"Renee in Cancerland" reviews and how to get!

I know it feels like I have been posting about my book, "Renee in Cancerland" a lot lately, but honestly I am listening to my heart on this one.  My heart's voice has told me to do some crazy things before (which I followed and amazing things happened) and once again this is my hearts voice telling me DO THIS!

I am feeling called to share with you some notes I have received abut how "Renee In Cancerland" has helped those who have read it.

"I went to visit my mom in September, 4 weeks after her first chemo treatment and right around the time she started losing her hair. I came armed with gifts. In addition to some personal handmade items from Ethan... I brought her my copy of "Renee in Cancerland". The moment I gave her the book she was excited. No one else in her life has been through exactly what she is going through. 

She started thumbing through pages of the book immediately. She got to a page that described how your week went... the schedule of events from Friday treatment through the Thursday before the next chemo treatment.  She said, "Oh my gosh, this is my schedule exactly. This is exactly how I feel."  She ran into the kitchen and grabbed a pad of post-it notes and started jotting something down and then stuck it on that page. She went through the book for about 30 minutes... skimming pages and putting post it notes to flag certain spots. She said, I'm going to go back and read all of this later, but these parts are things I really relate to."  Throughout the weekend she read a lot when she needed some quiet time.  By the time I left on Sunday she made it through a good chunk of the book and told me to relay to you... "Please tell Renee what an amazing writer she is. It's more like having a conversation with a friend than reading a book."  And that is so true. Your book is amazing and you are amazing!"

"I loved it Renee!! I love the honesty and the fact that you didn't sugar coat anything.....going through the emotional highs and lows and reading your book induced feelings of " if she can go through what she didthen I can to!!! " I also bought a copy for my friend that went through bc and mastectomy two years ago....she loved it as well......good work ! Keep on keeping on!!!"


"This book opened my eyes to the struggle of cancer and life. Reading how a person can feel balancing their persona, their family and their battle with the unknown. I laughed and I cried, and I felt I was in the room with Renee every step of the way. I recommend this book to anyone who has battled and anyone who loves someone who has or had cancer."

"The book came to me as I was watching a close friend face the cancer reality. It gave me a huge insight to what see would be facing . I would recommend the book to anyone & have shared it and your art with many at my salon. Thank you Renee Linke Sendelbach!"

I am really going out of my comfort zone here, but like I said I am following my heart here.

If you looking for gifts for yourself (which I always recommend), someone you know who has cancer, or just a general "HELL yeah, I can do this too (whatever your 'this' is" I am going to recommend you read this!

How do you get your hands on this book you are now wondering?!?!

A few ways: Amazon (both paperback and Kindle)

http://www.amazon.com/Renee-Cancerland-Sendelbach/dp/098589475X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1446130914&sr=8-1&keywords=renee+in+cancerland

If you want 5 or more, email me directly at ReneeInCancerland@gmail.com.

Finally, if you live in Austin and would be interested in me coming to a group to give a talk and offer the books and artwork, again email me.

Sun and Moon

I am not sure how many people know this about me but I got  a small tattoo when I was 16 years.

To be honest I am not sure how the tattoo process exactly happened? I just know I was with my friends and we went  to a guys house and got tattoos… looking back not the smartest thing I could have done!

Even though I had not thought about it long, I knew I wanted half moon and a star... which at the time had no meaning to me I just knew I wanted it?!?!

So there I was 16, I have a tattoo on my hip and life went on.

It's not like I tried to hide it from anybody. it was just in a place that I didn't show a lot of people so it was years before anybody really knew I had a tattoo... I mean I showed my friends, mom and sister, and they all asked me why I got that. And at the time, I didn't know why that image was what popped into my head.

I know I felt "cool" because I had a tattoo but I mean come on... I must not have felt THAT cool putting it on a place that was not visible to most.

Now when I think about the meaning behind my tattoo, I can now find one that fits for me. I now see the sun and moon there as a reminder that "it all" keeps going...no matter what.

I think back to the months/years after my 3 brain surgeries and never could understand how others could NOT understand what I was going through. But now I look at that know these people had ZERO point of reference to understand and we all did the best we could. And I now understand that their lives kept moving...they had to. 

I feel like in the course of the past 3 years (really all of life) I have continued to rotate around both the moon and stars... I think we all do in our own ways...continuously. 

I have too many friends on the dark side of the moon right now, and I pray that they continue to just allow the time needed to get to the other side of the rotation.

But my little peice of advice...no matter what side of the moon you are on right now light or dark side, know in your heart that it will all keep going and you will get somewhere else. 

Book Release Party

Before the party, Eric told me he wanted me to already think of the party as a success because it is happening. 

You see, we had tried other times to do this but my body said no.

Eric wanted to pound in the fact that no matter if we walked away with me selling no books and/or art work that I had to feel it as a success because it happened!!

And I did, I went in with that in my heart.

It looked beautiful! My friends, sister and mom decorated the room with my art work and BIG paper flowers I made. They set my signing table up in the front of the room. (At first, I thought no I don't want to be up front for all to look at, but that feeling settled down when my heart told me to take it in.)

Just thinking about it fills my heart with a warm feeling. Think when you hold your child and that feeling of deep Love that washes over your whole body...I felt it that day and still today when I look back at it in my heart.

It is nice to be able to say that I am proud of myself and how far I have come thus far!

***Yes, I have pictures but I need help from Eric to convert them?!?!? I will hopefully post tomorrow!***

Stage 4 Breast Cancer - 54 months

I sit here on this stupid day in this stupid month, wearing some PJ pants that say "On tough cookie" that were gifted to me my first time around with breast cancer, reading how there is a cure for breast cancer but the government won't give it to us, reading how certain organizations doing do enough research, and blah, blah, blah.

In case you are not aware October is breast cancer awareness month and today, October 13 is Metastatic Breast Cancer awareness day.

If you could hear me talk, you would her the ooze of sarcasm. 

I am not going to go on on with lectures of how the stage of Breast Cancer you die of is Stage 4, around 140 men and women die daily from this crap, money is SO needed for stage 4 breast cancer research, but I going to tell you of me.

I know many of you have followed me this whole time, and for that I thank you from the bottom of my heart. But for those who know, please excuse a brief recap of this story. 

I am one of those who had early stage breast cancer (stage 1, Triple Negative), chemo, lumpectomy and radiation.  I NEVER knew cancer could ever come back. 

I was clean of cancer for about 16 months until it was time for a routine scan, and I received that call that would forever change my life.

When the nurse told me I needed to come in that day, I thought I had lung cancer.  I had NO idea breast cancer could move to my lungs, bones, nodes (which it had) and liver and brain (had not-yet).

After my Dr. and husband explained I was now considered Stage 4 Metastatic, and as of now, there that is no cure for me.

No cure.  

Those words hung in the air that thick fog.

After crumbing into her arms, my husband and I walked out of her office that day, with the pamphlet, hand-in-hand, tear stained checks and said, here we go.

There is MUCH more to this story, 3 brain surgeries, friends come and gone, anger, love, light and so much more.

But my BIG message here is, I am 54 months living with Stage 4 breast cancer.  I believe treatment IS getting better, JUST not good enough.  I was on a trial drug, PARP 201, which I believe kept my body clean for all these years.   

This is just my story.  

People Stage 4 needs more research. A few great places to donate to are:

http://www.metavivor.org/

http://mbcn.org/

Or donate directly to a research hospital.