THE HEALING POWER OF LAUGHTER

http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/delivery?vid=7&hid=112&sid=977b5a68-e90a-4561-a2fd e4353cb20856%40sessionmgr111


These are just a few quotes and facts I found interesting in the reading :

• "You cannot feel depressed if you are laughing. You cannot get an ulcer while you are laughing. Laughter, even forced, can produce endorphins, and you become cheerful.

      Lendon Smith, M.D.

• Endorphins are chemically related to opiates, such as morphine and heroin, and act to reduce pain and generate feelings of well-being. They are produced in the body to reduce stress and pain, but are also regarded as effective in contributing to a sense of euphoria.
• People who can laugh at their own problems rise above the pit of self-pity; they begin to feel uplifted, encouraged, and imbued with a sense of power.
• "He who laughs, lasts."
  Mary A. Poole, 1938

Interview with Lucy Stufflebeam (my mother) via Email

MADISON'S INTERVIEW

1.  What was her favorite thing to do?

2.  Describe her personality.

3.  What were her best qualities and why?

4.  Tell me about a story to help describe one quality.

5.  Tell me about your relationship with her.

* Feel free to write anything else you'd like to add that I missed below!

I think Madison had a couple of favorite things to do.  The first I would say would be spending time with you.  She loved and adored Jen.  Jen could do no wrong.  She looked forward to those daily visits while she was in the hospital and also when she was at home.  Her face just brightened up when Jen walked into the room.  Sometimes she was not as perky as others due to her condition , however she was comforted by knowing her cousin (more like sisters) was there with her on the hospital bed, watching tv or just talking.  When Madison was feeling well she also loved to go shopping and then eat and play games at Chuckie Cheese.  She did not let her illness keep her from doing things.

Madisons personality was fun,funny, giving of herself, and loved life.  Strong willed at times, however this helped Madison stay strong to persevere against the cancer that was invading her body. She was not a quiter. Throughtout her treatment she neeeded to have blood drawn, get blood and platelets, get a stem cell transplant, chemotherapy, radiation, etc.  Many MD appts,  she did not get tired of these things and knew she needed to do them to help her stay well.  She did not complain. She also had many great friends at her school and also were very supportive of Madison.  Madison was the center of many fundraisers to help pay for the expenses and treatment that the diagnosis of cancer brings to a person and their family. The love of her friends and teachers was beautiful to see and feel.  The students in her class made madison a quilt with handprints of their hands and names and best wishes on it and gave it to Madison for her to feel their love and concern.  Madison did use this blanket along with a pink crochet blanket that was given by  family member's friend.  They were always close to Madison and did give her comfort.  At Christmans the class visited Madison and brought a 3 foot Christmas tree and then decorated with hand made ornaments.  Then on Valentines day they decorated it with hand made hearts.  She was loved by many.

As Madison's Aunt, or as she would call me LuLu, I loved her with all my heart and enjoyed the many activities we all did together with my sister, Madison and our Family, such as going tho family birthday partys, theGreat Escape, spending time at Madison's home in the summer , sitting by the pool watching Jen and Madison enjoy the water and their precious moments together.  I especially remember when they were sipping non alcoholic strawberry daqueiris by the pool looking like teenagers.  Another great memory is our time we spent on the Disney cruise the summer prior to Madison going to heaven.  We had taken a lot of pictures and had many great times.  She was very sensitive to the sun and needed to put on sunscreen for protection.  We have a picture of Madison putting on the sunscreen all over her body and she was all white, because she used so much and did not rub much of it in her skin.  Even her face was white.  It was funny.

There  was a time when Madison could not eat much and did not like the taste of the food due to her chemo.  I encouraged pt to drink Milk and told her I would give her a dollar for every glass of milk she drank.  Madison had to keep track of how many cups of milk she drand and then at the end of the week I would give her her " Milk Money"  I loved doing this and then it gave her some money to go shopping with and it did help her gain some weight. I even have a picture of Madison with " I got milk " mustache.

Jen, I hope these memories help you with your paper.  I enjoyed writing and remembering about all our great times with Madison.  Love you.  Mom

The Grief of Children After the Loss of Sibling or Friend

http://www.dsf.health.state.pa.us/health/lib/health/familyhealth/grief_of_children_after_loss.pdf

My cousin past away when I was considerably young.  I went through a very tough time learning to cope with her death, and looking back at  it now all that grief made me relize she was my role model.  Below are some interesting facts I learned about grief of Children.

• need honest explanations and strong expressions of love from the significant people in their lives to maintain a sense of security and identity
• grieving children

  MUST also be allowed to express their grief in whatever way seems natural to them.
• bereavement experts have noted that there are certain common emotions usually expressed in the grief process of

  ALL, including children; FEAR, ANGER, GUILT, AND SADNESS.
• Children needto know that it is OK to show anger as long as it is not hurtful to others.
• After the death of a loved one, children may express various physical complaints such as headaches or stomachaches; sleeping habits and eating habits may change; or they may experience bad dreams.
• it takes at least 6 months for a normal routine to resume after the death of someone significant in a child’s life;

Georgia O'Conner

This past Sunday, October 3,  three of my aunts, one uncle, my mother, and I went to a medium.  Her name was Georgia O'Conner and recently moved to New York.  God gave her this special talent where she can speak and communicate with spirits.  My one aunt had done it once before and was encouraging me to go.  When she told me about it I was very sketched out and not to sure that I wanted to do it.  Then last week she brought me out to lunch and guilted me into going.  The whole ride to Georgia's house I was nervous and didn't know what to expect.  When we arrived she was very welcoming, and asked us all for our names.  She then began to connect with the spirits, and I  was in hope my cousin Madison would come through.  As nervous as I was, I was interested in knowing what she had to say.  At first Madison was hesitant to acknowledge me because she knew that her death and just her in general is a sensitive subject to me.  She said "I don't want to make you cry. I love the drawing of me hanging on the mirror."  Also that she likes to sit on my bed and watch what I do.  This was something she always would do with me. Her personality hadn't changed a bit, and it was too funny that she told me I get scared easily so she was going to connect with me by a soft ringing noise.  She had also said something bought a teddy bear that we shared that I still can't figure but i'm hoping will come to me soon.  I was a little disappointed that I didn't get to connect more with her cause once it started I thought it was kinda cool and wasn't so sketched out by it.  The reason I didn't get to talk to her as much was because other spirits come through too, and some are more demanding than others.  There was also so many of us there, we all brought plenty of spirits with only a hour to connect.  It was an awesome experience and I definitely want to do it again.  Some of the information I received will also help me out with my research project.  If you would like to read more about Georgia O'Conner click here.

Nueroblastoma

Today I was doing some research on the internet to find out more information on the cancer my cousin, Madison was diagnosed with. I found a awesome website that was very informative and could come to great use for my research project. Nueroblastoma is commonly recognized at birth or sometimes a couple months later.  This consists of a mass or lump located in the abdomen, around the spinal cord, neck or pelvis.  One interesting statistic that I have read was, "Children under the age of one have a cure rate as high as 90%."  I find this interesting because most children I know diagnosed with nueroblastoma did not survive.  With my cousin being in the hospital a lot, I was always over visiting, and met some other young children, Madison and Chris with the same cancer who unfortunately didn't survive.  This cancer is often treated with chemotherapy, radiation, bone marrows, and surgery.  The link to this website to find out more information is posted below.


Click here for more on Nueroblastoma.

Madison DeGregorio

This is my cousin, Madison Degregorio, whom I have chosen to be my role model for my research project.  Sadly to say, but she is no longer alive.  She passed away in February 2006 of Nueroblastoma cancer.  She was my cousin and best friend, and we did absolutely everything together.  She had many great qualities that I still admire even though she is not with us anymore.  She lived her seven years out in the best way she could and experienced many things.  Everything she did, is the reason why she is my role model.  Its amazing everything she had went through and still had the best times of her life.  I am currently making a list of all her great amazing qualities and trying to pick out the best most funniest stories that display these qualities.