Tammy, someone actually directed me to your site last week and i sent you an email through there...not sure how often you check the email listed on the site.
b/c your story seems so similar to mine (outside of mine being genetic) but it's also stage 3...and i'm very young as well (turn 26 at the end of may).
i'm very interested in your foundation and grants, b/c my insurance really isn't the best at all (which is why i have to go in and be hospitalized every two weeks instead of just getting to wear a pump at home.)
and my surgeon is out of my network, so insurance isnt going to cover much of that.
my family and friends had a meeting last night about holding a fundraiser...luckily i know alot of musical people AND i work a music school that has a great concert hall, which they've offered to let me use for free. but i worry nonstop about all these bills.
anyway, to lee, yes it's possibly the best workout i've ever done, and since i've been in it it's gotten me in the best shape i've ever been. i love it more that just for that though. it involves music, singing, history, philosophy, etc. (when you 'play' capoeira...as it's most often referred to as a game, you play against someone inside a circle of people, at the head of the circle is whats called a 'bateria' or basically the band, it's a drum, two tamborines, an agogo and an instrument known as a berimbau which is pretty much exclusive to this art. they bateria leads the circle in call and response songs (in portuguese) and the songs usually dictate whats going on in the game (you're playing too hard, you're playing too aggressive, you're playing beautifully, etc) that being b/c it was sorta started in brazil in the time of slavery and they had to 'disguise' what they were doing from the slave owners who obviously wouldn't want them learning to fight. so they acted like it was a game, or a dance. singing and whatnot....
here's a link to a game i'm playing with my teacher:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFijClpwoUk
(it's really not a great game b/c i was fairly new and all. that's me in all white)
better examples are here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9dlZOdJAOas
which was a womens event held in Holland two years ago. (these vids may take a bit to d/l so i usually click on pause til it finished loading)
I've told my surgeon, and he says i'll still be able too, and my oncologist too. thing is, i just dont' think they understand how twisty bendy flexible you have to be....if i have a bag, and i do a back walk over, what if the bag pops open? and i've heard horror stories of leaking, etc.
i just really don't think i'm ready to deal with this, unfortunately i just don't have a choice.
my surgeon is great, but he just can't tell me right now if i'll be eligible for the j-pouch or not b/c they want to wait and see how the chemo/radiation works to shrink down the tumor. i mean, i guess it's good that he's not needlessly giving me false hope, if he doesn't know yet he just doesn't know.
i'll just keep bugging him til i know.
i asked him yesterday if there was ANYthing i could do to better my chances of having the j-pouch and he said "pray"
greeeeaaaat