500 people, $20,000.00 later.....

My event was this past weekend. Surviving on 2hrs of sleep, swollen feet, 5 vodka 7's and absolutely no food consumption, I made it!...lol...I have come to the realization that no matter how much good one person might do, it will never be good enough.

The hall filled up. The line-up was intense. I greeted all my guests at the door. Each table with purple napkins and balloons. It truly looked like a gala event. I spoke, the director spoke and then Momma Polito delivered her speech, leaving everyone in tears. My acts all co-ordinated, one better than the other. Over 100 prizes to raffle. A sweet table in abundance, and yet some people complained there was not enough food. You really have to love Italians and their mentality. It is unfortunate that our eyes are bigger than our stomachs. People held through till 9:30pm...they stayed 9hrs!!! I was overwhelmed with the positive responses and how many guests thought it to be a fantastical event. I tried my best.

My committee came together in many ways. My mother and Rosanna slicing up a storm, preparing platters for the evening. If it wasn't for them, let me tell you, alot of stuff would not have been ready. Friends and family working together, preparing the tables. My sister cut her hand slicing bread. It can go on and on. Everyone helped out.

My amazing co-workers who all showed up with purple flowers in their hair. Here I am thinking they were tryng to stand out as the fantastical individuals that they are and yet they were representing me as the teenage girl they met many years ago as a trainee at the hospital. They delievered a speech which brought me to tears and presented me with a letter of recognition from our Prime Minister, Stephen Harper. Umm...that freaked me out. Not many people can make me cry so they accomplished a huge lot. Santina Mormina's perserverance will never stop amazing me. She should have been born under Taurus instead of the sensitive Pisces that she is. I will say it all the time...The telephonists at SC are the prettiest girls around, and with the best attitudes...don't catch them on a bad day, but they are absolutely wonderful. Between them and their families...I am truly blessed.

500 people attended. $20,000.00 was raised. WIGGED OUT IN PURPLE is the 2nd group in the whole province of Quebec to raise money for the Lymphoma Foundation and we set a record for raising the most money. That is an accomplishment in itself. I am just happy that people enjoyed themselves and that I can safely say that 90% of guests are looking forward to annual events. My objective was to raise awareness of this cancer for it is becoming more common.

I really want to thank everyone for their support. I feel that I can never truly say that enough because Tavola Grande really demonstrated how much I am loved by many and how many people would stand behind me because of the trust they have in me and my efforts. That means the world to me because that was the reason behind all of this. To have people trust that what I am doing is for a greater good and that they would not think twice about another event to come.

I am taking the week off from this event because let me tell you seating 500 people is a task in itself....lol. Next week we start on the 2nd event, which will be more of a party and held in August. Thank you all again. My efforts are not great without your support, but because of your acknowledgement I stand on cloud 9.

Thank you!!!

Tavola Grande - My Speech!!!

For those who were not able to attend the event,
here is my speech which I delievered:

I would like to take this opportunity to thank you all for coming today. This event is very dear to me for we are raising funds for the Lymphoma Foundation Canada. My name is Elisabetta Polito and I am the fundraising director of the WIGGED OUT IN PURPLE Committee.

Last August, at the age of 27, I was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. I continued living my life, when I was told I should stop. Stopping was not an option and I felt that I needed to do something in order to give back. This is when WIGGED OUT IN PURPLE became a committee. It is about NO Wigs. Just purple. Helping to fight Lymphoma Cancer.

I had a cough, which had persisted for 2 months and I went into work one day. I was hospitalized at the end of my shift. Everything had happened so quickly and my life literally changed in the matter of a day. I did not know what to do, nor did I know how to feel. I had to tell my parents that the doctors think I have cancer. When confronted in a situation such as this, moments in time, memories from the past flash, in front of you and you stop and wonder, “How will I be remembered? On that day my family glued itself together and became the foundation on which I stand. They became my strength, and my heart. My family and friends became my supporters. They became a shoulder to cry on, and the arms that held me tight when I felt I was in despair.

Between countless treatments, hardships, and continuous strain, I had to become strong in order to fight this disease. You stop to realize that life holds a deeper meaning and that you need to deal with the cards that have been dealt to you. A friend of mine asked me the other day what my philosophy was. I am my own worst enemy as I am my own best friend. I will not be defeated by own weakness but will push against with my own strengths. It just was not time to bury Lisa Polito.

Today is a celebration between my family, my friends, and my many supporters, to say that I have won the fight against cancer and that I am living proof that things do get better. Tavola Grande is just the stepping-stone. I am a daughter, a grandchild, a sister, a niece, a cousin and a friend. I am not a celebrity, I am the girl next door who was diagnosed with cancer and now I am the face you will associate with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. It is with this fundraising event and with your support that we can give back to the Lymphoma Foundation Canada and help fund research for this cancer. People are still not aware of the seriousness of this disease but today 500 more people have become more informed.

I would like to embrace this moment by sitting around la tavola grande, and sharing this meal with you all. I would like to thank Angele Menard for her continuous encouragement, my fundraising committee for countless hours of planning and organization, and my family for their undying love and to all of you for attending today.

Today I stand before you cancer-free. I await a clean bill of health and all I can say is that no matter who you are, no matter what life has planned for you, become your own motivation and stand strong in knowing that when you look in the mirror at the end of the day, you can smile and say that I did it!

Counting it down!

Tavola Grande is just around the corner. My basement looks like it was hit by a purple tornado leaving behind the trails of wrapping paper, raffle tickets, prizes and a bunch of other stuff. It is moments like this where I highly doubt my parents will miss the chaos I bring in our home. Boston - 2 1/2 months to go...lol

200 ballons, 500 flyers, 600 event prgrams, 700 awareness ribbons...if anyone has anything to say I think I might just lose it. Jeeze Louise. Already comments are flying and honestly speaking I am doing the best I can. Working on this fundraiser made me feel like I was getting back to myself. Back to running around, being busy and not really having time to do much else because work needs to get done. It feels good. I miss my old self alot. So far we are 500 people. Not too shabby for a first-time event. Ironically I have absolutely no enthusiasm for it and I guess it is just my defense mechanism gong into drive so I won't be set up for any disappointments. Realistic Lisa sets in.

Anyone who is suppose to be there is coming. That is more than enough for me. Obviously my objective was to raise funds but above all it is to celebrate the hardships of the past, the stability of the present and the commencement of an upcoming and wonderful new life. Tavola Grande is an accumulation of my friends and family who have supported me in the past year. This is what the event is about. Even if I gave the foundation 20 bucks, it really is a day about being surrounded by goodness. Sometimes we lose perspective on that and play the bitter card. I am grateful because I think that if I did not have this goodness around me, maybe I would have opted for bitterness. I wouldn't have allowed it, though, and obviously neither did any of my family and friends.

I truly believe life is about taking what has been thrown at you, absorbing it by all angles and see the good that can come out of it. As much as cancer is a horrible sickness, it brought me closer to my friends and truly brought out the love of my family. With that said, nonna bought a purple sweater. That is when you know you are truly loved. She would look like an eggplant just for me!!! So being that my birthday was yesterday, I would like to cheers with all of you and thank you for just being yourselves - fantastical additions to my life!

Remission starts, 28, & The Little Mermaid!

Writing every other day has become somewhat difficult with the event approaching, but here we go. Happy Birthday to me!!! I am 28. Cancer-free and ready to party. I don't have to wake up early anymore for doctor appointments, but here I am at my computer at 6:16 am..lol...First day after my last radiation and I can'teven sleep in. Jeeze louise.

Yesterday was an emotional day. Last day of radiation. For the last time, they were going to put that mask on my face and beneath the tight plastic pressing against me, I shed my tears. Before leaving my house, I had tried calling MIX 96 to request a song. It really feels like it's pulling teeth. I also tried on my last chemo treatment. Anywho, this time I finally got through and requested "What a feeling". I don't think he believed me. MIX96 is starting to suck arse!!! I never call in for these cheesy games and stuff and the first time I really wanted something...bah....it's like that, right?

As they removed the mask from my face, I asked them if I could keep it. They knew I wanted it. I took it and I am going to get in mounted. If Duchamp could have done it with a urinal, why can't I?...lol I freaked my sister out when I put in on and ran around the house with it. lol...Seriously my life is great! I had left the Radio-oncology, say good-bye to the other regulars, and for some reason the day of my diagnosis came into my mind.

I was wearing a yellow top, blue jeans, always fantastically accessorized and I fell into daddy's arms and screamed for the first time. Yesterday, I was literally was in my pj's, and when daddy came home I fell into his arms for he sent me a dozen white roses. I feel like I don't look the same. I feel now that I have changed, a little. I look at pictures of myself from last year and feel I don't recognize that person anymore. boh!

As much as I am saddened by my situation, I am happy and blessed by everyone's support and I could not have done it without my family and friends. Maybe I should put that in my speech for Sunday...lol...Dang! I have to write a speech.

Tonight, all my family is coming over. My Little Mermaid cake has been ordered and every year that is all I request. Many question how mature I really am, but Ariel is all I got. On my 28th birthday I start a new page, the new side of my life, my remission. All the treatments are over. I don't need to go to the hospital everyday. I don't need meds, masks or anything.

This summer is my summer and let me tell you, the next 3 months look fantastically interesting.

Just found out....Wednesday May 21st

I went in on Friday for my treatment to find out that in reality I only have 2 treatments left. I was told that I was going to have 21 sessions but instead I am having 18. My smile rose from ear to ear. I was so happy and excited for the first time in a very long time that the other patients looked at me like I was a freak. I didn't care. Deep down inside they were happy for me, I know it! So this means I finish everything on Wednesday, May 21st. By my birthday, the event, I will be offically over with treatments, officially cancer-free. Free from all this procedure and medecine. Free from pain and on to a new beginning with my life.

I am looking forward to start new. To try and make things better. To view the world through different, perhaps more objective eyes. It feels like you have reached the peak of a mountain. The struggle of getting up there. The pain and sweat. Once you reach it, all you want to do it slide down and feel the adrenaline rush of a fresh, exhilirating experience. Cancer was my mountain. Fighting it became my rush. I didn't stop even though I will shortly pay the price for it...lol...its all good. I did my best.

Music is everything for me. My drug of preference if you will. Whether it is listening to "Enter Sandman", Metallica, for a good rock song, Bette Midler, "In my life" for a good cry but one song became my mojo music which I would play over and over. I remember listening to it in the car the first time the Concordia Design Program rejected me, and it became the fire under my arse to pursue everything I ever wanted. Listen to "What a feeling" Irene Cara. Some of you will get it, some of you will think it is cheesy. I think it's great.

2 more and I am done..."What a feeling".....

6 more to go

If my calculations were right, I would have been finishing radiation next Friday. Just in time for the event and just shy of my 28th birthday. Do you think I remembered that Monday is Victoria Day...so everything is pushed over to the following week. Jeeze louise...just my luck! It's okay, right? What is another day? #*&^@&#+!!!!!! lol

The event is coming along. I am nervous. Getting to this point, though, has really been an interesting experience. You get to see the true characters of individuals. Claudia, Sabrina and I set up an info booth on Wednesday. Clearly the parents of these children were not interested in buying WIGGED OUT merchandise, but thats ok. Be cautious the next time you buy a box of chocolates when a cute little face rings at your door...lol...where is this money going? I am a sucker, I would probably still buy a box.

Then there are those who have really been touched by Lymphoma. I met one women yesterday whose husband died from it 4 years ago and he was 42. She donated money with no question. Then someone else who was actually a Lymphoma survivor could not care less of the fundraising efforts for the cause. Life is strange sometimes. Bitterness can really take control on someone's frame a mind and its a real shame.

I spoke to a doctor and he has been diagnosing at least one patient a week. It is becoming so coming yet not receiving much recognition. No one knows what purple is. Who can blame them though? It hurts when you try your best to promote information and all someone has to say is how purple is a really "gay color". I become livid with how ignorant people are. Sabrina thinks I put hexes on people when I say that everyone gets their turn. lol...But it's true. It's all about taking some preventative measures and becoming educated about an unknown. The only people who know a lot about cancer are those who buried a loved one or survived from it. Really sad.

Cancer is becoming NORMAL when the disease itself is about abnormal cells that form. It's not OKAY. People tell me,"Lisa, your are lucky because out of all the cancers, it is the best one to have." Like I just made a deal at the Mercato...Are you kidding me? It's the best one to have because of my age, my health and the fact that I could fight it, but if I was 40 yrs old, my chances would have dropped big time. No Cancer is the best one to have. I still did chemo. I still lost my hair. I still went through the same process. I hope people just learn.

May 26th is the day in question. Hopefully we will be able to stick to the schedule. I am tired of waking up at 6:30..lol...as well!

17 years ago....Chee-cha Birthday!

I was always made fun of because I was a girl with some chee-cha. It didn't help my popularity that I had a unibrow either. lol...One day, though, chee-cha saved my life!

On May 12th, 1991, Mother's day, my family and I went to Beni Hani for lunch. We came home and while waiting for my mother to get ready, I wanted to ride my bike. A perfect BLUE ANGEL with a cream color banana seat. My dad had just bought a helmet for me the week before, but it's not like I was going away from my street. I was only allowed to ride my bike on the sidewalk and cross the street to get to the other side.

I had stopped at the corner. I heard a car, but it sounded like it was far away. I decided to cross. All I remember is opening my eyes and I was on the floor in a teddy-bear position. I was missing a shoe. Blood trickling down my face. I screamed in french, "où est ma mère!" I didn't know what was going on. A neighbor ran to me, helping me until the ambulance came. Other people ran and just watched me on the floor. I remember the 17 yr old boy getting out of his car and crying because his father was going to kill him. He was speeding. My parents ran to me. My mom with no shoes and my father ready to beat the boy who just hurt his baby. That nice man held my scalp into place because the impact cut my scalp right open. WEAR YOU HELMET!

I was rushed to the hospital. I remember a baby boy being brought into the next room. They had to tend to him before me because he was very sick, but I didn't care. They finally came to me, stitched me up and brought me to the pediatric ward. I couldn't sleep. My poor parents had gone through such an ordeal and they stayed over night. After midnight they brought in a crib and it was the little baby boy, sound asleep. He was okay. I stayed with him the whole night. I held his little fingers through the bars of the crib. We both got a second chance.

Every year, on this day, I celebrate it like it was a birthday. My parents think its silly because for them it is really remembering a day they wish to forget. On that day, something happened and the fact that I only came out with 50 sticjes later and a 6in scar didn't matter. I totally think scars are cool and they tell stories. When I came home the day after, my garage door was covered in get well cards from my friends at LDV elementary school. These are things I will remember.

I never thanked that man who helped me that day until 2006 when I found him and thanked him in person. We have so much in common and we touch base from time to time. I wonder how that little boy is. He is 17 now. I dont know his name, but I am sure he is a heartbreaker. He is probably preparing for his prom. Probably buying his first pack of condoms...lol...probably driving his parents crazy, but as long as he is fine.

Hospitals are meant to be institutions, structured for our health and safety, yet I do not know anyone who can recount a postive story. Maisonneuve Hospital saved my life in 1991, and did so again in 2007-08. How many girls you know can say all that and not have reached 30?...lol...so today is my Chee-cha birthday! Doctors said that if it wasn't for my chee-cha (chubby layers, pinch an inch, that kind of thing..lol), I would have been dead. So eat a steak it won't hurt, maybe have an extra cupcake..lol..you never know when chee-cha might save you...lol.....

My Mommy! Happy Momma Day!

I would first like to extend a great big hug to all the mommies of the world. To know that the love and affection you give, and forehead kisses bestowed on your children are fantastical and well appreciated.

I was born on the same day as my mommy, or as I call her Momma Polito. So depending on her mood it could be a good or bad thing. lol...I remember my mother telling me when I was a child, that she never had a doll for her parents could not afford one for her, but when I was born I was her doll to play with forever. She dressed me up in frills and lace, with ribbons in my hair and yet many photographs from my childhood show this lady-like image and the tomboy in me with blackened knees. I was a class act.

I remember baking with my mother and putting colorful sprinkles on freshly baked goodies. I remember her being soft spoken and gentle, classy with a pair of black pumps and 80's red lipstick. I remember Saturday mornings, waking up early because it was cleaning day and dancing to music. My mother always treated me and Vicki like we were her best friends and as we have gotten older we can talk to her about anything. My mother NEVER denied me a birthday party with friends and while most kids had it at Mc Donalds, my mother would organize a grand feast in our home, baking Italian treats from the night before. How many kids you know had that?

We all have issues with our mothers to a certain degree. Fix your hair. Why are you wearing that? Remove that studded belt. Smile, that boy is looking at you. The only place you'll find a nice boy is at the library or church. Why are you dying your hair pink and purple? I know the perfect Calabrese boy for you! You drive like a maniac. Why are you so tough? lol...and it goes on and on and on...but even though she would comment she let me live. She supported my decision to attend art school. She is supporting my decision to move to Boston, even though it is killing her inside. She NEVER denied me anything. I also did not involve her much in my personal life. As close as I am with my mother, and trust me when I say that I tell her alot, I do need to keep 5% to myself...lol

Last year when I went into work on that Wednesday and checked myself into the emerge, I had to call my mother to come and be with me. When I called her she knew something was up because for the past 10 years I always went alone for hospital visits. I was in the changing room in the Radiology department and I said, "Mom, they think I have cancer." She fell into my arms, completely in despair. I didn't know what to do. My mother is MY baby, and seeing her like that took a piece of me. I couldn't show her that I was phased. "Mom, no worries, everything is going to be fine!" I was scared. I wanted to cry but I couldn't. All I could imagine at that moment was my mother accepting condolences in her black dress, crying over my coffin. I wasn't ready to let her go. You really tend to think the worst when the LIFE and DEATH buttons are flashing in front of you. Which one will you choose? Which one will choose you?

When I was diagnosed last year, my mother was a full time student at the JKF Business School. She dropped out to take care of me. To come to all my treatments and hospital visits. To sit next to me when I had to inject myself. To wait 4 hrs by herself while I was sedated during chemo. To hold my head when food refused to remain still. To bathe me because I couldn't move and inch. I get upset with her sometimes because I wanted her to stay in school. It made her happy. One day she said, "You should never worry about me because I would take away your cancer if I could." Talk about a tear jerker, right?

Doctors said I might not be able to have children because of the chemo. It's ok, whatever happens, happens. There are many children to adopt. To be honest, though. I always hoped to have a little girl with red hair. I dreamt the other night of this little girl sitting on my lap. She was absolutely stunning with long red hair and hazel eyes. I asked her, "Well gorgeous, now who do you belong to?" She replied, "YOU, silly." I was never into dolls growing up. I had three Barbies and ripped off their heads, but that dream made me want that little doll of my own. I understand what my mother means. I understand her teachings and I see myself in her eyes. I only wish that when that day comes, I will be half of her greatness, because in her strength through it all, demonstrates the unconditonal love a mother has toward her child.

Even though back in the day she would throw a tupperware or two at my head, she has left me in the awe of her presence because Momma Polito rocks my world and she is the very foundation I dance on! I love you momma, even though you are a pimple on my arse...LMAO!!! (She gets it!)

R.I.P.

Radiation. 10 down, 11 to go. It's starting to act up. It's hard to eat and drink and I feel like I am sucking everything through a straw. They prescribed me a sirop which is suppose to numb the pain, but instead it numbs my mouth and tongue. I feel like i'll start drooling on myself. Life is so ironic sometimes. The radiaton therapists tell me that it is good that I am in pain because that means it's working...lol...jeeze louise...messed up logic but it makes sense right? 2 more weeks and I am done! By my 28th birthday I would have completed all my treatments and be on a successful road to remission. Please.

Tonight I went to nonna's and watched Ciao Montreal with her because my interview was being shown. She cried when she heard my name on television but got upset because I hadn't spoken in Italian. lol...I have come to the realization that I will never make anyone happy...lol...jeeze louise NONNA!! You saw it in my grandparents eyes that they were proud even though they didn't understand a word I was saying. My grandmother looked up at the ceiling with tears in her eyes, her arms crossed over her chest and thanked God for me. She finds strength in her beliefs. I find strength in mine.

I find a lot of people find it necessary to dictate to me how I should do things or how I should live my life. I have lived mine the only way I know how. I know why it is I do the things I do. I know why I push myself so hard. I don't feel the need to justify to people, especially when they look at me with such confusion. All I know is that coming out of this ordeal and being able to tell a story should be enough of an initiative to want to do something. Organizing my event has really shown me alot. The good and bad or maybe what I consider good and bad. It is sad to say but I find some people don't take my situation seriously because I am not dying. This is an unfortunate reality. We only feel for a cause when we are given statistics of body counts. That sucks arse. I am alive. My children will bury me and that is how its going to be. It is as though I need to show proof to people. Like 2ft of hair and frozen eggs at the Royal Vic aren't enough for a melancholy occassion. Continuous treatment, medication, injections and restless nights.

I don't want to complain about my situation because I was dealt a hand and I have played the game all too well. I have come out of it with amazing results. Although, I am saddened by the ignorance of many, I am blessed by the support of many more. All of you who read the words on this page, you bring a greater meaning to my life with your support and countless emails. I know that my event and all I am doing is found in the strength you give to me. NO ONE will get me down and especially not this sickness. I go to bed knowing that I am doing this for all the "Cancer Warriors", and that the R.I.P. attached to my name will be Rocking It Polito-style!

I will be 88, living off my husband's pension, with 5 children and 20 grandchildren...idealistically that is when I will go...lol...take that!!!

Magical Lines and Jenessa Boey Byers!

I haven't been able to write. I haven't felt up to it. This week took quite the toll on my body. Ahh well....It's like i'm stoned, but without the meds...I always get the short end of the stick...lol..I have gone every morning, prompt at 7:30, for my sessions...6 down, 15 to go! They re-draw on me everyday. I hear them mumbling measurements to themselves. Here I am thinking to myself that these lines they constinuously draw on my chest were magical radiation lines. Lines that held a special ink that captured the radiation to kill the leftover junk and speed up my recovery. Ummm...nope. Those measurements they mumble...yeah...its to make sure I am in place, to the millimeter, each day. So these lines are to help them so they don't screw up and nuke another part of my body....lol...fantastical and interesting. Don't I feel like a dumbarse. It's ok, I am able to admit when my hamster collapses and trips into another realm of dumbness. lol...it's all good.

I have been sleeping alot. I am not sure if it is just my body trying to make up for the past couple of months. Fatigue is a major side effect from the radiation. All I think to myself is that it is almost over. I can't wait. But I do worry alot about where I am headed. The other night I watched Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. They built a house for a little girl, Boey Byers, who had a rare form of childhood cancer. She relapsed and got it a second time. Boey is a major inspiration to me. At 8 years old, she tried her best to fight it and still gave back to other afflicted children by giving them stuffed animals, so they can SMILE. Here I am watching this show, in tears, thinking how fantastical this little girl is. Her eyes lit up when they moved that bus and she got to see her dream home. That was a pure innocent, moment of happiness. I think the last time I felt that way I was 5. The show ended and you think, "Wow, this girl is a fighter." She fought til her death because they later made a dedication to her for she lost her battle with cancer last December. I died for a moment. I cried in complete hysteria.

I am really not trying to portray a manic depressive nature here...lol...I find I have become alot more emotional which bothers me a great deal. Obviously putting myself out there through this blog, doesn't help. The irony is I do have a difficult time showing emotions to people. I guess it depends with who and yet here I am, wearing my heart on my sleeve, but I can't see you. I don't know who you are. This show on Boey hit me hard. I would have given it up for her and other children. Alot of people say its unfortunate when someone my age is diagnosed with cancer. But she didn't even get a chance. She didn't go through puberity. Have her first kiss. Get a prom dress. What she did do, though, was change the lives of many. She touched the hearts of people everywhere. I am lucky to have "met" her even though it was just through a television episode. I will surely never forget this young girl who is known as a "Cancer Warrior."

http://www.gazettetimes.com/articles/2007/12/29/news/top_story/2aaa01_boey.txt

http://www.jenessabyers.com/index.php