Not a post about food...

Adenocarcinoma - I hate that word...

Non-small cell carcinoma, stage 4, inoperable, all words that are on the list of words that I never want to hear again.

This past February my family heard all those words, and it sucked. My father was diagnosed with adenocarcinoma, a form of lung cancer, and it was too late for him. There were options of chemotherapy, but it would only lengthen his life by the amount of time in treatment and
it would not be a quality time.

This type of cancer is not easily detected. My father complained for a couple of years about a cough, fatigue, some tightness in his lungs, etc. However, because he was a diabetic, heart patient (who smoked most of his life), he was checked for tumors and "spots" on his lungs and his complaints were chalked up to his lifestyle and history and rightly so. He was told to lose weight, take his medicine, and quit smoking.

It was not until his lungs filled with fluid several times, (at first diagnosed as pneumonia) that he was finally tested for a reason for the massive fluid.

Drains were surgically implanted, fluid was tested and pain meds were prescribed. When the tests came back, we heard snippets of a diagnosis, "with this type of cancer", "symptoms match stage 4 cancer", "in a patient with lung cancer", etc.

All these terms were mentioned in passing and never fully explained. Unfortunately my sister had already been down this road with her mother 18 months ago, and she caught on to what was happening and called hospice, set up camp in dad's house and prepared for the worst. When we finally were able to see a cancer specialist, the news was confirmed and our options were limited. We had questions. Why wasn't this caught sooner, given his symptoms and complaints? The doctor was very nice, compassionate, and realistic. He answered the questions we had, most of them I had downloaded from the American Cancer Society's website.

The American Cancer Society funds research to prevent cancer, to treat patients with cancer, and hopefully one day to cure cancer.

My father passed away about 6 weeks after diagnosis… the one thing that I can do is try to prevent anyone else ever hearing those terrible words “you have cancer”. 

Help me in my fight by visiting my website at www.cookingwithtrace.com and clicking on the Relay for Life banner at the top of the page. Plus you will get to see a picture of my father, sister, and some crazy fat red haired kid circa 1992… before I knew how to use hair products…

GJ Friends for a Cure Relay for life team is hosting a fundraising lunch at Texas Roadhouse

The GJ Friends for a Cure Relay for Life team is hosting a fundraising lunch at the Texas Roadhouse in Grand Junction on June 7, 2013 from 11 am to 1 pm. 

The tickets are $10 each and include a pulled pork sandwich, baked beans, caesar salad and a soft drink. 

This delicious lunch will be served by our team of volunteers and $7 out of each ticket sold will go to the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life fundraiser. 

Come help us fight this terrible disease!

Contact Trace Hillman at cookingwithtrace@gmail.com or 970-234-4455 to purchase tickets. 

Delivery of 4 or more meals to one location is available.

What is Relay For Life? and why do I need your help? a non food related thought...

Last year around this time... My family received a huge dose of motivation to raise money for the American Cancer Society Relay for Life. My wonderful sweet step mom, Sally was diagnosed with Stage 4 Small Cell Carcinoma. We were devastated. We will miss her very much, but we cannot even come close the the pain of my sister, my niece, or my father.

This year my motivation is different, I no longer need to hear about someone I love being sick, I need to work hard at raising money so that NO ONE ever has to hear that news. 


Please share this blog/link with your friends so they can donate..  
http://main.acsevents.org/goto/tracehillman

What is Relay For Life?

Relay for life is an annual fundraising walk. It was started  by Dr. Gordy Klatt as a personal way to raise money for his local American Cancer Society. He spent 24 hours circling the track at the University of Puget Sound. He friends and supporters spent $25 to run/walk with him for 30 minutes. In the end he raised $27,000 in 24 hours (check out more of the history at this link: Relay For Life History).

Why am I doing this? 

We have been involved for over 8 years because my oldest son, who was 6 years old at the time, was upset that our family pet had cancer and wanted to know what he could do. With the help of my wife, Brandy, he was able to find a Relay For Life team that would allow him to join and he set out to raise money. This continued until three years ago when Brandy decided that instead of trying to find a team, we should start one. 


Each year we have new reasons to be motivated, but 2011 was a tough one. We do not visit my family in Alabama very often, but because of the amazing company I work for and the careful planning of my wife and I, we were able to visit my family twice in the summer of 2010. It was great. We spent all of our time out in the country with Grandma Sally, Grandpa Wendell, Aunt Amanda and sweet cousin Miranda. Even Nanny Alice (my mom) came out to visit and hang out. The boys were in heaven. Not only was the food amazing thanks to the doting of Grandma Sally, but they could chase chickens (and the occasionally skunk by mistake), catch fireflies, play with puppies and just relax. 

So to come back to Colorado full of great memories and southern hospitality, and only a few months later to find out that Grandma was so very sick, was terrible.


If you need a reason to donate or raise money, then think about the faces of the children. The children who do not understand the world enough to know what is happening to the people they love. Think about the parents that learn that their child is sick and may not make it. 

CANCER SUCKS! It sucks, but their are treatment options and education about prevention and their are support groups, programs to support the patient and their family, and these are all things that the American Cancer Society does. 

What can you do?

You can donate. You would be amazed what a $5 bill can do, Click here to find out...
You can walk.. and raise money in your area: www.relayforlife.org 
You can share this blog/link with your friends so they can donate...
http://main.acsevents.org/goto/tracehillman 

 Please help me stop this killer and help me make it so that I never have to tell my children or their children that someone they love is going to die.