SARA MAAS
From: Palo Alto, CA, USA
Member since: June 2002
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I am a: Survivor
Coping with...Leukemia, Chronic Myeloid (CML)
Date of Birth: 07/07/1969 Date diagnosed: 09/1998 Sex: Female

Prepare to Live Buddy: Yes
Contactable by Prepare to Live members: Yes
Email: hobbs.maas@comcast.net

01: How has cancer positively affected you: I really and truly don't sweat the little stuff...and it's all little stuff. It may take a moment to remember this but it always comes around.

02: What does "cancer" mean to you as a Young Adult: A life I was not expecting. For better (attitude about life itself) or worse (long term side effects; like a learning disability, I've learned to cope and it's just fine!)

03: What’s the one thing you’d say to someone who has just been diagnosed: There is a time to feel slapped in the face and then there is a time to shake it off, fight hard, and don't give up. There is a time to cry for the challenges, later on. Allow people to help you. If someone says, "is there anything I can do?", tell them yes...then think of what that might be (return the movie rental, for example).

04: What things won’t a Doctor tell you: They will never say, "it's going to be o.k." You just have to know it in your heart.

05: What advice do you have for a caregiver, doctor, or nurse who is treating a Young Adult with cancer: Give yourself a break. Take better care of yourself. You can't take care of someone else if you aren't well yourself.

06: To me, cancer is: ugly but inevitlble in this world. You didn't do anything to deserve it. Also, a really lousy way to learn a really great lesson.

07: What is the best kind of support to give/receive: I liked knowing people were thinking of me. To make meals for the patient's family, or to do menial tasks, takes some stress away from the family dealing with a loved one in the hospital.

08: Who or what were your best resources for information: NOT the internet!! My husband. Unlike most, I did not want information because it overwhelmed me. My husband did all the research and filtered to me what I needed to know (I skipped a lot of side effects this way).

Director's Note: While the web can be a great resource, there is a lot of outdated, innacurate and just plain bad information out there. This is part of the reason we started Prepare to Live. You can count on us to do our best to make sure all links, articles, news and information is always current and valuable.

09: What has helped you the most: My faith in God and lots of good therapy.

10: What’s your favorite tip or trick for dealing: Humor - comedy shows, funny people, short stories. Laughter heals so many ills.

11: The thing that keeps you going is: Family and friends. They all prayed and hoped for me so much...I can't let them down now.

12: What are you doing to Prepare to Live: ---

What additional comments, experiences or ideas would you like to share: Whatever you are feeling, you are not alone. My doctor told us, "You won't believe me now but there IS a silver lining. One day you will see it." I did, 3 years after my diagnosis. And now I see it all the time.

My doctor also told me, and this was very hard to do, in fact I couldn't do it but it was good advise anyway..."don't let the highs get too high or the lows get too low".
We have a baby now (9/7/05). Erika's embryo was frozen in '99 and carried by a surrogate. She is the light of my life.