Fresh asparagus from our garden

The secret to asparagus is to not overcook it, because if you do it will be all mushy and dreadful! Here are two easy ways to cook asparagus.

How to steam asparagus

• Rinse the asparagus to get rid of any dirt, whether it comes straight out of the garden or from the market.
• Hold a stalk with a hand at each end and bend until it snaps in two. That’s where tender meets tough. You can save the tough end for vegetable stock.
• If the stalks are thick, use a vegetable peeler to peel off the skin about two to three inches from the bottom. It will keep it from being stringy.
• If you’ve got a pot deep enough to steam the asparagus standing up, bring about one-inch of water to a boil, wrap string around several spears and put them in the pot tips up. If you don’t have a large enough pot, lose the string and cut the spears into smaller pieces. Cover, turn down the heat and steam until tender — for about five to eight minutes. Don’t overcook!

Asparagus from the Atwood’s garden

How to roast asparagus

Rinse, snap and peel and then roll the spears in olive oil. Place them on a foil lined baking sheet and roast in a 425-degree oven for about 10 to 15 minutes. Again, don’t overcook. Tender, but not mushy. The tips will get brown, but don’t let them burn.

Loads of health benefits

Asparagus is high in folic acid and a good source of potassium, fiber, vitamin B6, vitamins A and C, and thiamin. Best of all, it contains no fat or cholesterol and is low in sodium.

If you’ve never tried asparagus before, do yourself a favor

I can be a finicky eater, and the first time I was served asparagus I did not like it at all. That’s because it wasn’t cooked right. It was mushy and tasteless. I couldn’t believe the difference when, with a lot of prodding from my husband, I gave it a second try. Now, I always look forward to June and July and asparagus for breakfast, lunch, and dinner!

Why does asparagus make your pee smell weird?

Have you ever noticed a strange smell when you pee after eating asparagus? In the book “The RE/Search Guide to Bodily Fluids,” author Paul Spinrad says a survey of asparagus eaters shows that only about 22 percent of us do. Guess I’m a member of an elite club of people with sensitive noses. I don’t know if any real research has been done to confirm the number.

Even if you can’t smell it, your body apparently still produces the odor. It happens because asparagus contains sulfurous chemicals that are broken down during digestion and excreted in the urine. Famous authors have waxed eloquent on the subject.

“Even when it was not the season for asparagus, it had to be found regardless of cost so that he could take pleasure in the vapors of his own fragrant urine.” From “Love in the Time of Cholera,” by Gabriel García Márquez.

Asparagus “… transforms my chamber-pot into a flask of perfume.” Marcel Proust.

The things you learn when you start poking around!

Do you have a favorite asparagus recipe?

Whether you belong to the elite club or not, if you have a favorite asparagus recipe please share it with us. And send us a picture too. We love pictures! This one is from my friend Kathleen Kelly, who is a professional photographer and loves roasted asparagus. Thanks Kathy!

Photo courtesy of Kathleen Kelly

Navigating the Tangled Neuron Forest
courtesy Donna Beveridge

Ken got in touch with me to see if I’d be interested in writing something for Catching Health about the Memory Cafés he and Donna had organized in Portland and Biddeford. A Memory Café is simply a place people with memory loss can go for a cuppa and talk about whatever happens to come up without feeling awkward or stigmatized. Care partners, family and friends, and health care professionals are also welcome. “We’ve had conversations about using theater as an awareness tool for dementia; how some people have dealt with the loss of the use of their car; about Alzheimer’s symptoms; and much more,” says Ken.

Memory Café Courtesy Woods at Canco

I’d never heard of Memory Cafés before. Ken says they’re popular in England. A side note — in England the government pays for them out of the health care program. In some cases, Ken told me, the government even builds the facility and pays for staff and supplies so that people can have the cafés on an ongoing basis. Interesting.

The original Memory Cafés were established as a way people who were concerned about dementia for one reason or another could meet informally with social workers and health care providers. It was the social aspect that became the real hook says Ken.

You’re probably wondering about Ken’s and Donna’s dementia. They’ve been fortunate because their symptoms have progressed fairly slowly.

Ken’s story

Ken Capron

“About 10 years ago I was on a business trip to Long Island. I remember being there but I don’t remember the trip down and back. I used to read maps really well and I struggled. I had four maps trying to figure out where I was going. It was really unusual. I was also experiencing trouble getting words out, which is something I think a lot of Alzheimer’s and dementia-related people have.”

Ken saw his doctor and had a complete workup. It turns out he has central sleep apnea. His brain doesn’t send the right signals to the muscles that control his breathing. During a sleep study he woke up gasping for air 51 times an hour. Each  time, his brain was oxygen deprived. Even if only for a second the loss is cumulative and kills his brain cells. Most people with sleep apnea have the obstructive kind, which prevents them from breathing because something is obstructing their upper airway.

The usual treatments didn’t work for Ken, so he just tries to make the best of the situation. “There’s definitely a cognitive challenge. I have a very hard time reading because I can’t concentrate and I limit my driving. I focus on doing one or two valuable things a day. My ability to concentrate is limited to about two to four hours a day.”

Donna’s story

Donna Beveridge

“I was a teacher and when I retired, I was a coordinator for a small non-profit time bank in Saco. Organization and detail work have always been my forte. But after a while I began having difficulty with tasks that had always been easy for me. If I started a project and stopped it, when I went back to it I would have to start at the beginning. I was messing up dates and times and scheduling things wrong and not understanding papers that people would give me with information.”

It’s been five years since Donna found out she had Alzheimer’s disease. “I will lose my train of thought and have trouble searching for some words — things like that. My ability to communicate is very good. I’ll take what I can get.”

Donna participated in a clinical trial, and although she hasn’t been told if she got the drug being tested or a placebo, she’s pretty sure it was the drug because she has been doing so well. She’s waiting to see if she can get into a follow-up trial that will put her on it for four more years. “There have been times in the past five years that I’ve been worse than I feel right now,” she says. “When I get tired then my head doesn’t work very well.”

Don’t you think it’s pretty amazing that these two people, who are dealing with a pretty devastating disease even if they are both doing well, have chosen to reach out and help other people? I do. They’ve asked me to extend an invitation to visit one of the cafés if you’re interested.

MEMORY CAFÉ LOCATIONS

North Dam Mill Coffee Shop
2 Mill Street
Biddeford, Maine
4th Tuesday of the month
9:00 am – 11: am

Woods at Canco
257 Canco Road
Portland, Maine
2nd Tuesday of the month
2:00 pm

For more information call Ken Capron at 207.797.7891 or send him an email. He says he plans to start more Memory Cafés in the near future.

When I wrote an update in March she was not happy with how things were going. Here’s what she had to say: “I had a really strong relationship with food. Now I can’t eat whatever, whenever, and how much I want. I miss that.”

I’m delighted to tell you that Becky is doing much, much better. “The past two weeks has been a huge breakthrough. It’s such a really good feeling to be able to eat and not be sick. I think I just needed to get my stomach used to normal food again. I feel much better and I just love having the weight come off.”

Becky has lost 7o pounds! If you compare the two pictures below, you can see that her face has slimmed down a lot.

Becky in March

For those of you who want to see more, I think we’re going to have to wait until she gets her new wardrobe.

Becky the end of April

Health improvements About a month after her surgery, Becky started a new job in Orlando, Florida. She came back to Maine last week to check in with Dr. Loggins and was really excited to get a great report. Her blood levels were perfect — she was worried that she wasn’t getting enough protein, but she’s fine. She used to have low back pain. That’s gone. She used to be tired a lot. That’s gone. Her feet don’t hurt anymore. She’s also no longer pre-diabetic. Well done Becky!

When her sister Sandy saw her the first thing she said was WOW! “She looks great!!,” she told me. “Looks healthy. Her arms are firm so I can tell she’s been working out. She actually had a glow. Very proud of her!”

Exercise routine Becky has been working out — a lot, she says. “I go to the gym every day. I’m swimming, doing the elliptical and the treadmill. I also started taking group classes, which I never would do before because I’d be the fattest one in them, and I’m not anymore. It’s such a great feeling to be in the workout room and look in the mirror now.”

What Becky is eating She’s found several things she can eat with no problem, but in much smaller portions than she used to. Steak, chicken, oatmeal, mandarin oranges (snack of choice), yoghurt, chili, and protein bars that she breaks into small pieces and stores in the freezer because she can’t eat the whole bar at once. Fast food used to be a staple in her diet and now she can’t even stand the smell of it, and no cravings for it at all she reports.

Weight goal When Becky returns to Maine in August for her next checkup she expects to have lost a total of 100 pounds, leaving only 30 more to go. She looks better and feels better and is very encouraged by all the positive reactions she’s getting. “My hard work is paying off,” she says. “The reactions motivate me to keep going. I don’t ever want to be that heavy again in my life.”

Please, take a minute to tell Becky what a good job she’s been doing and while you’re at it, wish her a happy birthday — she’ll turn 42 Saturday, May 18. She’s already given herself the best present ever — a healthier Becky.

Happy Birthday Becky!

“Wally” introduces Christie at the Mother’s Day Red Sox game

Christie Cantara celebrated Mother’s Day in a big way. She was the honorary bat girl for the Red Sox! Lindsey Laverriere, a friend of Christie’s daughter, entered her in the Major League Baseball 2013 Honorary Bat Girl Contest, which recognizes 30 women who have been affected by breast cancer. The winners were selected by fan votes on HonoraryBatGirl.com along with feedback from a guest judging panel. So there she was at the Red Sox game in Boston on Mother’s Day along with her family, boyfriend Tom, and, of course, Lindsey.

Christie, second from right, with family and friends at the Red Sox game

Christie with Red Sox 3rd baseman Will Middlebrooks (who played for the Sea Dogs a few years back)

It was an awesome experience says Christie. The word awesome can also be applied to Christie herself. I won’t mince words. She’s been through hell and it isn’t over. She’s sharing her story because she wants people to learn from her experience and because she wants to say thank you.

Christie’s story

Christie’s daughters
Lacie(9) Kaylee(19) and Mallorie(5)

Earlier this year, Christie, who is a 41-year-old mother of three daughters, and lives in Biddeford, was diagnosed with breast cancer — after being misdiagnosed twice. She first felt a lump in September 2012. Her regular doctor wasn’t available, so she saw a different practitioner, who ordered a mammogram and ultrasound. Both showed nothing. She decided to get a second opinion and was told the lump felt smooth and that it must be a benign fibrocystic mass because a tumor would feel “jagged.” Nothing to worry about, it would probably go away.

Christie and Tom

In December she found a second lump, again smooth and round and again she was told it was nothing to worry about. Fortunately, Christie was scheduled for an annual visit with her regular doctor the end of January, and she was concerned enough to order more tests. Not only did Christie have the two lumps in her breast, there was a third one under her arm.  She had an ultrasound guided biopsy and a few days later — Valentine’s Day — she was sitting in her doctor’s office bracing herself for the diagnosis. “I was pretty prepared for bad news,” she says. “My boyfriend Tom and I went together and I looked at the doctor and said just say it. And she told us the lumps tested postive for cancer. I was a wreck for a few days, but then I came out of it and said OK, let’s get things going. I’ve got too much to do, this is really putting a monkey wrench in my program.”

Christie took a years’ leave of absence from her job at the Children’s Place in the Maine Mall so that she could focus on all the treatments she needs. “The job will be waiting for me when I’m done.”

Because the cancer had spread into the lymph node under her arm she needed chemotherapy treatments, which began the end of February and will continue until July. She had her 4th chemo treatment the day after she was the Red Sox honorary bat girl. Look at that beautiful smile. I told you she was amazing.

Christie at her 4th chemo treatment

After a short break from the chemo, Christie will have a bi-lateral mastectomy with breast reconstruction  followed by several weeks of radiation therapy. ”I had two or three different options and we picked the best one for me. My doctor has told me that my breast cancer is 100% curable — he’s very optimistic.” 

Why Christie wants to say thank you

While Christie was trying to deal with her new reality, her friends were busy setting up a Team Christie Facebook page, to help raise money while she’s out of work and having her treatments. The goals are to put on fundraising events, make and sell breast cancer awareness bracelets, and give Christie all the encouragement and support they possibly can. “This has been going on about a month and a half maybe,” explains Christie, “and I’ve got people I don’t even know planning dances, planning fundraising stuff, I just can’t even believe it. There are almost 600 people on the Team Christie page and I don’t know half of them. They’re messaging me well wishes and saying they want to help with events.  I’m floored by the whole thing.”

The overwhelming support she’s getting from family and friends and strangers and the thrill of being the honorary bat girl takes all the bad away says Christie. “I feel like saying thank you is just not enough. I want to do something back for all these people. What we’ll  do once I’m well again and back to my old self is continue the Team Christie organization and help other people. I’m inspired by seeing the power of people and what they can accomplish. I want to do that.”

I’m inspired by Christie and her incredibly upbeat attitude. If you are too, you’re invited to join Team Christie on Facebook. It’s a great team to be on!

Thanks for joining us. Next time I need to remember to ask her to take my picture!

My family has always been immensely proud of my father’s achievements in the military. In addition to rising up in the ranks of the Army, retiring as a Lt. Colonel, he fought in the Korean War and did two tours of duty in Viet Nam. It was only in the last decade of his life that I understood the tremendous toll those wars had taken on him, physically and psychologically. In the Korean War, he lost some of his hearing and developed blood clots in his legs, both of which plagued him for the rest of his life. In Viet Nam, he was exposed to Agent Orange. At the time of his death, he was considered 100 percent disabled because of the effects of Agent Orange. He had type 2 diabetes and was in constant pain because of neuropathy. He also got lung cancer, which ultimately led to his death. Psychologically, I’m sure he suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) until the day he died. Sudden noises always startled him — made him nearly jump out of his skin. He told me they often sounded like gunfire. He was barely 20 during the Korean War. More than 60 years later, just the sound of a spoon dropping on a tile floor could transport him back in an instant.

The impact of war from ancient times to today

Next Monday, May 13 Outside the Wire — a Brooklyn-based social impact company that uses theater and a variety of other media to address pressing public health and social issues — will present Theater of War at the University of Maine at Orono. Actors, including David Strathairn (Lincoln; The Bourne Ultimatum; Good Night, Good Luck) will read selections from Sophocles’ Ajax, followed by a community panel and discussion with the audience.

Ajax preparing for suicide
From Sophocles’ Ajax

As it says on Outside the Wire’s web site, “These ancient plays timelessly and universally depict the psychological and physical wounds inflicted upon warriors by war. By presenting these plays to military and civilian audiences, our hope is to de-stigmatize psychological injury, increase awareness of post-deployment psychological health issues, disseminate information regarding available resources, and foster greater family, community, and troop resilience.”

The Orono performance is sponsored by Lunder-Dineen Health Education Alliance of Maine. I had not heard of the alliance until recently. It’s a non-profit organization that collaborates with Mass General Hospital in Boston to provide free, evidence-based health education in Maine.

I spoke with Denise O’Connell, the senior program manager, to find out why Lunder- Dineen decided to bring Theater of War to Maine. She said she went to a performance and learned something about her own father, who had fought in World War II.  ”Seeing the performance gave me a broader understanding of what it was like for him when he came home. The reaction from the community and friends was more powerful than I realized.”

Lunder-Dineen decided  it would be a valuable experience for people — health care providers and the general public — to learn more about the silent wounds of war. “The health of older adults, veterans and mental health are an educational priority for Lunder-Dineen,” she says. “This performance addresses all three of those issues and involves providers and the community in dialogue about solutions.”

Theater of War in Orono

The Theater of War performance is Monday, May 13 from 7:00 to 9:00 pm in the D.P Corbett Auditorium at the University of Maine at Orono.

The actors will do the dramatic readings and immediately after there will be a community panel and town hall discussion. The panel will include an active duty service member who has seen combat, a family member of a veteran, a Viet Nam veteran, and a health care provider. The town hall discussion, which is where the audience comes in, will be facilitated by retired Brigadier General Loree Sutton.

From Outside the Wire director Brian Doerries’ perspective: “Our hope is that by presenting a nearly 2,500-year-old play about the invisible wounds of war, it will help give a voice to the untold stories of older veterans, and break down the stigma long associated with psychological injury. This is a safe space for open dialogue about a timeless issue.”

The event is free and open to the public, but space is limited. Please RSVP by emailing Prudence Searl or calling 207-262-7925.

Does sunscreen prevent malignant melanoma?

The short answer is not necessarily. Two reasons why:

1. People slather it on and then bake in the sun twice as long they should.

2. Some sunscreens are not broad-spectrum. In other words they protect against UVB rays but not UVA rays, which may also cause skin cancer — including malignant melanoma, which can be deadly.

Updated sunscreen guidelines for manufacturers

• In order to claim that a sunscreen protects against skin cancer, it must be at least SPF-15 and must protect against UVB and UVA. If the claim can’t be made, a warning must be added to the label: “This product has not been shown to prevent skin cancer or premature skin aging.”
• No sunscreen is really waterproof so only the term water-resistant can be used and only if studies prove that the product retains its value after being exposed to water.
• The term sunblock can no longer be used, because no sunscreen can completely block the sun.

Even if you choose the right kind of sunscreen, you also have to use common sense.

How to use sunscreen

1. Don’t put on sunscreen and then stay in the sun so long you get a sunburn.
2. If your skin starts to get red or feel uncomfortable, don’t just reapply sunscreen, cover up or get in the shade.
3. Wear protective clothing, a hat, and sunglasses along with sunscreen.

The goal isn’t to avoid getting any sun exposure at all. In fact, sunlight is an important source of Vitamin D. The recommendation is that we get from five to 30 minutes of sun exposure between 10 am and 3 pm at least twice a week to our face, arms, or back.

What you want to avoid is sunburn because sunburns increase your risk of developing malignant melanoma.

Did you know malignant melanoma is now the most common cancer among people 25 to 29 years old? The Mayo Clinic recently published research that showed the incidence of malignant melanoma has increased more than sixfold in the past 40 years. Multiple studies have shown a strong connection between sunburns during childhood and adolescence and malignant melanoma.

Dr. Frederick Aronson, a cancer specialist at Maine Center for Cancer Medicine in Scarborough says, “Most of the ultraviolet radiation that causes melanoma is delivered to the individual at risk before age 20. There are migration studies that show if you grow up in a high sun region and move to a lower sun region in your 20s, your melanoma risk is as if you lived in the high sun region all your life and vice versa. If you live in a low sun region and move to a high sun region in your 20s your melanoma risk remains relatively low.”

Mike Cushman’s story

Mike Cushman, who lives in South Portland, was diagnosed with advanced malignant melanoma in 2010. “I had a suspicious mole on the back of my head under my hair,” he  told me. “My daughter spotted it and suggested my doctor check it out. The biopsy came back benign. Late July I felt a lump in that same area. In early August it was removed for biopsy and came back malignant melanoma. I cannot trace the melanoma to my family. I seem to be the only one. As a child growing up in the 50s and 60s I probably had my share of sunburns.”

Mike Cushman and granddaughter Keira

The most effective treatment for melanoma is surgery. Depending on a variety of factors, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and immunotherapy may also be used. Several promising new treatments are now being studied in clinical trials, including a targeted therapy that Mike was hoping would help him. It targets a mutated gene found in about half the people diagnosed with metastatic malignant melanoma. Mike has a Braf mutation and when we spoke last year was participating in a clinical trial. This morning he told me the trial failed and he is now on a new drug called Yervoy, which is pitting his own body’s own immune system against the cancer cells, now spread to his liver and bones. So far, he’s had two out of four treatments. “It’s too early to tell if it’s working,” he said. “I’m tired and nauseous, having a rough time right now — typical chemo side effects. But, I’m still here, I’m still functioning.”

Mike says there’s a 20 percent chance the new drug will stop the melanoma from spreading more. “I’m a little bit hopeful, but not overly excited,” he admitted.

Even though he clearly didn’t feel well, Mike was more than happy to talk with me and share his message, which is powerful. “If you find a suspicious mole, get it checked. Don’t let it go. If I’d acted earlier, I would have made out a lot better than I am now.

Signs of melanoma in a mole

• Asymmetrical shape — one half doesn’t match the other
• Borders are irregular — ragged or blurry edges or pigment that spreads into surrounding skin
• Color is not even — usually shades of brown, black, and tan, but sometimes white gray, red, pink or blue
• Diameter — usually bigger than a pea, but can start tiny and get bigger
• Evolving appearance — a change that happens in just weeks or months.

What malignant melanoma might look like

Courtesy National Cancer Institute

Mike says at his age he chooses not to dwell on sunburns he got when he was younger. “I cannot go back and undo the past. What I would have done differently is talk to my doctor about follow up care with a dermatologist. I am very thankful that my daughter brought to my attention the suspicious mole on the back of my head. My two daughters now have a family history of melanoma and they see a dermatologist at regular intervals. Believe me, I ask them if they have been going to their appointments.”

UPCOMING FREE SKIN CANCER SCREENINGS
If you’ve been meaning to get screened for suspicious moles or are worried about one in particular, take advantage of these free screenings:

May 20, 2013
SMMC Saco Health Center
13 Industrial Park Rd., Saco

May 21, 2013
Mercy Oncology-Hematology Center
195 Fore River Parkway, Suite 360, Portland

May 22, 2013
Maine Medical Center Cancer Institute
100 Campus Dr., Scarborough

May 23, 2013
Cancer Care Center of York County
27 Industrial Ave., Sanford

All screenings ar 6:00 – 8:00 PM

You need an appointment. Call 1-877-831-2129 to schedule. Space is limited and patients who have never been screened by a dermatologist will be given priority.

Please, follow Mike’s advice. If you have a suspicious looking mole, get it checked. Now.

“No,” she called over her shoulder with equal brightness. “I’m always cold when other people aren’t. This will be just right. Are you sure you’ll be warm enough?”

On the promenade we rolled into the last available  parking space and I hefted her wheelchair out of the trunk, shocked at how chilly it was. I grabbed my thin sweater in the back seat. Why is it that my mother is ALWAYS right?

All settled into the chair, off we went. First thing that drew her attention was a dog chasing a tennis ball into the water. She was thrilled, but also worried it wouldn’t make it back to shore. “I’ve always loved dogs and cats,” she told me.

The trail stretched out in front of us. Perfect for feet and bicycles and skates and wheelchairs.

Around the bend my mother exclaimed excitedly about the beautiful daffodils and proceeded to rattle off the first stanza of a poem.

Daffodils

I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o’er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze

Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced; but they
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
A poet could not but be gay,
In such a jocund company:
I gazed–and gazed–but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.

                                       by William Wordsworth

When did you learn that poem I asked her. “Oh, third grade I think. I’ve always loved it.” I pushed the wheelchair along, struck by how she could remember the lines of a poem she learned more than 75 years ago, but often couldn’t recall what happened just that morning or even minutes ago.

We looped around the trail and headed back. As we approached the daffodils we had passed only ten minutes before, she exclaimed excitedly at how beautiful they were — as if seeing them for the first time.

Onward. She spotted the ferry on the way to Peaks Island, the seagulls, the buoys. Suddenly, she noticed an outcropping of rocks and began to recite another poem.

Maine

You’re just a rugged, homespun State
Perched on the nation’s edge,
A stretch of woods, of fields and lakes,
Of ocean-pounded ledge.
But rugged deeds and rugged men
You’ve nurtured for you own:
Much good the world has harvested
From broadcast seeds you’ve sown —
And so, we love you, rugged State
We love your smiling skies,
We love you for your deep-piled snows,
Your jagged coast we prize.
We love you for the lofty seat
You’ve reared ‘neath heaven’s dome:
But best of all, we love you, Maine
Because you’re Maine — and Home!

I googled the first line and discovered that the poem was written by Lester Melcher Hart and was in a book of historical narratives and poems about Maine called “Maine My State.” It was published by the Maine Writers Research Club in the early 1900s for Maine schoolchildren and printed by The Journal Printshop in Lewiston, Maine. I’d never heard of it before.

We had such a good time on our excursion along the ocean. For me though, it was far more than just a pleasant walk with my mother on a sunny, but slightly chilly afternoon in May.

She pointed out all the wonderful things to see along the trail. She recited poetry to me. She taught me something I didn’t know. She tried to make sure I was dressed properly for the weather. All those nurturing things that mothers do for their children. Still there.

This post originally appeared in Diane and Beverly, a blog I write about me and my mother.

Some of you may know that my first career was as a radiation therapist at Maine Medical Center. I started out treating cancer patients with radiation therapy and later became a dosimetrist, the person who works with the radiation physicist and helps plot out the treatment plans.

It’s ok to ask how could I possibly do that kind of work or wasn’t it incredibly depressing all the time. I’ve gotten those questions a lot. I did the work because I was drawn to it, and yes, sometimes I was deeply sad and sometimes I was really angry. What overwhelmed me the most though, and stays with me to this day, were the spirit and the courage and the gratitude I encountered in patient after patient after patient. It’s why I often write about cancer and why I happily volunteer my time on the Center’s marketing/PR committee.

Another picture from the reception — Michele Johns, the Center’s tireless executive director, with Dr. Dave Langdon, a radiologist at Mercy Hospital.

Dave and Dr. Chris Kuhn, another Mercy radiologist, are both cancer survivors. They dreamed up a highly successful bicycle fundraiser for the Center several years ago that they named Not Dead Yet. You have to have a sense of humor. By the way, got to give credit where it’s due. Dave took the picture of Fran and Lisa and me. Thank you Dave!

The Cancer Community Center offers an incredible amount of resources for people with cancer and their loved ones. Thanks to donations, fundraisers, grants, and volunteers, all the programs are free. From support groups to social groups to fitness and cooking classes, massage therapy, meditation, educational programs … the list goes on and on. Here, check out the May calendar.

Kathy Tosney does facial rejuvenations every other Wednesday morning at the Center — she offered to do one on me. At first I thought she meant I looked like I needed a facelift, but it’s using Reiki and head reflexology on a person’s head, face, neck and shoulders to deeply relax the entire body. I am so going to take her up on it and will tell you all about it.

Lucky Kathy won one of the door prizes tonight. A gorgeous orchid.

I didn’t get any pictures of all the amazing food we were served because I was too busy eating it. Two helpings. Shrimp and little skewers of tomato, basil and mozzarella, pâté, artichoke dip, veggies, wraps, little crab cakes, meringues and Italian cookies.  So good.

Each volunteer received a May basket as a small token of appreciation. Bloom where you are planted, said the placard. Spirit, courage and gratitude. Thank you for a joyful evening!

The Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory (MDIBL), National Park Service, and Schoodic Education and Research Institute got $250,000 from the National Science Foundation for a two-year project called Pathway to BioTrails. They need adult volunteers to join a team of professionals that will use DNA barcoding to make sure certain organisms have been identified correctly.

The volunteers will be “citizen scientists” and will work in Acadia National Park and Frenchman Bay in Bar Harbor. I know, pretty cool.

Why does this type of DNA barcoding matter? Because if you can identify the species an organism belongs to simply and quickly, you broaden the scale and accuracy of potential research projects and open the door for even more projects.

You could become part of a large network of citizen scientists around the world and help monitor how species are impacted by environmental change.

Karen James, a bona fide MDIBL scientist and the project’s lead investigator, told me that ultimately the teams will be looking at whether species are appearing or disappearing, increasing or decreasing, or pollinating at the right time. “We need to notice, “says Karen, “because changes affect us and what we might want to do. For example, if a key pollinator shifts its range northward, that might cause problems for agriculture or if an important invasive species thrives and affects a certain timber species, that can be of great concern as well.”

Being able to monitor how species are impacted by environmental change means it may be easier to respond to and manage problems earlier on instead of needing to do damage control after the fact.

So, think you’d like to contribute by being a citizen scientist this summer?

Karen says they are recruiting 80 adult volunteers for both years of the project. In addition to those with experience, they want people with little or absolutely no experience — scientist wannabes. You will learn how to collect and identify invertebrates — little creatures without backbones, such as insects and sea urchins — in both land and water environments. You will also learn how to barcode their DNA and analyze and interpret your data.

The citizen scientists will help out during four sessions — two this year and two next. Each session will be spread out over two long weekends, the first session is in August and the second in September.

2013 1st Session 
Schoodic Peninsula in Acadia National Park
August 16 – August 18
August 24 – August 25

2013 2nd Session 
Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory
September 6 – September 9
September 14 – September 15

If you’d like more information about the Pathway to BioTrails project or are interested in volunteering, here’s a link to the sign up form. You can also send me a comment and I’ll see that it gets to the right person. If you end up becoming a citizen scientist, make sure to tell me all about it!