The episode of Dr. Oz for which Diane, Eileen and I were interviewed will air tomorrow. Click here for a link to your local times. Don’t take any restroom breaks, or you might miss it.
Update: I was at the orthodontist with Pete when it aired, but you can see the show on the Dr. Oz website now as well. Just so you know, they asked us all to look sad and serious at one point (contemplative). Happens to me sometimes, but I usually try to avoid it, particularly when being filmed, as it is not my most flattering facial expression.
But enough about me! Diane and Eileen, you were great. Still think I could’ve squeezed in there, (oops, me again) but you betrayed no semblance of stage fright and both looked lovely. It was more than swell of you to make the effort to travel back and forth to NYC for the taping (on a messy winter day), and for showing the viewers an unexpected face of lung cancer.
And a belated thank you to Dr. Oz as well. It’s great to have media paying long due attention to lung cancer, and to help dispel the myth that only smokers are at risk for the cancer with the highest mortality rate.
One more update: Eileen was interviewed on the local Fox 25 news yesterday, and was able to tell much more about her story–which is amazing. Click here to view that segment.
life and breath: outliving lung cancer 
Dear Linnea and beautiful young friends friends:
I am shock. No comments after all of you appearing in Dr. Oz.
Are people very afraid? Are they in denial?
I have a reason being sick in bed for two days recuperating from Alimta chemo. I don’t look “biutiful” like you.
If wish people and politicians got closer to lung cancer patients, cancer accounts for 30% of deaths in Canada, 23% in the U.S.
Statistics Canada’s latest report
Lost quality of life. Last winter I went cruising for a month in the tropics, this one is like going back to white and black TV.
An other side is the cost of lung cancer, you have to be lucky or wealthy to get chemotherapy. I got six infusions of Alimta in a free trial 2 years ago and not so good free treatments after until I found out that because I worked over 20 years in the Ministry of Health I can have more Alimta and get reimbursed for my payments of 10 minutes, $7,000 per infusion. Hope it helps.
War on Cancer:
220,000 americans got lung cancer in ONE year, 160,000 died in ONE year, in average only 15% survive five years and worry after.
Repeated every year, also over 200,000 americans with lung cancer are wounded EVERY year with operations, chemo and radiation.
From On the Hill:
“The Lung Cancer Mortality Reduction Act of 2011 soon (?) to be introduced. In a nutshell, the bill asks that a comprehensive interagency response to reduce lung cancer mortality is established, and that 75 million dollars be allocated”. IS THIS A JOKE?
War on Afghanistan:
As of February 11, 2011, there have been 2,252 coalition deaths since invasion in 2011, including more than 1,140 americans in TEN years and over 11,000? americans wounded in TEN years
http://www.reachingcriticalwill.org/corporate/dd/afghanmil.html War: aircrafts cost, many, many cost over 75 million dollars EACH
Lung cancer is epidemic and I see a few people around me fighting but many young ones on denial.
My oldest daughter boyfriend’s father died from it 10 years ago, they are smart and do not smoke.
I invited my youngest daughter to watch Linnea in Dr. Oz but she was going out with an smoker girlfriend, they are pretty, have university degrees but no common sense. I notice the strong smoke smell on the friend’s jacket, repugnant, and giving up on many good non smoker’s boyfriends prospects. I am disappointed with my youngest, her latest boyfriend is an smoker and can’t stop it???.
Talking about cost he can burn one month after tax income on tobacco, forget down payments or early retirement.
Epidemic is on the movies:
After Dr. OZ I watched
“The last song” on TV, at the end the young daughter completes the song that her father, with cancer now in the lungs, left finish.
The one I want to see is
“Biutiful” directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu (Amores perros), starring Javier Bardem of Vicky Cristina Barcelona,
just had a baby with Penelope Cruz (Volver) http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20447673,00.html
but in the movie he has young kids and terminal prostate cancer, ironic that may help Bardem with an Oscar.
The director is obsessed with death, well painted for lungs, in the trailer we see an smoke stag, a young woman smoking and a cemetery.
http://www.biutiful-themovie.com/
Hello my wordsmith. Sorry that you are sick in bed. I hate that the medicine for our illness often makes us sick(er). And yes, the small amount of money allotted to lung cancer research makes me sick as well. I don’t really enjoy ‘doing’ media, but don’t say no because I want more people to be aware of this stinking disease.
I want to see that movie with Javier Bardem as well. I’ve been a fan of his for some time. Penelope as well.
Your young daughter will eventually figure it all out. I just spoke with my son August, the one who got the trip to Sweden because he quit smoking. He has been making beautiful paintings with spray paint; no mask. I asked him to please use a respirator. I said it would look cool too (did he believe me, I don’t know). Our quest to keep them safe never ends.
Ok amigo, off to bed with me. I too am feeling poorly; a virus or a sinus infection–not sure which yet. Too many times this winter. Makes me long for warm weather.
Fond affection (from a safe and germ free distance), Linnea
Dear Linnea:
Please continue “educating” people thru the media.
Also more doctors need to open their eyes,
they ignored our early symptoms and we ended with 5 cm tumours.
I had shoulder and neck pain first (arthritis?) then chest sternum problems (acidity, heartburn?),
2 years latter coughs and blood spiting, too late, I needed a CT scan earlier for stage 1.
Painting without protection can be very Painful, In my first cruise south the 65 year old skipper toll me about his son dying of cancer being uncharged of paint and minerals in the navy, the skipper died 1 year latter with cancer in the stomach area
Medicines: this morning I started in an empty stomach with Apo-Metoclop 5 mg for nausea and to stimulate appetite,
almost immediately got arrhythmia and tremors, it happens before, the doctor said that is unusual but I am stopping this drug.
Weather: finally is sunny and warmer, enjoy it with Buddy
Today my oldest daughter returns from Hong Kong after Valentine’s day with boy friend, what better proof of love than traveling half the planet to see your Romeo? Compares well with your planned Winter drive to Toronto to see your sick friend.
Get well mi amiga, spring is around the corner.
( ) ( ) one hug from me and one from Javier
Beryl (Guillermo), let us hope they do figure out a way–detection, treatment, prevention, cure, the whole shebang. Would have saved us both a lot of trouble. But of course, we’d never have met either. Not suggesting for a moment that it is a fair trade-off, but that’s life. Maybe my sick friend will feel well enough to receive a visitor in the spring, when the roads are clear 🙂
(I first fell in love with Javier in Before Night Falls, an odd but interesting film by the artist Julian Schnabel. I thank you for his hug. And yours.)
Linnea
Javier and Penelope did their first movie together in Jamon, Jamon , 1993 and I started to follow them.
Recent ones are better, and better for me because Spanish is my language, sorry but you miss a lot. Also locations are familiar to me, I visited Barcelona 3 times, first in 1951 and also Cartagena, Colombia location for Love in the time of Colera, love in tropical countries can be so strong, hard to understand. My sister in Buenos Aires rented a one bedroom apartment (500 sq ft) to Pochi a girl friend from Catholic high school, they are 74 now, Pochi fell in love with a jail bird, one day he killed his mother in law, his wife and two daughters, he was released because of age and lives with Pochi but must stay inside the small apartment!
http://www.buenosairesherald.com/article/58603/judges-authorize-barreda%E2%80%99s-home-arrest
We have something in common with Javier, Bardem is an atheist; following the legalisation of same-sex marriage in Spain in 2005, Bardem incited controversy when he stated that if he were gay, he would “get married tomorrow, just to mess with the Church” (mañana mismo, sólo para joder a la Iglesia).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Javier_Bardem
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biutiful
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alejandro_Gonz%C3%A1lez_I%C3%B1%C3%A1rritu great director, see Amores perros for dog lovers
I am well today, have energy to write, need to get better for late spring, why do you want to visit an old man? love in nordic countries is so hard to understand.
Guillermo, of course
Got nothing better to do, I guess. (Your last question). Or, maybe, I just like you.
Swedish chica
Linnea, you, Dianne, and Eileen all did a great job on Dr. Oz. I was impressed that he spelled out the radon issue as well as others. It’s long overdue, but still, am pleased big media is beginning to pay a smidgen of attention. I am proud of you for doing all that you do in the midst of battling this beast. I know we all need to do what we can, and get as many people on board as possible, which is often the challenge. But hey, what’s a little challenge? Fortunately we are not the faint of heart club. sending love & hugs from MA ~ Lorraine