Well Hello There

Welcome to my blog.  This will constitute the second medium required for the honors project, with the first being the book that I am making.  The book will be an ABC book of cancer for young people.  I don't want to say kids because I have the hopes that teens will be able to look at it and not get bored, yet still have it written in a way children can understand.  Perhaps even parents will be able to gain some knowledge from it.

I want the book itself to look like a kind of scrapbook.  I plan on creating something with lots of colors, shapes and fun writing.  I may or may not have pictures included within it.

Each letter of the alphabet will be highlighted with different terms and phrases that relate to the journey through cancer.  Some letters will have more words than others, depending on the importance of the words.  As of right now, the list looks like this:

A: Ara-C [cyterabine][leukemia], Ativan, Atarax, anemia, anesthesia, aspiration

B: Bactrim, bandanas, Benadryll, blood pressure, biopsy, bone marrow

C: Cyterabine [ara-c][leukemia], cancer, chemo, Cytoxan, Child Life, CAT scan, culture, codeine

D: Daunorubicin [leukemia], Doxorubicin, dilaudid

E: Etoposide [VP-16], EKG

F: Fever, fetanyl, fluids, fall precautions

G:  G-CSF [Neupogen], Gemtuzamab

H: Hats, help, hemoglobin, Heparin, hair

I: IV, IV team

J: Jokes

K: Kids

L: Laugh, LPN, lumbar puncture, light

M: Methotrexate, MRI, morphine, monitors

N: Neupogen, neutropenia

O: Oncology

P: Pediatric, PICC line, port, platelets, Pulse-Ox

Q: Questions

R: RN, red blood cells, radiation, remission, reactions

S: Saline, sound, smell, skin

T: Transfusions, TPN, TPA, taste, tumor

U: Upset stomach

V: VP-16 [etoposide], vancomycin, vitals

W: White blood cells, wigs, wires

X: X-rays

Y: Young

Z: Zofran

This is a rather large list, however I will be narrowing it down within the next few days.

Another aspect of this book that I have been debating about adding is putting in footnote style captions relating back through my journey with cancer.  I have not yet fully decided on whether or not to do this because while it will personalize the book, it may become too personal.  I want those who read it to know that it is not written by some doctor who merely studied oncology, but rather by someone who has been through everything mentioned within and can actually relate and understand what is going on.  But at the same time, I do not want to make it a story about myself.

The purpose of this blog is to keep track of the progress being made within the book.  It will also contain some personal research done regarding some of the more specific topics that will be mentioned within it.