! And cookies!!!! And Santa Claus!!!!  


Wait!!! I mean giving!!! It's the season for giving. Which means it's time to do that whole dreaded holiday shopping thing...


But wait, now there's a better way to shop than the mall, I swear. It's called iGive, and shopping through their site means a donation for your favorite cause. You know, favorite causes like Angioma Alliance! 


Your first purchase using the site means a $5 bonus for them, and a percentage of every sale after that goes to them as well. SQUEEEE!!!


You can shop at over 730 stores like Amazon, Travelocity, eBay, Home Depot, and many many more. And oh yes, there's also exclusive coupons and those infamous free shipping deals we love so. 


One can only hope they have bakeries on there. Handy dandy fyi: donuts make great holiday gifts. *hint-hint*

For the 411, read more at iGive here and Angioma Alliance's blog here.

So.

I feel like a Peep smashed under the Wheel of Life.

Granted, it's a huge overreaction on my part. But I'd been told my son's neurosurgeon was retiring next year. It wasn't true, thankfully. Or, well, not exactly. He's stepping down, but he'll still be seeing patients for some time. I was so ecstatic I could have tackled his secretary through the phone when she clarified things for me.

The thing is, it's now occurred to me that he will retire one day and that we'll have to switch surgeons. As in concretely and truly going to happen.

Don't get me wrong. It's not unexpected. We certainly figured this would happen one day, and we'd never argue the man did not deserve to do so. No one gives of their time and and experience and talents as he does. No one.

Nope. No one.

And I know everything will be fine. We've entrusted our two children's brains to him. Their futures, their lives. Our everything. So I know we can trust him to refer us to a new, just as wonderful surgeon once he moves on. And we've been reassured by those of you out there who've gone through similar shifts in care and tell us all's been well.

I just didn't think it would ever really happen. Crazy, I know. But the man is Superman in my heart. My brain is just telling it to snap out it now, these delusions of mine.

It'll be okay. I know it will. (You all said so, so it must be true. )And this is probably a good thing because now that I know this is inevitable, in my heart as well as my mind, we can plan for it. Be prepared for it.

And that fact makes me feel better--being a scha-mushed Peep is not fun. Not at all. But now eating a sch-mushed Peep...that's a different story.

Why, Thank You!

A huge thank you to Marguerite Zelle at The Kindle Blog Report for her review of our AS blog here. She gave us a wonderful "Yes!" Huge thank you's to everyone who's reviewed us at Amazon (here) too. We luff you so.



Our mission is to spread awareness about cavernous angiomas. As long as there's no cure, we have to fight the damn things. But people can't fight something they don't even know exists, right? So every review, every link, helps get our message out there, and we can't tell you how much we appreciate your help.

So thank you. Now...for



Remember, we're on Kindle here. And for our Christmas gift this year, if you have an Amazon account, we'd love you to consider dropping us a review as well. It costs nothing...and, um...it would make us reallyyyy happy. Love us, hate us, it's all good. We just need people to fight. :)

For Those Who Asked...

Puh-leaze. DD is no contest for the mighty Starbucks eggnog latte. None. At. All.

Share Your Story...

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!

I don't know what I'm more excited about!!!! The chance to share our stories to help spread awareness of CCMs thanks to the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS), the small monetary honorarium that could be donated to my favoritest charities, or that Starbucks is selling eggnog lattes for the holidays again!!!!!!!!!

I jest. But come on. I wait all year for those lattes. Just saying.



Anyway, my plan? I can sit in Starbucks with my laptop, sip my delightful eggnog latte or four (SQUEEEE!!!!), and enter. Maybe you should too!

The stories. Not the lattes. Unless, like me, you dream of them. Every night. Until they appear again, like magic...



But I'm digressing again. Here's how to enter:

The American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) is seeking stories from neurosurgical patients of all ages to be submitted electronically on its user-friendly online Patient Story Submissions page. The goal of this initiative is to help educate people about the role of the neurosurgeon in treating a wide range of medical conditions and diseases.

Have you or a family member undergone successful surgery to treat Parkinson’s disease, congenital deformities, hydrocephalus, tumors of the central nervous system, low back or neck pain, stroke, cerebral aneurysms, head injuries, or any of the many other conditions treated by neurosurgeons? If so, consider submitting your story and help the AANS reach out to the public. Parents may submit stories on behalf of their children, and family members may submit stories on behalf of immediate relatives.

Submissions will be subject to editorial review by a panel of neurosurgeon experts. Patients whose stories ultimately get posted on the Web site will receive a small monetary honorarium as a token of appreciation. Accepted stories may also be featured in press releases during Neurosurgery Awareness Week, Neurosurgery Outreach Month, or other public awareness campaigns.

Visit www.NeurosurgeryToday.org to submit your story!

The direct link to this page: http://www.neurosurgerytoday.org/what/patientstory/

To read past stories that patients of AANS member neurosurgeons have shared, please visit

http://www.neurosurgerytoday.org/what/neurosurgical_patient_stories.asp.

(Thanks to Miss PattiG for passing this along. Above courtesy of AANS here. Red highlighting mine because those parts kickass. Sorry. But they do. Kick. Ass.)

More Books...

Remember:

“The book you don't read can't help.”

-Jim Rohn

Really remember:

“Be careful about reading health books. You may die of a misprint.”

-Mark Twain

A BOMB IN THE BRAIN: A HEROIC TALE OF SCIENCE, SURGERY & SURGERY,” by Steve Fishman
“BRAIN SURGEON,” by Lawrence Shainberg
“I HAD BRAIN SURGERY, WHAT'S YOUR EXCUSE?” by Suzy Becker
“WHEN THE AIR HITS YOUR BRAIN: TALES FROM NEUROSURGERY” by Frank Vertosick, Jr.
“GIFTED HANDS: THE BEN CARSON STORY,” by Ben Carson and Cecil Murphey
“THE ANATOMY OF HOPE: HOW PEOPLE PREVAIL IN THE FACE OF ILLNESS,” by Jerome Groopman
“OVER MY HEAD: A DOCTOR’S STORY OF HEAD INJURY FROM THE INSIDE LOOKING OUT,” by Claudia L Osborn
“DON'T LEAVE ME THIS WAY: OR WHEN I GET ON MY FEET AGAIN YOU'LL BE SORRY,” by Julia Fox Garrison
“HELP ME TO HEAL: A PRACTICAL GUIDEBOOK FOR PATIENTS, VISITORS, AND CAREGIVERS,” by Bernie S. Siegel
“MATTERS OF GRAY AND WHITE: A NEUROLOGIST, HIS PATIENTS, AND THE MYSTERIES OF THE BRAIN,” by Russell Martin
“THE BRAIN HAS A MIND OF ITS OWN: INSIGHTS FROM A PRACTICING NEUROLOGIST,” by Richard Restak, M.D.
“BRAIN MATTERS: STORIES OF A NEUROLOGIST AND HIS PATIENTS,” by Bruce H. Dobkin, M.D.
“BRAIN SURGEON: A DOCTOR'S INSPIRING ENCOUNTERS WITH MORTALITY AND MIRACLES,” Keith Black, M.D.
"Brain Storms: Surviving Catastrophic Illness," by Les Duncan
"STRUGGLE TO THE SUMMIT"-Rivka Zucker




Wayyyyyy down in the lower right sidebar is a list of links to books relating to CCMs. I'll be adding these, but in the meantime, you can check those out too. And if you know of any I haven't included, want to suggest any, or stumble on something out there, I'd love to hear from you! suckocity@live.com Thanks!!!

(List provided courtesy of PattiG. Thx. U rock. Completely and wonderfully.)

We Had Such Hopes, But, Alas...

Halloween had so much potential this year. Arctic temperatures ensuring few trick or treaters and mounds of leftover candy. A marathon of Bob's and my favoritest television show evah--Ghosthunters. Hubby, at home and completely in charge of the candy handing-out duties, allowing Bob and I uninterrupted ghost time. But the most critical detail? We had us a perfectly layered candy bowl.*

Potential tends not to pan out in our lives, though.

First, Bob and I kept getting shushed, ruining our t.v. marathon. Yes. Shushed. By Hubby and BBB. "Be quiet," they said. "We can't hear the television over your constant talking".

Talking?

TALKING?!?

We were practicing. To be ghosthunters! We're quite good at it, too, if I do say so myself.

Me: OMG. Did you hear that? Did you?
Bob: Wait, hold on. Listen.
Me: What about that? Did you hear that?
Bob (knocking on table): If you can hear me, copy my knocking.
Me: OMG. Did you hear that? Did you hear that knocking?

Second, those damn trick or treaters went postal on us. Sleet, snow, wind, arctic temperatures, they would not be kept away from our candy bowl. *sigh*

Third, we should never have trusted Hubby to dish out the candy. Never. Did he hand it out personally? Did he limit the amount of candy he let them take, making sure tons would be leftover at the end of the evening? No and no. "Help yourselves," he said. "Take as much as you want." Nope, he had to be really generous.

*SIGH*

Fourth, I might have accidentally knocked over the perfectly layered candy bowl. I got excited, what can I say? I thought I heard a ghost, but it turned out to be only the cat. Triple disappointment. The candy bowl was ruined, the cat is many things, but he's no ghost, and it was a perfect waste of cash.

Finally, thanks to Hubby being, you know, NICE, the natural selection process of allowing the kids to pick candy for themselves left us with almost empty bowl of candy. And what WAS left? Whoppers. Guck.

So. Yeah. No ghosts. No good leftover candy. I can only hope your Halloween was more candy-filled. But I did I get to spend the night with the world's nicest guy, I suppose. :) So, all's good. Except:

Bob: How come on every episode of Ghosthunters the ghosts supposedly drain the ghosthunter guys' equipment batteries [sucking up the energy in order to manifest] yet the camera guy's equipment is always perfectly fine?

Huh. Good question. Theories? Anyone?




*Slip Bob some cash and he'll discretely layer the candy bowl. You know, placing our favorites on the bottom, and the yucky stuff, like Almond Joys, on top. It's most genius, ensuring the good candy gets left. As long as Hubby doesn't bust us.