meet up in spring

[Guest guest]

I would love to attend a meeting of our members in the spring! I think

Vegas would be a great idea because most places have flights with easy access

to Vegas. l know I can get a direct flight there, but most other places

would require a change or sometimes two changes of flights. I don't gamble,

so I've never even been there, I'd enjoy the experience of seeing it as

well.

I have some experience of meeting online support group members. In 1995

(when the internet was still pretty new) I joined an online support group.

I was recuperating from chemo and surgery for ovarian cancer. I was up

late one night searching for information or support. I found a wonderful

support group made up of all types of cancer patients. It was a very active

group. I could post a message and soon find a comforting answer. Our group

of members became extremely close. Soon we began meeting once a year.

Members were from many areas of the country. We met in places where one

member lived so that person could make arrangements for hotels and restaurants.

What fun we had! It was so exciting to put faces with names. This was

before digital pictures were easy to upload, so we didn't know what anyone

looked like until we met in person. We spent a long weekend in Chicago,

Atlanta, Portland, Ore., San , and a couple of other places that I was

unable to attend because I was teaching when they met. The people were some

of the most fantastic people I've ever known. When one member later

passed away, we had a " silent memorial " with each of us thinking of that person

at the exact time because we were unable to attend in person. As the years

passed, some members died, some put cancer in the background of their life

and moved on. The support group became less and less active. Many of us

still keep in touch through email or now on Facebook. I have wonderful

memories of the members and trips. I would love to experience that again with

our cml comrades. Let's do it!

in NY