Patient's Perspective: Cindy Chmielewski

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Mountain Climbing in Peru

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Can my trip to Peru with A Fresh Chapter be about a week away?   I am filled with mixed emotions.  I am both excited and scared.  I am looking forward to a new adventure, but I am dreading packing for this adventure and the long travel itineraries that I will be doing solo.  I am anxiously anticipating my volunteer assignment, but I am feeling uncertain I will be able to make a difference especially since I don’t speak a word of Spanish.  I feel excited to be making new connections, but worried I won’t remember anyone’s name.  I am eager to have an opportunity to experience a new culture, but nervous that I will get sick.  The list goes on and on. PREPARATIONS I have prepared for the Peru Odyssey by filling out forms, buying supplies, getting vaccinations, reading travel guides and speaking to others who have been on this life changing experience.  I even downloaded Duolingo to try to learn some Spanish.  But the best way I prep...
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Lizzie Smith- We Can Do More and Will Do More!

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Myeloma warrior, fierce advocate and my friend Lizzie passed away yesterday. I am still shocked and saddened by this news.  Lizzie was young. She was a fighter and well educated about myeloma. Lizzie was full of life! She sought the advice of several myeloma specialists and participated in clinical trials. She ate healthy and exercised. She did everything right. How can she be gone?  Lizzie's myeloma was aggressive and didn't respond well to treatment. No matter what protocol Lizzie tried her myeloma returned often with a vengeance. Although a lot of progress has been made in the last decade in understanding the biology of myeloma and developing new therapies to treat this cancer, more research is needed to help researchers fully understand the various subgroups of myeloma and how to best treat each unique subgroup. We must do more so people diagnosed with high risk myeloma live long lives and die of old age.  How can we do more?  We can use ou...
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I Get By With a Little Help from My Friends - A Fresh Chapter

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We all have different personality traits.  Some of us are introverts while others are extroverts. Some of us are carefree while others are more serious. Some of us are nurturers while others graciously receive gifts of help. I would classify myself as a nurturer. I receive joy when helping others. It is in giving that we receive.  I receive so much positive energy from helping others. Helping others re-energizes me.  This summer I traveled to Peru as part of A Fresh Chapter's Peru Odyssey Program .  A Fresh Chapter is a non-profit dedicated to healing the emotional scars of cancer. A Fresh Chapter combines domestic or international volunteerism with programs designed to reframe adversity, foster connections, and promote personal growth and development. A Fresh Chapter's  vision is a world where our experiences with cancer empower us to seek new purpose and possibility in our lives. My volunteer assignment was helping at Martincitos the senior center l...
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