Thank God it's Friday

Hey peeps,
Sorry for the long silence. I've been working on a number of things that kept me really busy this month. One of which was learning how to drive (I've always had a fear of driving myself) and second of all was releasing the e-version (epub) of my book - The Quilt - on okadabooks.com, an online website that helps publish Nigerian writers. For now it's only available to Android users who can download the app on their tablet or phones.

I've also had the privilege of reading some very interesting pieces and the pdf version of the novel Stardust (see cover art below). I'll share some of what I've read with you as time goes but for now, I want to talk about something else. As you all know, November in the USA is associated with Thanksgiving, (hence the title of this post) and every day of our lives we have reasons to be thankful. For example, I'm thankful today is Friday because my nuclear family and I, are going for a Couples Retreat organized by my church. I would have left the smallie at home but hubby refused so little Nathan will be crashing our 'alone time'. Apart from that, I've seen the program and trust me, we are going to have fun.

On my last post, I responded to a comment and got a request from a beautiful lady called Heather Von St. James. I couldn't help but associate with her story. She is a 7-year survivor of Pleural Mesothelioma Cancer [a rare form of cancer (malignancy) that most frequently arises from the cells lining the sacs of the chest (the pleura) or the abdomen (the peritoneum). Pleural mesothelioma is the most common form, often presenting with symptoms in the chest area]. So I've decided to join her 30 days of thanksgiving on blogsphere by sharing her story and giving thanks for something this month.

As for her former condition, MedicineNet.com says, "Mesothelioma typically results from exposure to asbestos. When mesothelioma affects the chest, the doctor may look inside the chest cavity with a special instrument called a thoracoscope. When mesothelioma affects the abdomen, the doctor may look inside the abdomen with a special tool called a peritoneoscope. Mesothelioma is diagnosed by a biopsy. Most people present with complaints of shortness of breath. They also can have complaints of chest pain. Surprisingly, this pain is often not pleuritic; that is, it does not get worse with deep breathing. This is surprising in that the pleura (outer surface of the lung) is often involved in this disease, and most other diseases involving the pleura are often associated with pleuritic pain (pain that worsens with deep breathing). Patients may also be asymptomatic, with the disease discovered by physical exam or an abnormal chest X-ray. As the disease progresses, shortness of breath increases and weight loss decreased appetite, and night sweats can develop. Local invasion by a tumour can result in changing of voice, loss of function of the diaphragm, and symptoms specific to the area and involvement of adjacent structures. There are three traditional kinds of treatment for patients with malignant mesothelioma. Often two or more of these are combined in the course of treatment: surgery (taking out cancer), radiation therapy (using high-dose X-rays or other high-energy rays to kill cancer cells), and chemotherapy (using drugs to fight cancer)."

Cancer no matter the name is a dangerous ailment and early detection still remains the best way to avoid endless hours of pain and sorrow. As for me, I'm grateful for life and good health. Until the next post, stay safe.