November is Stomach Cancer Awareness Month

 Strange to be updating this after such a long hiatus. Maybe it's something I should consistently keep up with. I had thought it may be best to let this blog languish as it has been for the last 18 months or so. But I decided to add a new post for two reasons:

 First off, I have discovered that it still receives a surprising amount of traffic, no doubt due to being linked at the No Stomach For Cancer website. And several months ago someone in an online support group I belong to had linked one of my posts as a good source of information and encouragement for another user who was experiencing some post-surgical complications. So if my story can help even just one other person who is facing the same experience I did and still do, then this blog has served a good purpose.

 And secondly, I wanted to share some information. November is Stomach Cancer Awareness Month. This marks the second annual Walk in support of No Stomach For Cancer. Some readers are here by clicking a link from their website, so are aware of the organization and the Walk. For others, this charitable organization seeks to both raise awareness and support research for stomach cancer. Unlike many larger organizations that directly sponsor 5Ks or other large events, this Walk is made of individuals and groups who walk at various locations of their choosing all over the world. I will be walking with family this Saturday, November 2nd, on the Chester Valley Trail in East Whiteland Township, Chester County, PA. We are also collecting online donations through Crowdrise.

 I love this trail. I grew up on it. I walked it almost daily as a kid when it was still an active railroad line for Conrail. (Shhhhhh, don't tell ... people, particularly children, weren't supposed to do that before it was converted to an actual trail). The yard of my parents' house backs to the railroad tracks. Practically my entire childhood from the ages of 6-12 revolved around "the tracks." We had bike trails on the adjacent land, built forts, explored crumbling 19th century structures, gorged ourselves on wild raspberries and did a few other things I don't care to mention here.

 I almost feel a sense of ownership of this trail. Sometimes when I gaze out the kitchen window of my mother's house and watch all the folks running and riding bikes on the smooth asphalt, I shake my head and feel a tad bit territorial. What are these people doing in my habitat? They have no idea. But it's great to have a well-maintained trail for recreation and I'm happy to be able to use it for the No Stomach For Cancer Walk.

 I had wanted to have a big event for the Walk, selling tickets and having a dinner and raffles; make a big day out of it and raise a whole bunch of money. Well, my plans didn't pan out. Maybe next year. Or maybe in the spring. However I did find a way to raise a little bit of money.

 As a former bartender, I occasionally feel a pull to get back behind a bar. Pour a Perfect Pint, mix a margarita, light some shots on fire, break glassware in my ice. The feeling passes quickly, thank goodness, but I will be coming out of retirement for just one night.

On Wednesday, November 6, from 6-9pm I will be a guest bartender in the Club Room at Bistro on 10 in Honeybrook, PA. Details can be found here. The establishment will be donating 10% of sales during this time to No Stomach For Cancer. I will also be accepting "tips" in the form of donations. So if you are local to me and reading this, consider coming out for dinner or cocktails.

 And finally, the Daily Local News, a local Chester County PA newspaper is running a story about our family's experience with hereditary stomach cancer, focusing on the children of my sister Jeanne who passed away in 2003. It will appear TOMORROW in the Thursday, October 31 edition in the "People" section. I will post a link if I see it on the online version.

 Thanks for taking the time to read this and take care of your tummy!