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Dr. Drew HLN

Hi Linda - thank you so much for your message! We appreciate your support for Dr. Drew, and we appreciate you letting us know about Petey the Prostate Crusader! What a creative idea! 
Thanks so much for tuning in with us. We hope you have a great weekend!
-Carmen
HLN Viewer Communications Management....

http://www.hlntv.com/video/2013/09/26/dr-drew-thanks-viewers-support-after-surviving-prostate-cancer

September

September is Prostate Cancer Awareness Month and as it is almost over our fight to bring awareness to this horrible disease does not stop on September 31st.

As the wife of a Prostate Cancer SURVIVOR every month is prostate cancer awareness month. And being the Mom of 4 young sons I never want them to hear the words that the doctor told us on June 19th, 2009.  I am sorry you have Prostate Cancer!

This time that we have been fighting prostate cancer!

From and including: Friday, June 19, 2009
To, but not including Sunday, September 29, 2013

Result: 1563 days

It is 1563 days from the start date to the end date, but not including the end date

Or 4 years, 3 months, 10 days excluding the end date

• 223 weeks (rounded down)

Facebook Group pass it on!!!

I have a Prostate Cacner group on Facebook. Anyone is welcome to join, it is here to share your Journey if you want. Or if you just need to find inforamtion to help learn what you need in this difficult Journey. We are here to help support you when you need a virtual (((HUG))) or need to just vent!
I also share information about testing events, webinars, support groups etc. all over the world.

Pass it along!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/prostatecancervoices/#!/groups/prostatecancervoices/

On Chris Bradley's Facebook page

I posted this picture on Chris Bradley's Facebook page and this is what he said on his page! There was also 18 shares and 174 likes!

 

Linda is ready for the big game tomorrow. I LIKE this... weather will be clear with a kickoff temperature of 72 @ 8:00PM.

 

 

A note from Petey's Mom

Petey wanted me to help him with his blog to share with others the life of Prostate Cancer and how we raise awareness. In 2009 I created Petey, how it started was from a support group meeting. Our group leader was sending around a plain ole walnut and said...."This is the size of a prostate gland." Well if you know me I am a creative person and when the walnut came to me of course my brain starts thinking. Hummm.... add some eyes, arms, hands and feet! Presto!! Chango!!! Petey the Prostate Crusader was born. At first I was just making the Petey's and asking for a donation of $2.00 (one for awareness and one to help cover the cost of the supplies to make Petey's). When I first started making Petey's there were just a few at a time. But as time progressed the Petey fans have been popping up all over the world!

 I would hear families saying that with prostate cancer our lives were pretty much over. Well this is no the case, there is still life with prostate cancer and Petey wanted to share with them that he has not given up how much fun he can have! One day as I was going through the toy isle (yes an adult shopping for toys for ME) there was a small scooter. (light bulb) Went off I can add Petey to the scooter and when we go on trips he can go with us and take pictures to post on his blog. We stopped at Rest Areas or do other sightseeing and Petey would get his picture taken, people would see him and give a little smile. And then there are families who know why the walnut and then start a conservation with us. 

A few months later I started making Petey scenes! You guessed it going back to the toy isles, thrift stores or where ever I can find small things to use. If I can't find what it then it is time to make it myself. He has tried so many different adventures and if he has not tried it and you have an idea let me know! We recently went to Washington, DC for a ZERO Prostate Cancer Summit and I took some of the scenes with me to set on the table to share his adventures again. Everyone loved seeing them. It helps to bring a little smile on the face of a family who is dealing with this HORRIBLE disease called Prostate Cancer. It is not an Old Man's disease any longer one of the Survivor's was a young man! It is also a Couple's disease, yes my husband was diagnosed with prostate cancer but as a wife/ caregiver we are dealing with our own issues. 

Sen. Brown's Constituent Coffee 09-19-13 in Washington, DC!

Ohioans connected by one horrible disease!

Prostate Cancer! 

The White House

September is

National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month

What a very nice surprise that I got in the mail today! 

Petey and his new friend Luke!

Petey and Luke are teaming up to raise awareness for Prostate Cancer.

Bulldoggers Against Prostate Cancer is selling Tee shirts and a portion of the proceeds will be donated to Us TOO International, Inc to help with programs for Prostate Cancer. They are a Non-Profit organization here is there website to check them out! WWW.ustoo.org

Order your shirts here!
http://teespring.com/BulldoggersagainstProstateCan

When I was growing up my dream was to get married and live happily ever after!

I met this wonderful man when I was 19 and he was 30. Our first date was June 20, 1983 it was love at first sight and knew he was my soul mate. On September 28, 1983 we got married and started our family in 1984 and had our first son, 1985 our second son was born, 1987 our third son was born, 1990 you guessed it our fourth son was born.  

Fast forward…On September 28, 2008 my husband gave me a surprise of a life time he planned a Vow Renewal Ceremony. He got all our sons and daughter-in-law, the Bishop that married us 25 years earlier, and his wife played the music. Ray wanted us to have the Vows renewed in the Church we were married at in Greencastle, Ohio but it is now a City Trustees office. A new Church was built in Canal Winchester, Ohio and the bell from Greencastle was brought over to the new Church.  Ray said you know what we should do on our Anniversary? We should go to Church and see if anyone remembers us. He had this planned out for months.

Each year we celebrate our first date anniversary, wedding anniversary, but now we have added two more anniversaries.

On June 19, 2009 we were called to the Urologist office at Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. So you know it has to be bad news when the receptionist says the doctor has cleared his schedule to talk with you. We are called back to the Urologist office and he has this look on his face that something is really wrong.  We all sit down and the doctor starts with I have cleared my schedule so that we will have all the time we need to talk. Ok I am already confused to why we are there! And then the meeting begins.  Sergeant Hoetger I am so sorry to tell you this. The biopsy returned and you have an aggressive form of prostate cancer. It got so quite in the office, the feeling that I just had was like being kicked in the stomach.

And now my emotions begin I started crying our happy life has now changed to a horrible nightmare! Please I want to wake up now!!! But it was not a nightmare I am awake and this is all true.  Ray is speechless and then his tears start flowing. Then the questions are starting because we need answers.  Why? How? Was it something that I did or did not do? What about our sons? We got some of the answers from the Urologist but he also said we now need to become students and learn everything we can about prostate cancer.  We travel back to Columbus that was the longest hour and a half car ride and the quietest! Not the driest I still had tears streaming down my face. And now depression has set in for both of us, a new battle to deal with.

We get back home and both of us are not ready to talk about the horrible news so we just lie in bed and watch TV or try too. The next day was the anniversary of our first date yea we have been a couple for 26 years. But wait yesterday we got the horrible news how do we have a Happy 1^st Date Anniversary. We tried going out to dinner for what should have been a happy day, but it was over shadowed by the day before. I tried to eat but would just burst out crying! We both are not into this anniversary this year so let’s go home. 

I remember what the Urologist had said.  We need to become students and learn everything we can about prostate cancer. So I start searching the Internet for any information that I can find and start printing off at the information to share it with Ray.  Except he was not ready to deal with the devastating news we got. But I was not ready to let my husband go yet so we had to find out what the best treatment options for us. I searched for a support group for both of us to attend, but every time I called the response was…I am sorry no women are allowed at our monthly meetings. But your husband is more than welcome to join us! But Ray would not go without me; he says we are in this together!   August 10, 2009 I found a group that allowed men and women and have been going ever since. We attended the group that night I did not feel so alone that night, as I have found a new branch of family called Prostate Cancer. The wives gathered together after the first hour to talk about our feelings, issues or just to socialize. I was a newbie that night and was just going to listen. But when it came time to introduce myself I was going to be strong and no tears. Well I cried like a baby, but it was ok the wives understood and said we know what you are going through we were there once!

I made a decision that I was not going to sit back and say Oh Poor Me! It’s time to take an active role in advocating for prostate cancer as a wife and mother of 4 young sons!

I will do whatever it takes to raise awareness of Prostate Cancer! Not only for me but for the other families that are still battling and to remember those who have lost their battle from this horrible disease. I am not afraid to say those dreaded words Prostate Cancer. What about you?

Nice day for a game of golf

Such a nice cool day here in Columbus, Ohio so Petey decided that he would take a break from work and play a few rounds!

Cousins on Call

John Colaneri & Anthony Carrino, HGTV's "Cousins on Call"

taken at The Dispatch & 10TV Home & Garden Show

September 7, 2013

Photos

Petey and Brutus

Petey went to the Home & Garden show yesterday here in Columbus, Ohio! It was the same day that The Buckeyes played! Ohio State Won their game!

OH - IO

AMVETS Petey

I posted a version of this earlier in my blog, as you can see it has changed. On Monday this will get to go home with the 1st Vice Commander of the AMVETS

Santa Petey

Petey figured if the stores are getting ready for Christmas he got a new Santa suit!

Hampton Inn stay

June 2013 we attended the Circle of Hope Picnic in Lancaster, Ohio. The theme of the picnic was to wear your cancer colors. Our cancer colors are BLUE for Prostate Cancer. Ray wore everything blue right down to the unmentionables!

The grand prize was an envelope filled with gift certificates, gift cards and food coupons. One of the gift certificates was an over night stay at the Hampton Inn in Lancaster. We used it on August 31st of course Petey had to go with us!

Look at all the fun he was having!

                Hanging out at the hot tub!

Having dinner at Deb's Corner Cafe in Lancaster. Used the gift certificate from the goodies that we got from the picnic!













Ummm....breakfast the next morning! But did Ray share with Petey? NOPE!!!!

Petey's night out for Ray's Birthday

 August 30th was Ray's Birthday and we got tickets to The Free For All Concert and the Columbus Commons downtown.

Petey enjoyed the concert and also loves spreading the word about prostate cancer!