Nina, my mom, her younger sister, and me      On December 31, 2022 my mother, Rumi Okada, peacefully died in our home.  She was 94 years old. Until August of 2020, she lived close by in her townhouse with a full-time caregiver.  During the early part of the pandemic, when I was so concerned that I'd bring COVID19 to her, I minimized contact with her.  This was a far departure from my regular visits, meals and outings with her.  The isolation accelerated her decline, and because of the high infection and death rates in senior care facilities, I c ..read more

     Last week I celebrated my 64th birthday.  It was a good day, punctuated with nice birthday messages, cards, flowers and gifts. Thank you family and friends for acknowledging my day!      This week is an important milestone, as well.  Ten years ago I was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer.  At that time, the survival expectation was 6-12 months from the time of diagnosis, with a 50/50 chance I'd be gone in 8 months. With the available treatments back then, my 5-year survival rate was 2%.   Needless to say, it was nearly impossibl ..read more

Wynn on a Fall ride It's been a while since I last posted.  The summer months were good for me.  Continued rehab has helped me get stronger so my multiple hip surgeries of 2018 feel, increasingly, like a distant past.  Although the actual hip joint feels OK, the surrounding muscles, ligaments, tendons and skin have taken on a new feeling and appearance.  I have a lot of scar tissue along the surgical site, which doesn't feel normal, and may never.  Despite doing all the recommended therapies, now that I am approaching a year and a half since my third surgery ..read more

     It's no secret that 2018 was a terrible year for me.  Recovery has been my toughest physical challenge ever...harder than stage 4 cancer.        What I didn't appreciate until several months into my year of rehabilitation, was how my psyche had taken a hit.  In my continuous effort to balance that triad (my mind, body and spirit), I realized that, although my body was on its way to recovery, my mind and spirit were lagging behind.  It was as if I was experiencing some version of PTSD.         ..read more

     So, it's been nearly a year since my last post.  Navigating life and my health through the pandemic has thrown me off kilter.  A lot happened in 2020, so much so that it's overwhelming to actually write down.  My inability to find time to post blogs over the past year speaks to how cluttered my life is, and has been.  Here's a quick update:      Since my last entry, I've had two sets of routine follow-up CT scans and brain MRIs.  It mostly seems my cancer is still stable.  The last chest CT scan found a very small lesi ..read more

     Today is my birthday.  I am 60 years old and am delighted to be alive.  Really. Since I started blogging in 2012, I've been able to get to a happy place about my birthday.  I've been grateful about living, surrounded by my incredible posse of family and friends.  This birthday feels different because, without a doubt, this past year been the most acutely challenging year of my life.  All three parts of that "triad" I often refer to, (my mind, body, and spirit), were beaten up...beyond recognition.         Sin ..read more

     Like many other people who have a chronic illness requiring regular monitoring, I get blood tumor markers drawn every-other month, and CT scans and a brain MRI every four months.  And also, like many other people, I had to delay my scheduled appointments due to the covid-19 crisis. Originally, my tests were planned for mid-March, but I was advised by my oncologist to reschedule them in late-May, unless I became symptomatic...experiencing any signs that my cancer was growing.       Early on there was so much that we, as global citizens an ..read more

Remember this? Daily Herald, February 5, 2017.  Courtesy of Sanford Morganstein      In early 2017, I blogged about my husband getting arrested while trying to attend a meeting with our Congressman, Peter Roskam - who was in our town to discuss healthcare and the Affordable Care Act. https://lunaoblog.blogspot.com/2017/03/fighting-for-acaits-personal.html Get this... "Democrat Sean Casten declares victory over U.S. Rep. Peter Roskam in pivotal 6th Congressional District" Chicago Tribune, November 6, 2018, 10:55 PM        &nb ..read more

Birthday dinner with Wynn and Nina      Yesterday, I turned 61.  And, in one week it will be seven years since I was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer.  In 2012, the prognosis for someone with my diagnosis was 6-12 months, with the median longevity being 8 months.  (Median longevity, in my case, means that 8 months from the time of diagnosis, 50% of patients are alive and 50% are dead.) Back then, my five-year survival rate was 2%.  Pretty sucky, wouldn't you say?  I don't know why I've survived beyond  expectations.  I have many ..read more

    ...because it does.  Tuesday, November 6th is Election Day             For me, I'm voting for IL-6th District Congressional candidate, Sean Casten.  He's a new comer to politics - he's never held an elected position before.  He's a scientist and clean energy entrepreneur, which speaks to my passion to protect our environment for generations to come. But more urgently for me and for all cancer patients, Sean Casten supports protecting the pre-existing conditions clause in the Affordable Care Act, (ACA).  ..read more