Team NSH

This is a bye week for mom.  No chemo till next Monday and we hope for smooth sailing.  I’m flying down to see her Friday, and am excited to spend a non-chemo weekend with her.  Her counts are all up from last week, and according to dad, her white blood cells are “squarely in the normal range.”

Mom’s fighting like hell, and is certainly holding up to her reputation as a fighter with a never say die attitude.  It hasn’t always been easy, and she’s certainly had her moments where the battle is overwhelming, but she continues to come through the other side shining.

Mom, you’re a rock star.  Everyone is proud of you and continue to be blown away by your spirit, determination and resiliency.  You have a team behind you, who are now proudly displaying their support with stickers in some awesome places.

Pictures have started in, so I’ll put a couple in the posts for a while:

From one of my closest friends, and long time Nan Hinds fan, Cogswell:

“I put the sticker next to my most prized possession at work, my Schrutebuck!”

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I got a great picture today from Yasmin Sanders, who works with Dad on the LCS project:

“I proudly placed my NSH sticker on my work hard hat to show support for Nan. I am fighting through bladder cancer now with my mom and I know this is difficult. But as I have told Dave, if you feel like you are going through hell….keep going…”

Great, great quote at the end from Yasmin, and great spirit overall.  Love the support.

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We’ll continue posting pictures to show just how far her network of support extends.  Keep em comin, folks, teamnanhinds@gmail.com

Thank you again… your support means the world to all of us,

-Todd

It hasn’t been the easiest weekend of all time for mom, so I figure now is the perfect time to share a funny mom story.

I’ve been wanting to find a way to get a perspective from Gram (mom’s mom) on here, and fortunately found a vehicle to do so (and yes, pun intended).  Thanks to Kim for getting and passing along this story from Gram…

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When Mom was first learning to drive, she decided to practice by backing the car in and out of the garage; a good move for anyone looking to refine their driving skills.

The only problem there, is that her aim was just a little bit off.

Time after time after time.

Mom proceeded to hit the garage repeatedly in her best effort to get the family vehicle all the way inside.  Undeterred by minor body damage, or the threat of completely taking out the entire garage door opening, mom persevered through.  It took a few trips in and out of reverse before she finally successfully parked it, but she never gave up.  She triumphantly came into the house announcing that she had parked the car (though I’m guessing she chose to omit the part about almost destroying the garage).

To this day, Gram says she cringes when she hears that mom is out driving, knowing at the end of the trip she’ll probably have to pull into the garage.

All joking aside, it’s another shining example of mom’s refusal to give up, and her insistence on overcoming obstacles (or maybe driving through obstacles).

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One final note to anyone who emailed for stickers:  They have been dropped in the mailbox and will go out tomorrow (Monday) morning.  Sorry for the delay, but they should be in your hands soon!

Todd

Scott sent this picture today with the following quote:

“When your house burns down and your wife runs off with the drummer and you’ve lost your job and all the odds are against you, what are you gonna do? Most people just lay down and quit. Well, I want my people to fight back” – :Bear Bryant.

That’s why I’m wearing the houndstooth. Consider us Bear’s people

– Scott
 
Dad got the same email and chimed in himself:

My explanation:
 
Bear Bryant was the Alabama football coach for decades and he always wore a houndstooth hat during games. In this part of the country, wearing houndstooth plaid represents Bear Bryant and more importantly his spirit. When Scott was here he bought a houndstooth cap and that is the significance of Mom wearing a houndstooth scarf with her Fight Like Hell tee shirt.
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Mom was feeling better today.  She woke up to two glasses of OJ and an instant breakfast.  A few minutes later, she took a try at a blueberry muffin, and is definitely on the rebound. I spoke with her tonight, and she said that after breakfast, she felt a switch flip around noon and things have been even better since.   Tonight’s inspiration from a woman less than a day removed from 48 hours of chemo was this quote:

“If I can feel like this every time after chemo, you’ll never hear a complaint out of me again.”

She’s a tough chick.

For those that don’t know, I was lucky enough to marry my girlfriend of 6+ years this September.  Mom had very, very few requests leading up to the wedding, though I insisted that she had to choose the soundtrack to our mother-son dance.

She knew very quickly that she wanted to dance to I’ll Stand By You, by The Pretenders.  She ultimately settled on dancing to the Carrie Underwood version, thus breaking my only rule with the DJ, of “No County.”

I’ll admit that at first, I questioned the decision.  I didn’t love the song, and I really didn’t love the artist, but I told her it was her call, and I wasn’t about to turn back on that offer.  I listened to the song a few times, but never really put a whole lot of thought into why she’d chosen this song… I mean if she wanted a mid 90’s song, it should have been Jovi or Pearl Jam…

Now, I’ve done plenty of dumb things in my 30 years on this planet, and  yet I still didn’t quite get the significance of this song till recently.  She truly has stood by me even when my decisions are inexplicable.  She’s stood by me (albeit with eyes fully rolled) when I entered a high school talent show acting out a WWE wrestling skit involving me getting thrown off a stage and through a table.  And 13 years later, nothing has changed except that she continues to stand by me while I’m determined to enter a sanctioned boxing match.

She’s stood by me at my lowest, she’s stood by me at my best;  though I think what’s most amazing is that she’s stood by me when I’m in between.  She hasn’t just been there when I’ve needed her…. she’s always been there.  She’s there to let me bitch about the mundane of an everyday insurance job, or to really get ramped up about the Red Sox refusing to sign Roy Oswalt.  She’s there far, far more than my peaks and valleys, and that’s the most incredible thing about her.

This is one of my favorite pictures from our wedding last September and I think sums up our relationship until that point.

There I am, full cackle enjoying the endearing yet amusing emotions of a mother on her younger son’s wedding day, while mom takes it all in without giving me a well deserved dope slap upside the head.  With quiet confidence, she continued on enjoying a moment that was truly special to her without letting my somewhat misplaced chuckle steal her moment.

I didn’t get the song last fall, but it now resonates with me in a way now that I wish it had on September 4, 2011.

It’s now our turn, mom, and we will all stand by you.

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The infusion pump came out today, and much like anyone would expect, she’s having a rough night.  I think 48 hours of straight chemo would knock anyone for a loop.  Last check she felt better than she did on the Wednesday night after round 1, and she’s determined to get through this round ahead of the last.  Keep her in your thoughts tonight as she could use all the well wishes and prayers we can muster.

Till tomorrow,….

-Todd

There’s nothing quite like getting off a difficult phone call at work to an email from dad with the subject line of:

Mom Fights Back

From Dad:

Here is Mom this morning in her Fight Like Hell shirt and her Bear Bryant houndstooth scarf. You can also see her pump in the fanny pack and the tube delivering chemo running through the neck of her shirt. This is one tough lady. -Dad

The scarf is a new addition given to her by the nurse inspired by mom’s shirt yesterday, proving  yet again that even strangers are immediately drawn to the inspiration she continues to bring so many of us.  While she continues to pretend that she couldn’t possibly inspire anyone, her influence is expanding.  This is a woman with supporters in Alabama, North Carolina, Massachusetts, Australia, and eight towns and communities in Maine.  She’s a woman who influenced the lives of children for her entire career, yet still denies the ability to inspire anyone.  This is a woman who brought various nurses (who see pain and disease for a living) to tears with her strength and determination… yet she doesn’t see anything special about what she’s doing.

Even if she doesn’t believe it, it’s true and every person reading this post besides her is nodding their head in agreement.

The infusion pump comes out tomorrow, which will officially put round 2 of chemo in the rearview mirror, and onto 10 days of well deserved chemo-freedom.

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I’ve begun getting in some pictures of the NSH stickers in and on various locations.  I’ll be getting them together to create one, long running repository of the sticker images.  We’ve seen one hanging on a cubicle wall in Boston, and another stuck onto someone’s daily travel mug.  I have one of mine on the back of my Trailblazer, and another on  one of my boxing gloves (which is ironic considering how much she hates me boxing…).  I think this is going to be fun to see some of the various cities and towns, and different items these stickers are put on as a constant show of respect and support.  When you put yours up, send them over to TeamNanHinds@gmail.com and I’m going to put them up here.

After a long day of chemo, how would you spend your evening?

Well, if you’re Nan, the answer is simple:

A Hot Dog & Chips.  Too bad it wasn’t a red hot dog because we all know those are her favorite.

While she’s definitely hurting some, Monday’s dinner selection would seem to indicate that the debilitating nausea from round 1 has subsided to an extent.  Dad has relayed that the doctors and nurses at both Thomas Hospital and University of South Alabama Mitchell Cancer Institute are blown away by her response thus far, specifically her white blood cell count for someone going through chemo.  Nan Hinds refuses to stay down long.

Mom’s refusal to stay down on the mat has me thinking boxing movies right now.  And while most of you probably rightfully skipped out on seeing the most recent permutation of Rocky, in Rocky Balboa, I was reminded of one specific speech in the movie that may have made by $9.50 worth it.  (Feel free to skip to the 1:00 mark)

Round 2 of chemo began today, and like the true champ that she is, Nan rocked her new tee shirt emblazoned with the new family motto:

Fight Like Hell

Just a scant few hours after completing her second round of chemo, mom was talking and told a great story.  Mom was feeling eyes on her all day from one of the nurses on the floor who wasn’t her own nurse.  After seeing her looking in at mom a few times, she finally came in to remark that she loved mom’s shirt, and thought it perfectly epitomized her spirit.

Mom has never been a physically formidable woman, but she’s always walked amongst the biggest of men when it comes to her spirit. There are more stories of her tenacity and fight than any simple blog post could ever recall.  For a woman who could fit inside a carry on, she has the heart of a giant.  I’m sure that’s why I married the pitbull of a wife that I married, because I found some of those qualities in her that I respect and admire more than I can ever put into words.  My mother’s strength, and willingness to FIGHT LIKE HELL when she’s needed to most of all has helped to make me the man I’ve become today.   I will never quit,  I will never give up, and there’s never been a fight I’m too scared to take head on.

The shirts started as a cute way to show our support for mom, but it’s blossomed into far, far more than that.  It’s become our motto, our rallying cry.  Today, her account tweeted

Chemo round 2 underway now #fightlikehell

Admittedly, Scott sent this tweet (which completely bummed be out, because I thought mom had already learned about hashtage).  It did come with editorial approval from mom, so at least we know she saw it.  I talked to her tonight, and laughed at her ability to quickly brush off the question as to how she’s doing, and immediately begin asking me how me and my wife are.  Mom made it through today and is feeling much, much better than two weeks ago, making it almost difficult to remember that she spent 6 hours in a chair getting chemo today.  Her ability to get back up is something we could all take a lesson in.

Dad asked for information on where he could buy the shirts that the Hinds’ in MA, NC and AL are rocking every other Monday.  The stock was low at the Finish Line, but they are available here, where you can get a Livestrong Fight Like Hell shirt.  If you do happen to get one, please take a picture and send it in to TeamNanHinds@gmail.com so we can post the pictures here for mom to see.

Please know that we’re getting zero revenue from this link.  We happened to find the shirts at Finish Line in Natick, MA, and from the sounds of things, they aren’t widely available.  If you want to join in, online seems to be the only place we can find them.

From Dad directly:

“I have attached a picture from the Autism run in October.  Michelle got it from the Autism society and I had it blown up and matted.  Then all the people working on LCS 4 signed the mat for her.  The idea is that Mom took on a mission for Sam that she didn’t think she could accomplish.  This was to remind her that she could do whatever she put her mind to even if she didn’t believe herself capable.  The messages of support have been inspirational to her.  I think this might also be something to post on her website.” -Dad

No question about that…

-Todd

Like a lot of things, it all comes back to the Patriots.

I run another website which had inexplicably been all but shut down on Google Search rankings in early December.  After a couple months of a 90% traffic drop I’d all but given up on the resurrection of the site.

True to her spirit, Nan remained ever positive.  She checked google daily looking for various search requests to see if we’d come back yet.  I told her not to bother anymore, because it was out of my hands, and really looked like the site was toast.  After her repeated calm reassurances that the site would bounce back, with me admittedly not listening, Mom’s tone finally changed the Friday before the Super Bowl.

“It’s going to come back.  I know it.  You know it, so don’t you dare quit on this site yet,” she said in an equally loving and stern tone.

With far more important matters at hand, I didn’t fight back to argue that logically, things looked bleak, and it was out of my hands.  I left the conversation there, but her words stuck with me.

Fast forward two days to Super Bowl Sunday, which is traditionally our biggest traffic day of the year.  Somewhat nervous over how bad traffic might be, I never logged on to see how our traffic looked.  Later that day, the site co-owner Craig, texted me excitedly to announce that it looked like we were back in the game.   After a week of fully restored traffic, I began joking with him that Nan willed us back in the game and related our resurrection to myth of how the Patriots got to the Super Bowl this year.

“If Myra H. Kraft helped push the Ravens field goal wide left, then Nan S. Hinds helped put our site back on the map,” I emailed Craig.

“So are you going to get NSH patches and wear them on your shirt like the Patriots did all season?”

2 weeks later,… I most certainly am.

Team NSH was born there.  The Patriots honored their matriarch all season by wearing a simple blue patch with MHK emblazoned in white text.  Clean, understated, elegant, and classy.  Four words that aptly describe Nan if you ask me, and the perfect way to honor our matriarch.

This simple email conversation I had with Craig when I should have been working, may have wound up as the best misuse of company time ever.  It spawned Team NSH; the site, the stickers (which we have plenty of, and will be getting out to anyone interested), and it’s gotten mom on Twitter.   Pretty effective emails if you ask me.

If you’re interested in stickers, shoot me a note at TeamNanHinds@gmail.com and we’ll get them out as requests come in.

-Todd