My 9th grade daughter Kathryn asked me today if I would join her team at Hackley School’s second annual Relay For Life® event on Saturday, May 1st! Needless to say, I was honored and touched by her commitment to start her own fundraising team for the American Cancer Society’s signature event. As you may know, I have taught at Hackley for the past 17 years and it has been an honor to see Hackley and the ACS form this wonderful partnership. And better yet, I will step down as team captain (for this event) and follow Kathryn’s leadership role! Yes, life is indeed good when your child embraces such a worthy cause and role.

Students, current and past faculty, administrators, families and friends will come together on the Hackley Hilltop on May 1st to raise awareness and funds for the American Cancer Society. I, along with my family, friends and members of TEAM SUE HARMON will be there to support this wonderful event, walking as a member of Kathryn’s Team, GIRLS RULE! I look forward to walking proudly for all those who have been touched by this awful disease.

I hope you will consider supporting me as a member of GIRLS RULE and support the work of these high schoolers with a tax-deductible donation by clicking on the RELAY FOR LIFE link on my web page. It goes without saying that we continue to feel the effects of the economic downturn yet we must remember that cancer does not take a break. I can attest to that first hand. While many of you generously supported my 2009 Making Strides Against Breast Cancer campaign, I hope that you will find in your heart to make a donation of any amount to this event as well. No donation is too small. Yes, I will continue my annual campaign this fall for MAKING STRIDES AGAINST BREAST CANCER so expect to hear from me again later this summer. Your donation not only supports the ACS and its fine work, but it supports the effort of these Hackley Upper School students who are working together to make a difference in the world.

As always, I thank you for your ongoing support and hope you will consider donating to my efforts toward GIRLS RULE at Hackley’s Relay for Life event! Please click on the RELAY FOR LIFE link on my main page to donate on my personal Relay For Life® web page.

Love,

Sue

I am honored and proud to report back to you that I am, once again, the #2 fundraiser in the NATION for Making Strides. This year with the help of TEAM SUE HARMON, we raised over $88,000 bringing my eleven year fundraising total to over $542,000…and still counting! There is no way I could have raised this amount of money without your incredible generosity, support, love and well wishes. I know we all have charities we choose to support each year, and I am incredibly thankful that you continue to support my efforts with Making Strides! Even in tough economic times, cancer does not rest - as I have learned first hand! Together, we are indeed Making Strides in supporting research, funding patient services, spreading awareness and education about the disease as well as supporting advocacy. Our donations are making a difference in people’s lives.

This Thanksgiving, please know that I am thinking of you and yours, and how grateful I am for your unending support. I think of all of the people we have directly helped over the last eleven years, myself included. I also think of all those we know and love who have and continue to face hardship and illness and those who we have lost to this dreaded disease.

The Harmon family wishes you and yours a Thanksgiving full of love, good health, happiness and hope.

I am Thankful for you!

Sue



Facebook: Sue Guthrie Harmon

RELAY FOR LIFE, FOLLOW UP

Thanks to all who supported Hackley’s Relay for Life this past Saturday! It was a great inaugural event, raising awareness and nearly $26,000 for the American Cancer Society! I was honored to participate in the event and was amazed by how many Hackley students shared their stories with me about how cancer has affected their lives. One Upper Schooler introduced herself and told me of her mother’s recent bout with a double mastectomy, chemo and treatment. She thanked me and the American Cancer Society for supporting her by having an event that she felt supported her. Another student told me he was happy he could take part in such an event to support his friend who lost his mom to cancer. How wonderful that the event supported so many people in so many different ways.

SUE’S UPDATE

I came across this quote today and it made me smile,

Tough times don’t last, but tough people always do!~ Anonymous

That quote describes the Harmon family. We are tough! Yes, the last eight months have been very tough on our family and those we love, but we are indeed tough and are getting through it with the help of your love and support. Thanks to each and every one of you for your part in helping us get through this time.

Achilles: Last Thursday, the doctor felt that my Achilles has had enough time immobilized and I am now walking without the boot! I am taking each step carefully and am avoiding any miss-steps. As I regain strength in my foot, ankle and leg, I may pick up my pace and begin jogging in the near future. Nice to be back in sneakers and walking! One day at a time!

Surgery: Tomorrow, Friday, May 8th, I go in for what we hope is my last surgery. The procedures on Friday are basically aesthetic in nature and are a follow up to the many surgeries I have had since the initial October 1st surgery. My plastics team is incredible and they are very positive about the final “product.” While I am of course a bit nervous about being on the operating table yet again, it will be nice to have this all behind me. Time for me to heal and get back to feeling like myself.

Treatment: I will continue to go for infusion treatment every week or every other week through November 2009. I am experiencing some side effects from the treatment, but all in all it has been tolerable. (It is amazing how many women I know who are currently undergoing the same protocol and we are all experiencing similar effects. It never is as easy as they tell you…but we are tough!)

I look forward to the upcoming months to get back to feeling like myself. Our family will spend as much time as possible up at the beach cottage this summer to enjoy time together, celebrating! It has been a journey and I look forward to the next steps towards total healing. I have third graders who are waiting for me for the start of school in September. I plan to be back, and better than ever!

As always, thank you for your kindness, thoughts, prayers and well wishes. Please think of our family on Friday as I am in surgery. Your support has gotten us through so much!

I’ll be in touch.

Fondly,

Sue

P.S. Kathryn has NOT had any more run-ins with any sting rays, Dave is still networking and interviewing for a new job….and Yes, Molly is still is still being housed in a protective bubble…Humor, have to have it!

http://main.acsevents.org/goto/TEAMSUEHARMON

Since my last update to you, much has been going on with the Harmon family, especially over the last week. Let me start off by saying that we will all be fine, we just have some unexpected hurdles to cross. I thought about not sharing this update with you, as the last week seems unbelievable to us. We are digging deep to deal with what has happened and continue to rely on our faith, family, friends and HUMOR to cope.

“YOU CAN’T MAKE THIS UP!”

SUE: As many of you know, we went to Sanibel Island, Florida for our school’s two-week break with family and friends. As you know, I looked forward to this vacation throughout my treatment. It was the goal, the celebration. Before leaving, I was given the green light to step up my exercise and my surgeons even gave me the okay to start light jogging. This was music to my ears since I have been restricted over the last six months due to my surgery and level of fatigue and illness due to chemotherapy. I was fitted for an abdominal support to secure all of my muscles. To be outside and exercising on vacation is what I had looked forward to for the duration of my treatment. Six days after arriving on Sanibel, I was injured by a piece of a shattered ceramic bowl in our kitchen, a two-inch laceration to my rear heel. After five hours in the Ft. Myers, Florida ER, six stitches, X-rays, a nicked Achilles tendon, a full leg cast, crutches, and lots of tears my vacation did not turn out as planned. Dave and my Dad flew down to lend their support and I followed up with a surgical podiatrist in Florida. He confirmed the Achilles injury and suggested that I follow up with an orthopedic surgeon once I returned to New York. Today I met with an orthopedic surgeon who specializes in feet and Achilles tendon injuries. I was put in a permanent, stabilizing cast from my toes to my knee and will be walking with crutches for a total of 6-8 weeks. A follow up MRI will be performed on Friday to measure the damage to the Achilles tendon. The good news at this point is that none of the specialists believe that I will need Achilles tendon surgery. Fingers crossed. Due to this injury, my follow up surgery originally scheduled for this Friday to finalize my reconstruction has been postponed until I am back on my feet with no cast or crutches. Hard to believe, huh!?

KATHRYN: The day before my accident, Kathryn was stung by a stingray in the Gulf while we played on a sand bar. We spent the afternoon at a walk-in clinic on the Island and she was treated with aggressive antibiotics. The day before flying home, Kathryn took a turn and her foot became infected and inflamed. We arrived home this Saturday and Kathryn’s first stop was Northern Westchester Hospital’s ER. Further X-rays and testing proved that there was no barb from the stingray in her foot. She also met with a specialist today and Kathryn is on the mend. Heavy antibiotics will continue and the pain and swelling will subside with time.

DAVE: Just as we think that all is settling down, we get the next piece of bad news. Last Friday, Dave was very unexpectedly “let go” from his new firm. This came as a huge surprise to him and our heads continue to spin. Now we are in search of a good lawyer and a new job for Dave. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.

MOLLY: She will be living in a plastic bubble for the next few weeks!
Needless to say, the last week has not been our best, but it has not been our worst. As down as we have been, we continue to rely on our faith, family, friends and HUMOR to get us through. We’ve cried and cursed but we have also laughed. We are grateful for your support and prayers during these trying times.

Thanks to so many of you who have supported me and the RELAY FOR LIFE event at Hackley School. As I will clearly not be able to walk by then, our family will be there to lend our support to Lauren and Tim, the Hackley Seniors, who have put the event together! Thanks for showing your support! A donation of any size is gladly accepted.

In the meantime, the Harmons will keep on truckin’ and look for the goodness in each and every day.
Good health, happiness and prosperity to you and yours…

Love,

Sue

It is hard for me to believe that tomorrow is round #9 of 9 in Phase One of my post-surgical treatment protocol. Round #8 was a tough round for me with many side effects but I am ready for the last round in this Phase. I simply could not have gone through this without the love, support, prayers and well wishes from you. From emails, cards, the most incredible meals ever, special treats, visits, meaningful letters, rides for my girls, rides to appointments, hugs, and prayers to a simple smile from an acquaintance, this has been a group effort. I am truly grateful for each and everyone for joining me on this journey and thank you for taking the time to cheer me and my family along. Your love and support is incredible. This protocol has proven to be very trying and we have relied on many of you to help us through …thank you.

Tomorrow’s mantra is: CELEBRATE. Even in the darkest days of facing a cancer diagnosis for a second time, I have always taken time to celebrate. Whether it is something major such as a successful surgery or clean scans, or simpler things such as a sunny day or a daughter’s completion of a tough assignment, there is always a reason to celebrate! Our family has always known how to celebrate, and we never wait for that “special” time to do so. Think about your life and the things that can be celebrated every day: a roof over our heads, meals on our tables, the warm feeling of supporting a friend in need, a child breaking a fever after an illness, having a friend, having a family, having hope and love. During treatment tomorrow, I will celebrate you and the gift of having incredible friends and a loving family. THANK YOU. Please do a favor for me tomorrow, celebrate something or someone….no matter how big or small…celebrate something or someone. Take the time to pause, reflect, give thanks, and celebrate. It doesn’t have to take a long time…..in the words of NIKE commercials…”Just do it!” Yes, we are faced with difficult times, but wonderful things are still happening each and every day. Please take time to celebrate.

Round One: Believe
Round Two: Family
Round Three: Thankful
Round Four: Friendship
Round Five: Kindness
Round Six: Love
Round Seven: Future
Round Eight: Courage
Round Nine: Celebrate

WHAT’S NEXT: While I wish this was the end of my protocol, today’s treatment is not my last. As expected, I will continue to go for treatment every other week through November ’09, but I understand that this next Phase will be more tolerable. About a month to six weeks from now, I will undergo another series of follow up surgeries and procedures, all planned and anticipated. I hope that all surgeries and procedures will be completed by the end of May, so I can use the summer months to concentrate on physical therapy, increasing my stamina and getting back to feeling more like myself. I look forward to getting back to teaching in September!!! I’ll be back and better than ever!

Thanks once again for everything….

Love,

Sue

I am ready for round #8 on Tuesday, February 10th. I had some tough days this last round and did not feel like myself, but my focus is on the completion of chemotherapy at the end of this month.

About a year ago, I was faced with a very good friend’s illness. We spent a great deal of time talking about healing, getting through a diagnosis and treatment. She asked me how I got through my initial breast cancer diagnosis and treatment in 1998. (As you probably remember, Dave and I were only 32 yeas old, and Kathryn was three years old and Molly six months old. It was very overwhelming…for everyone involved.) I told her that I had to dig deep and tap into courage, even though I didn’t think I had any. At times, it’s hard to believe that one has courage in the face of such adversity, but I have found that no matter what I have faced, there is always courage. I explained to my friend that when things become too overwhelming, I need to allow myself to count on those who love me to help me along. I told her, …“Having courage sometimes means leaning on others when things get to be too much in handling alone….”

Well, those words I shared with her over a year ago have been ringing true since my recurrence in September. I have needed to rely on others when I felt that my courage was not up to par. We all have courage, sometimes we just need that friendly smile of a friend, a hug from a loved one or an email from a neighbor to remind us that we are cared for and loved. (Reminds me of the Cowardly Lion. He always had courage, he just needed his friends to bolster him up!) In knowing that there are people cheering me on from near and far, gives my courage a boost. To this day, my friend reminds me of my quote and recites it back to me during my treatment.

So during round #8, I will think of you and how much I appreciate you letting me “lean on you” to help bolster my COURAGE.

After this round, one more round of chemo to go! I can do this!

Love and good health to you and all you love,

Sue

MANTRAS:

Round One: Believe
Round Two: Family
Round Three: Thankful
Round Four: Friendship
Round Five: Kindness
Round Six: Love
Round Seven: Future
Round Eight: Courage

Projected last day of chemo: Tuesday, February 24th

I am ready for Round #7 on Tues. January 27th. It is hard to believe that after tomorrow I will have only two more rounds of chemo in this phase of my protocol. I am doing ok but am really looking forward to finishing up this phase of treatment and to feeling more like myself. I think of all the lessons I have taught over the years at school about perseverance and how each year, regardless of what grade I am teaching, I make a point of reading The Little Engine That Could. Such a simple book, yet deep with life lessons. Right now, I feel a little bit like that small engine looking at the tall, daunting hill ahead YET I am keeping my eyes to the FUTURE and all the hope and promise that it brings.

During Round #7 tomorrow, I will focus on FUTURE as my mantra.

During the last few weeks, it seems that the word and concept of FUTURE have been staring me in the face. My “sign” that the FUTURE is something I need to focus upon. One example was when I was reading, from the other room in a tv commercial I heard this statement, “The greatest way to predict the future is to create it.” How profound, and coming from a tv commercial of all places! I love that statement and it has been playing in my mind since I heard it. (I have no idea what the commercial was advertising.) Yes, always important to live in the present and not get ahead of ourselves, but why not look ahead?

Then this morning, my friend Kelly emailed me to tell me about her experience Cycling for Survival, an event to raise money for cancer research. In her email, once again my MANTRA of FUTURE rang true. She stated, “I was reminded how much I can accomplish by looking where I want to go instead of getting stuck in the difficulty.” With that said, I am again reminded that even in tough times when things don’t seem to go our way, we must always look to the FUTURE with hope and promise.

I am looking toward the FUTURE and BELIEVE that it is indeed full of hope and promise. I hope you do too. Look toward the FUTURE, and be a part in creating it. One of my New Year’s Resolutions was to continue to have fun! Schedule fun, have fun, create fun. I look towards my FUTURE and also look forward to fun!

I’ll be thinking of you tomorrow as I think about the FUTURE and hope that it is filled with fun, hope, promise, family, friends, love, laughter, success, stability and most importantly…good health.

Love,

Sue

MANTRAS:

Round One: Believe
Round Two: Family
Round Three: Thankful
Round Four: Friendship
Round Five: Kindness
Round Six: Love
Round Seven: Future

Projected eighth treatment: Tuesday, February 10th