Got UCAAN Fever? Here's our Cross Country Documentary Updates!!
Updates for Wed May 11th & Thurs May 12th 2011
Day 3: El Paso Texas to Austin
Day 4: Austin to Houston, Tx to Baton Rouge, Louisiana!
Day 3: El Paso, Texas to Austin, Tx Total Miles: 529
Day 3 was indeed a long one, with lots of adventures, and long driving..... Sarah and I headed out at 10am in hopes of getting to Austin early enough to meet with fellow survivor Eric in Austin. The drive was long and tiring, mainly because we had huge stretches of nothing but desert and it just became monotonous. But Sarah and I pushed through, taking turns driving and taking pictures on our journey. We did see some wild sand storms, and swirls of sand in the distance that looked like a mini tornado. We eventually made it to Austin, and how confused were we? We had been driving for close to what seemed like 8 hours and had arrived later than we had hoped. We checked into our hotel and moved our stuff into our room. We soon found out that our room smelled and the floor was wet. Lol. So we had to move to another room. By this time it was 9:30pm and we still had yet to meet up with Eric and interview him. (I should probably include that the freeways in Austin were beyond confusing to us, and the streets lacked signs..... I think Sarah and I had had enough..... and by the next morning were ready to leave. Lol.) PS> We had a blast driving through Fredricksburg, New Mexico)
Once Again we pushed through and arranged to pick up Eric - about 7 miles from our hotel and all go somewhere where we could talk. Denny's!! Lol. Now let me give you a little info about Eric. Eric is a fellow young cancer survivor who had Melanoma in his eye when he was 37 and living in Chicago. Eric and I first started talking about 3 years ago on a cancer site called C is for Cupid - a dating site that was for survivors of cancer or others affected by the disease. We talked on the phone for years - hours of conversations and relating to the same situations with cancer and stories about those we had met. At the time I was starting to work on UCAAN and he was working for a non-profit in Chicago. Eventually he moved out to Austin. So this was the first time I was meeting Eric. The anticipation was great, and crush on him. :0) So we met!! He was just as I remembered from the pictures, and his personality was the same old Eric I had been talking to over the years! He gave Sarah and I both a big hug - awwww... nice.
He told us he would only talk for 10 minutes on camera. That ten minutes turned into a full 2 1/2 hours! There we were in Denny's in Austin, miles from our hotel chatting about cancer, experiences, and the aftermath. Although he didn't go through chemo or radiation, he had experienced some things that I had - like the "fog brain" (aka.chemo brain, and the troubles with dating. Eric however was lucky enough to find a great woman in Texas, and I'm so happy for him. I can't wait for you to see our convo in the movie!
Day 4: Austin to Houston, Tx to Baton Rouge, Louisiana!
Total Miles: 575
Onto my favorite day..... Today! Sarah and I had to get up super early after only 3.5 hours of sleep, we were up and out of the hotel by 5:45am and arrived at MD Anderson (Houston, Tx) )a little later than expected 9:20am. I cannot even tell you how impressed I was with MD Anderson Cancer Center - which has been rated the #1 cancer hospital in the country by US News (Health). The facility has 5 buildings total, including a new in patient center that is 9 levels for inpatients! I cannot even begin to tell you how much this hospital has to offer, without giving away too much. Lol.
We met with Julie P and got a great tour of the hospital including the skyline walkway they have that goes from the out patient center to the hospital - a full 3/4 of a mile one way, that offers golf carts driven by staff that take patients down and back! There were a few things that we noticed that were somewhat similar to the CTCA, but there were a lot of huge differences. The way that MD Anderson outpatient building is set up is very organized - like their breast cancer floor, encompasses every single doctor and specialist that you would need to see for your BC treatments all on one floor (instead of having to walk all over the hospital for different appointments).
We met 2 cancer survivors who were helped at MD Anderson and were now volunteers at MD! Two great women with positive attitudes and great stories of hope. 00132
After MD Anderson, we headed out towards Baton Rouge, Louisiana - a almost 5 hour drive. The drive itself was exceptional and the sights were beyond phenomenal! Gorgeous Lush land, lots of forests and swampy areas. This included an amazing bridge (Breaux Bridge) that stretched across the swamp/water for 27.6 miles, and crossing over the Mississippi! Pictures Included!! We finally arrived in Baton Rouge, and enjoyed a late lunch at the Waffle House....... So this is short and I figure I have written enough for tonight. Plus I'm sleepy and Sarah is sleeping already!
The best part of the drive: Breaux Bridge - 2 bridges - each going a different way!!
Note: I forgot to mention something about MD Anderson. Julie, our awesome tour guide told us that when Katrina hit, they welcomed 487 cancer patients, they were unable to get their medical records, they helped the people - no questions asked, no requiring any insurance of payment. When we hear stories like this, we can see what a TRULY amazing hospital this is!!
UCAAN appreciates your continued support! A special thank you goes out to all of you that contribute to our cause. Thank you! We hope that this documentary will help us not only spread the hope to others, but also to raise awareness about what UCAAN can do for you!!
Tomorrow's Teaser:
We venture out to Tampa, Florida (10 hours!!) to meet a woman who supported UCAAN in the beginning and we're meeting her for the first time!!
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