I first heard about www.caringbridge.org when my cousin Jen was diagnosed with Breast Cancer.
I joined with the encouragement of family so I could be kept up to date on Jen's progress. Almost immediately I was hooked. I was excited to get an email telling me about another post- not because I was being nosey- but because it was an amazing way to feel connected to someone I cared about. It made it easy for me to hear how she was- laugh with her about her hilarious stories- cry when you could feel her pain...without intruding on her and her family's privacy.
Little did I know that I would need it so shortly after she was 'done'. Little did I know how important it would be throughout my ordeal.
When I found out I had cancer, we called immediate family (parents and siblings- 13 in all) and told them the bad news. We then had to tell friends who were connected with the kids to make sure carpooling to school and sports was covered. That was exhausting and we hadn't even started our journey.
When I had my surgery to remove the cancer, we were inundated with well intentioned calls, email, texts and visits looking for updates. It was overwhelming. It was hard to explain and re-explain what had happened and what will happen. It was exhausting to explain crazy things like 'we didn't know- why weren't we called...' questions (yes that actually happened quite a bit).
We made the decision to post all updates about my condition on www.Caringbridge.org and let everyone know in one swoop what was happening to me. As I put it in my opening page...'I wanted my time at work to be very productive and my time at home to be real quality time'. I really wanted to be left alone, sleep, and not have to talk 'cancer' 24/7.
This site was and is amazing. It saved my sanity and made me feel closer to family & friends from all over the country. I received messages from so many that I had lost contact with over the years. Words of encouragement helped me get through many days. Also, it was great that everyone got to hear the 'story' first hand from me rather than through the inaccurate family gossip line.
When I finished my last treatment, I signed off Caringbridge with one final post. I was a great way to help move on. I did print the entries I made and the messages left- someday I will show them to my children. Maybe they can get a true glimpse of what was happening at that time. Maybe it will explain some of my behavior.
I strongly encourage anyone facing a crisis to visit thier website, www.caringbridge.org and give yourself a break during what could be the most difficult time of your life.
I joined with the encouragement of family so I could be kept up to date on Jen's progress. Almost immediately I was hooked. I was excited to get an email telling me about another post- not because I was being nosey- but because it was an amazing way to feel connected to someone I cared about. It made it easy for me to hear how she was- laugh with her about her hilarious stories- cry when you could feel her pain...without intruding on her and her family's privacy.
Little did I know that I would need it so shortly after she was 'done'. Little did I know how important it would be throughout my ordeal.
When I found out I had cancer, we called immediate family (parents and siblings- 13 in all) and told them the bad news. We then had to tell friends who were connected with the kids to make sure carpooling to school and sports was covered. That was exhausting and we hadn't even started our journey.
When I had my surgery to remove the cancer, we were inundated with well intentioned calls, email, texts and visits looking for updates. It was overwhelming. It was hard to explain and re-explain what had happened and what will happen. It was exhausting to explain crazy things like 'we didn't know- why weren't we called...' questions (yes that actually happened quite a bit).
We made the decision to post all updates about my condition on www.Caringbridge.org and let everyone know in one swoop what was happening to me. As I put it in my opening page...'I wanted my time at work to be very productive and my time at home to be real quality time'. I really wanted to be left alone, sleep, and not have to talk 'cancer' 24/7.
This site was and is amazing. It saved my sanity and made me feel closer to family & friends from all over the country. I received messages from so many that I had lost contact with over the years. Words of encouragement helped me get through many days. Also, it was great that everyone got to hear the 'story' first hand from me rather than through the inaccurate family gossip line.
When I finished my last treatment, I signed off Caringbridge with one final post. I was a great way to help move on. I did print the entries I made and the messages left- someday I will show them to my children. Maybe they can get a true glimpse of what was happening at that time. Maybe it will explain some of my behavior.
I strongly encourage anyone facing a crisis to visit thier website, www.caringbridge.org and give yourself a break during what could be the most difficult time of your life.
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