Archive for the ‘Why You Should Care’ Category

Juhi Kunde

Challenges Abound, Yet We Remain Strong

January 14th, 2013 - by Juhi Kunde

As we are starting a fresh year, it is natural to take a step back and survey the scene – past and present.  How was last year? What chaos and wonders will this year bring?

As always, I look on the past year with a general sense of bewilderment and awe. We lost Whitney Houston, Andy Griffith and Ravi Shankar. And who could have imagined the horrible tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut? The year is never what we expect it to be.

But last year, even in the middle of all that uncertainty, we found happiness, courage and hope.  I would have never thought that the San Francisco Giants would win another World Series so soon. We saw a magnificent display of talent at the London Olympics and we held another peaceful (and tight) presidential election.

This year, I see the challenges piling as high as the Rocky Mountains. We have healthcare worries, economic concerns and of course, a royal baby to worry about. Plus we all have our unique personal challenges looming ahead of us. In my family, we are expecting our own baby in April and we are helping a beloved family member fight cancer.

Despite my concerns for the coming year, I am filled with feelings of hope, confidence and determination because the people around me are not drowning in their worries. They are embracing the future and facing their challenges by taking steps to alleviate problems and improve their situations. People in their fifties are going back to school, parents are homeschooling their children, and a few families have joined health clubs while cancelling cable subscriptions.

For lung cancer survivors and caregivers, similar patterns are emerging. People are listening to scientific webinars, reading about clinical trials and taking charge of their treatment plans. They are stepping forward to become their own health care advocates and to raise lung cancer awareness.

Plus, with the help of determined volunteers, passionate supporters and skilled scientists, the lung cancer movement continues to gain momentum and brings us closer to major breakthroughs in early detection and treatment.

By continuing to actively participate in our lives, we are all facing the challenges that lie before us.Let’s rely on our communities, be resilient and not let our worries drown us. By working cooperatively we may just succeed in beating the odds.

Let’s all try to make 2013 the year we hope it’ll be.

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Juhi Kunde

A Stack of Forgotten Papers

December 17th, 2012 - by Juhi Kunde

Usually, my holidays are full of fun. My favorite part of the season is wrapping the presents my husband and I buy together. But this year, I have to do the shopping while my husband is away on business. That means I am faced with the daunting task of managing coupons – by myself.

During the rest of year, I am not that good at keeping track of coupons anyway, but during the holidays there are even more ways to save and it drives me crazy.

Yesterday, I was in line at Target and I managed to use two coupons I clipped from a mailer plus I got 5% off for using my Target Red Card. Of course, I was also hitting the store’s sale racks and I had even used a couple of digital coupons from my phone.

But I still left the store disappointed in myself and wishing my husband had been there to help.

You see, I had forgotten a stack of manufacturer coupons on my kitchen counter.

So there I was, digging through my purse looking for them when the cashier started looking pointedly at the line growing behind me. Eventually, I gave in to the pressure and signed for my purchases.

It is a lot of work to make sure that you have the right pieces of paper, the right technology and the right date, time and location to optimize a shopping expedition.

In fact, when you are trying to optimize anything, it is a lot work to have every single duck lined up. And just one wayward duck can leave you feeling ineffective and exhausted.

Of course, saving 50 cents on frosting is nothing compared to the stress of optimizing a visit to the oncologist. No one wants to be sitting in the doctor’s office when they realize they forgot important paperwork.

Being diagnosed with lung cancer can be overwhelming in itself but then adding the daunting tasks of tracking appointments, organizing medical records and timing medications could make anyone want to hide under the covers.

That is why I am grateful to the wonderful caregivers – our husbands and wives, our friends and children – who help us manage it all.

To all those strong people who keep us organized, focused and moving forward – I offer a heartfelt “thank you!!”

Do you have a special person who helps you keep it all straight? Leave a comment telling us about them or nominate them for LUNGevity’s Lung Cancer Caregiver Contest!

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Juhi Kunde

A Silver Lining of Gratitude

November 9th, 2012 - by Juhi Kunde

 

The first time I went to India, I was three years old. India was very different in those days. There were many mud-streaked, naked children living in tents or alleyways. Some of those kids were my age but they weren’t playing with dolls or having tea parties; they were banging on car windows to beg for food.

I have been back to India many times, and on each visit I have seen the country change and prosper. I have seen fewer and fewer children in such dire conditions. But those first trips to India have made their mark.

Now, on stormy nights I always offer a little prayer of thanks for the warm shelter around me. And I rarely say “I have nothing to wear” because I have seen people who truly don’t own clothing.

I guess that’s the thing about traumatic events, whether someone is facing a devastating diagnosis or witnessing an uncomfortable side of humanity, you eventually begin to appreciate the things you have. You learn to have a little gratitude.

And now, in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy so many people are facing difficult, or even life-threatening, situations. Perhaps this is a good time for all of us to pause and take stock of the things we appreciate in our lives.

LUNGevity supporters have a lot to be grateful for – we have world-class researchers devoting their lives to helping lung cancer patients, we have a growing and active support community and most importantly, we have the hope of better outcomes for lung cancer patients in the years to come.

But that’s just the beginning, there are so many other things to appreciate too – friends, pets, laughter, a kind stranger – the list goes on and on.

Please share your stories with us — what are you grateful for?

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Juhi Kunde

Making it Personal

October 10th, 2012 - by Juhi Kunde

A few days ago, as I was at the grocery store digging through my purse, the cashier finished ringing up my purchases. As is the custom at this store, she asked, “Would you like to support the cause of the month? This month it is breast cancer.”

They never say the name of the charity or offer any information about how they chose the charity. So, as a rule, I never make a donation.

Distracted by my daughter pulling on my leg and the nagging ache of forgetting my coupons, I declined with a shake of my head and continued hunting for the appropriate credit card. Finally, with my Visa in hand, I focused on the cashier for the first time. I was stunned.

She wore several bright pink feathers in her hair, dangly pink earrings, a blindingly pink T-shirt and a long necklace full of pink charms. “It’s October” I said to myself, “and I just told her I didn’t want to support breast cancer patients.” I felt like a jerk.

“So, obviously, you support breast cancer awareness,” I said to the cashier.

She nodded as she finished bagging my groceries. “Yes, I sure do. Two of my aunts and a cousin had it, but they caught it early, so they are fine now. My grandma wasn’t so lucky.”

Now I felt like an even bigger jerk. And I had no idea what to say. I tried nodding in understanding and smiling compassionately as she handed me the receipt. But I couldn’t look her in the eye as I turned to walk away.

This incident happened almost a week ago and I’ve been thinking about it ever since. It was powerful.

I never donate to the grocery store’s cause of the month – but this month I feel guilty about it. This month is different because the cashier chose to put her views out in the open. By wearing so much pink and openly demonstrating her support for the cause, she made it personal. She let people know that she has a stake in this cause. And by not donating, I felt as though I’d let her down, personally. 

I applaud her for her strength and commitment. And I think we can learn from her.

By letting others see that we strongly support LUNGevity and lung cancer research, we can make it personal too. We can let people know that their support for lung cancer research matters to us, personally.

November, the official Lung Cancer Awareness Month, is right around the corner.

So grab a “Breathe Deep” hat , fill up a LUNGevity-branded water bottle, and pull on a “Stop Lung Cancer Now” T-shirt.

It’s time for us to let people know — this is personal.

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Juhi Kunde

Should We Tell?

September 12th, 2012 - by Juhi Kunde

I am drained and tired. I have nothing to write about. My ideas are stupid and my words are cliché. I can barely draft a complete sentence.

Why am I so fried?

Because I just found out someone dear to me has cancer.

I keep trying to read as much as I can about it. But all I have is the generic name of the cancer. And I can only go so far with that on Google. I need more information but the family is reluctant to tell me more.

They know that I will attempt to gain control of the situation. They know that I will be up late at night scouring the millions of cancer pages on the internet for hidden answers. So, they speak in circles and make me dizzy with worry.

I wonder if it could be a cultural thing – an Indian thing. Maybe it’s an artifact of immigration. Or perhaps it’s just that modern families are often spread across the country or even across the world.

In so many families the question arises: Should we tell them?

Whatever the specifics, the basic scenario is the same: the family is split-up. Typically, the parents still live in their home while the kids have grown up and moved away. Then the inevitable case of poor health strikes someone, somewhere. And the question rears its ugly head.

Most families have an unspoken understanding of some sort. Often minor illnesses, such as colds and ear infections, are safe to keep from the rest of the family but anything requiring a cast or hospitalization should be disclosed.

In these situations, most family members want to hear the news, however bad it is. But sometimes the other family members are unwilling to burden them.

They don’t want them to worry. They don’t want them to spend hours on the internet instead of working. They don’t want them to buy expensive last-minute airline tickets.

But they also don’t want to lie.

So they tell partial truths. Or they “forget” to mention the critical details. Or they pretend the reports have been delayed.

The irony is that all these antics to avoid causing worry could be causing far more concern than the naked truth would have.

Obviously, my preference is for sharing the complete truth but I know there have been situations where I had to think long and hard about who to tell and how much to tell them.

What about you?

Did you have to decide how much to tell your family about your cancer journey?

Did you have to decide whom to tell?

How did you make these difficult decisions?

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