Titanium Girl

A year ago tonight, my friend H died of childhood cancer. She fought cancer for a while,  since 2013. She fought hard.

Tonight, we went to her family’s neighborhood. There were candles lit along each sidewalk. At 6:30 they lit a lantern and released it to the sky in H’s honor.

It was really hard for me to walk the sidewalk and read the facts about childhood  cancer, knowing that it has killed so many (3,000 this year alone). It wasn’t hard only because of that, there was also that my favorite cat M died of stomach cancer. The last time I saw him was April 30, 2012 (3rd grade) before I went to school. He died that afternoon. My grandpa died of colon cancer. He died when I was 5. I can only think how scoliosis can’t hurt you like that. But cancer almost always does.

Tonight I feel for families that have lost a child or parent or grandparent or someone else special because of cancer. I absolutely hate cancer. I know hate is a strong word. And that is why I use it to describe my thought of cancer.

My blog here describes my pain in so many posts. But the pain I have suffered is no where near that of cancer patients.

I feel for them.

 

-Titanium Girl 😀

Merry Christmas!

Last year, I had to sit in the rocking chair where my laptop was placed to open my presents (because I couldn’t sit on the ground!)….But THIS YEAR I got to sit on the floor and open my presents. While that sounds not-very-exciting, it kind of is for me because I couldn’t sit on the floor at this point in time a year ago. When I was cleared to bend over at the doctor’s office, on the trip home I practiced bending over and sitting with my feet up in the chair. But anyway…

Merry Christmas from my brother, my parents, and me!

 

-Titanium Girl

At 12:09 pm this afternoon it had been a year of being Titanium Girl! It was a pretty good day, too!

First of all, I had a doctor’s appointment. I stayed home all day because we thought I would have to go to the hospital MRI/CT/Lab area for some labs, but it didn’t end up being needed. After that we ate lunch and had dessert (it was only me eating dessert, since my brother was at school and my parents didn’t want any.) I had chocolate cake with chocolate icing and birthday cake ice cream) then it was too late to go back to school, so I stayed home. This morning mom surprised me with a bracelet that says “Ti22” and it’s my favorite color turquoise! I was playing my tablet and she goes, “Have you opened your laptop yet?” And I asked her, “What?!” She told me, “Open your laptop.” I opened my laptop and the bracelet was sitting there, in its package, between my laptop screen and keyboard. I also saw Ms. D, my kindergarten teacher, at the grocery store tonight and she remembered my brother and me (who also had her two years after I did). She congratulated me on being a year post operation, too.

Thank you to everyone who has supported me in any way, either through messages or gifts or CANDY (this morning a year ago I was telling mom not to leave my candy in the room. I was very protective of my candy so much that I told my dad to keep his hands off of my candy… I was brutal…….). I’m very lucky to be this supported and I cherish everyone (and everything) who has supported me. To all of my friends and family, as well as my parents friends- THANK YOU!

Now, just because I am a year post operation DOES NOT MEAN that I will never post again, in fact, I will post. I might not post as much though (if you scroll down on the home page, you can see the number of posts every month on the left, and that list says: November 2014; 52, and then in December 2014 it was 12. I’ve really only posted a couple times a month on average… sorry about that…) but it won’t be that much different than currently. This post will make five posts this month. That’s the most I’ve posted since February and March! But this month is a special month, so it’s okay…

If anyone has any questions or comments, please tell these to my parents and they can tell me. If you have my contact (or you’re a friend and see me five days a week!!!) you can tell me yourself! PLEASE ask your questions and comment on stuff if you have something (don’t rack your brain trying to think of something, though). Again, thank you to everyone who has supported me (including people who have just prayed/hoped/wished/etc.) and to everyone who gave me gifts . Thank you to my brother, who worried about me SOO MUCH and loved me and came to visit whenever he could, just because he was worried. Thank you to my mom, who watched me go through a painful week of PT, and who stayed in the hospital with me every morning, afternoon, and evening. Thank you to my dad, who stayed the night with me in the hospital and helped me out. Thank you to my loving little cousin E, who gave me a Build-A-Bear with little hearts all over it and had a cute little white dress with matching slippers, and had a matching one herself (thank you to my aunt and uncle, her parents, for buying it 😉 ). Thank you to a family friends K and A, who got me a REAL TIME TURNER from Universal. Thank you to my grandmother, who got me a dancing dog toy that sings. Thank you to my grandparents, who got me several stuffed animals and a Bath and Body Works set (pink chiffon). Thank you to all of my friends, who surrounded me in a circle every time I went to class, went up and down the elevator with me, visited me in the hospital and at home right after (it’s okay if you supported me but couldn’t make it to my house or to the hospital to visit). Thank you to anyone who visited me in the hospital or at home. Thank you to anyone I haven’t mentioned. THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

-Titanium Girl 😀

I’m a year post op for the second surgery now!!!!!

If you have read the post entitled “On The 17th of November…” you would know that it was posted the 11th and states that I am 11 months post operation. I wrote that back in October, Mom had just gotten around to posting it when she approved “WHAAAAAAAAAAT? A Year Already?” I’m sorry about that…………………..

Anyway, I got first chair clarinet again!!! I worked really hard for it, too. Previously third chair D got second, and previously second chair (we’re in a friendly rivalry) J got third. I felt really bad for him, and he was being really hard on himself!! I told him he needed to NOT be so hard on himself, since third chair is REALLY good! At the beginning of sixth grade last year, I was third chair. I was confused, since I thought I had done better, but I wasn’t super sad or hard on myself! As we were walking up the stairs to our algebra class (yes, I’m in algebra!), he proceeded to tell me that being hard on himself is how he succeeds. He said he had all A’s (he might have said A+’s, I can’t remember!) and that’s how he got them. He said he was really good at soccer and that’s why. Being a smart alec, I said, “I’m not hard on myself, and I get straight A’s! I’m not hard on myself and I’ve always been first, second, or third!” He said yeah and we continued to have our conversation. He doesn’t take his algebra stuff to band, so he had to run off to his locker to get it, while I brought it so that I could just walk into the algebra room.

Another thing: remember my friend R who has a back brace for scoliosis? She got first chair again, too!

The night that I posted my year post, someone commented on the “Thank you to everyone for all of the support (and gifts, of course! the candy was one of my main 12 year old priorities, according to a post that was posted almost a year ago)!” bit and said that it was funny that I “referred to candy as a priority of my “12 year old self” but at 13, I’m far more wise and past it.” I thought that was pretty funny.

On being a year post op now: I am a year post op now for my first and second surgeries! But what I’m really excited for is the 17th. Mom said she might buy me my own personal little cake to eat… I’m gonna put birthday candles on it and sing “HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU, HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR RODS, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” Not really. I won’t do that…. Anyway, I will probably just eat the cake… like a normal human being… Unless my mom and dad REALLY want a funny home video or something…. I don’t know that I would want to do that, although if it can convince people to GET THEIR KIDS SCREENED FOR SCOLIOSIS SO THAT THEY DON’T HAVE TO GO THROUGH THE AGONIZING PAIN OF SURGERY, maybe I will. If it raises awareness then I will do it. Otherwise, my parents will have to make a funny home video for me to do it…

 

-Titanium Girl 😀

I got first chair clarinet again!!

-Titanium Girl 😀

Happy Veteran’s Day! Happy “National-Getting-Revenge-On-Twisted-Spines Day!” (Don’t know if anyone remembers that, my brother came up with that one!)

Has it really been a year since my first surgery?

One year ago, I was put into surgery to help correct my scoliosis. While still almost to brace level, it was fixed pretty well. This treatment caused me four months of pain and agony. Then, finally, I became completely pain free. Sometimes, I still get random flares of rib pain (only in my right side, weirdly enough!) but they stop as soon as I exhale. Thank you to everyone for all of the support (and gifts, of course! the candy was one of my main 12 year old priorities, according to a post that was posted almost a year ago)! I really appreciate being supported 100% every day, through one of the most painful times of my life. If anyone wants to ask a question or two, please ask my mom or dad on social media and I’ll answer it through the blog or by telling Mom or Dad what to say back.

FYI: Just because I’m a year post operation now DOES NOT mean I won’t ever post again. November 17th will be a HUGE day for me and I will post then too. This Saturday the 14th as well. Thank you again to everyone for all of the support and love and hope! Thank you to all of my friends and family, as well as my parent’s friends, some of which I have never met or even knew about. Thank you to every one of my nurses and doctors and hospital workers and Child Life and PT J!

If you haven’t read the story on the first surgery, please check it out here: https://www.titaniumgirl.com/2014/11/11/first-surgery/ (sorry if it doesn’t make a hyperlink!) https://www.titaniumgirl.com/2014/11/11/surgery-1/ (this is by me).

If anyone has any questions or comments or thoughts, PLEASE share them with my parents over social media or anything else that you can! I want to know your questions so that I can answer them. I will NOT post them on this blog if you state that you don’t want me to.

 

-Titanium Girl 😀

I have a doctor’s appointment with Dr. H (Nephrology or the study of kidneys). Yay? I get to miss school (I think the entire day?) because it’s at 10am and he might want labs done (ugh, more blood draws? when does it end?). One one hand, I’m happy I get to miss school. On the other hand, not so sure about having a doctor’s appointment on MY SPECIAL DAY!!

Can you guess what it is?

You guessed it- MY ONE YEAR MARK!! It’s less than a month away! I’m 11 months post operation! I might post something on the blog that day, so watch for the post. Also, just because I’ll be a year post op doesn’t mean I’ll stop posting. I’ll keep posting, especially on every 17th of November and all throughout every June. I’m so happy about being literally “this” close to being one year!

Also: quarter 2 playing test in band for me TODAY. Wish me luck and first chair!

 

Titanium Girl 😀

Tomorrow is the big day…

I get to play-as first chair clarinet-in a concert for the first time! I was first chair during a winter concert last December after my surgeries, but I was not able to play well enough to be in the concert. Plus, I still wasn’t going to school.

I’m super excited, but very nervous as well. It seems that my clarinet doesn’t squeak very much before and between concerts, but OF COURSE it HAS to squeak on concert nights. Thankfully, my parents don’t really notice, or don’t recall hearing it even after I tell them. But they’re normally sitting in the back to film. Who knows who’s going to sit in the front seats and hear it?

Wish me luck! 😉

 

Titanium Girl 😀

A couple weeks ago I turned 9 months post operation, and the doctor doesn’t want to see us for another follow up until spring! 🙂

So far, 7th grade is pretty cool! I thought the whole schedule thing (7 different classes!) would be hard, but I got used to it pretty quickly. My backpack is often heavy with homework and stuff though, and I now have to carry my clarinet, binder, and lunchbox to and from school. My backpack is still heavy even with carrying my binder instead.

But, 7th grade is not what I’ve meant to post about today.

Last week, we had a band playing test. I fumbled once on one line, but otherwise I thought I did pretty well on it, considering the fact that I didn’t practice more than a time or two over the summer, and that I was struggling to play one of the lines in cut time the night before (Mr. T told us that cut time may determine seating, so I needed to do that during practice at home and during the test). Apparently, I did pretty well.

I have received first chair clarinet. And I didn’t tie this time.

My rival, J, is pretty disappointed in himself, and I don’t think he should be. He got second chair, and he should be proud. He still did amazingly! I got an A+ on two of the lines, and the one I fumbled on I got an A. He got the same grades. Mr. T told us we were “this” close (an inch away from each other).

Before the seating for clarinets began, he began speaking about rivalries, and he along with the entire clarinet section and band looked at us. We looked at each other with a look of “you’re going down”.

My friend R, who also has scoliosis (she wears a brace), got first chair flute! She’s always been in the back, even in 5th grade when it was alphabetical, and I think it’s amazing that she went from fourth chair flute (last chair, since we only have four!) to first. I’m so proud of her, and I’m pretty sure she’s REALLY proud of herself (when she was announced for first, she wouldn’t stop smiling for the rest of the period).

 

 

-Titanium Girl 😀