Arizona: The Quirky State?

When I was younger, my family used to take regular road trips from our home in Northern Virginia down to Florida. Not so much because we loved road trips, but because we were broke and you could stuff 3 kids, a dog (or two), your mother AND your grandmother into a mini van all for the price of gas (which was pretty much free back then). And not just any mini van, but a hunter green mini van with fake wood paneling. A hunter green mini van with wood paneling and the license plate "WR42N8." And yes, folks, this was also my very first car in High School. Oh, how fortunate I was. And you wonder why I wasn't prom queen.

My mom was always a good sport and loved these car rides (or so she claimed), always staying upbeat as she loudly sang "Country Road" out the window. But we, the kids, the backseat passengers, hated it. This was before every mini van came equipped with flat screen tvs, a wii, and surround sound (although once we did try to prop our mini tv/vcr combo between the two front seats and mcguyver the wires through the cigarette lighter in order to watch movies. This was back when cars had a cigarette lighter instead of an iphone outlet).

No, we had to rely on...wait for it...our imaginations to entertain us.

"Moooooom, I'm bored!"

"USE YOUR IMAGINATIONS!"

Basically, every kid's nightmare. I'm not sure any kid is imaginative enough to stay occupied for 3 straight days of being confined to the back seat of a mini van, no matter how "42N8" we were. And let me tell you, the Alphabet game gets pretty boring around mile 10. So this usually resulted in someone getting punched and someone else in tears while my mom decided that her way of coping would be to just sing louder.

Like I said, we hated these trips.

But for me, the redeeming quality of these dreaded rides was the holy grail of pit stops -- the one, the only South of the Border.

For those who have never been, get in your car and go now. And for those of you who have been, you can stop screaming "Don't Go! It's not worth it!" Everyone is entitled to their own opinions. And for whatever reason, this tacky, fake Mexican pit stop south of the North Carolina border made the 1000 mile trip completely worth it. Don't judge. I'm a sucker for kitsch.

To me, Arizona is like South of the Border.

Ghost towns and flea markets and rodeos, oh my!

The lights of the casinos are blinding in the middle of the arid desert. It's a state where you buy both bullets for your pistol and crystals for your chakras. Steak houses and vegan restaurants neighbor each other in harmony. You can even visit a meteor crater, dinosaur park, and Bedrock City (yes, home of Fred Flinstone). All in one state!

Even their town names are full of quirky awesomeness: Bumble Bee. Surprise. Happy Jack. Inspiration. Why (I don't know, but I plan to go here and find the answer).

To me, Arizona is South of the Border on steroids.

I keep being told to find the Joy. Laugh. Remove the stress from my life (Let's remember, I have cancer). Is it possible to live a stress free life with cancer? I can't think of a better place to try. Well, maybe Bora Bora. With The Hubby. And dog.

But Arizona is a close second. And I plan to see as much of this chintzy, eccentric state filled with juxtapositions, as I possibly can.

The 15 year old inside of me is constantly screaming at every attraction, "Mom, can we go?! PLEASE!"

And you know what? I think she just might pull over.

Because the joy I find in this crazy, weird place just might make this thousand mile trip worth it.

And at the end of it all, hopefully I'll look back and remember the kitsch instead of the pain of a long grueling trip where I got punched in the face.

THE DECISION

Remember when Lebron James, a.k.a. “King James” made a mockery of all of us with his quest for the right team...with his fucking Decision? Sorry, I mean, THE Decision.

Well, researching cancer treatments, for me at least, has felt like a similar quest (minus demanding an hour long news special announcing the final verdict).  But This Decision isn’t really one I want (although ESPN, feel free to cover this if you're so inclined).

No, This Decision blows. It's a full time job, and not the one you want, but the one you're forced to take.  And, no one is giving me 15 million dollars for my decision.

Actually, it truly has become my full time job. Sadly, I recently stopped working so that I could focus fully on getting healthier. This wasn't something I planned on. It’s not like I got Cancer and said, "hey Little Hodgy, let’s stop working."  Even Hodgy knows this girl loves me some new shoes. But my treatment plan just leaves no time for work. At least not right now.

So after weeks of searching for the right treatment plan, deciding on the plan, and then changing my mind about the plan, I finally made THE Decision (I think).

I've actually made several "final" decisions already so until I start the actual treatment, there's no guarantee I won't change my mind again (sorry Hubby, I'm indecisive until I'm not. You dated me, you should know!)

But I feel confident that this is it. So confident in fact, that, “dunt-dunt-duh!”  I'm announcing THE Decision to all of you.  After endless hours of researching and countless emails and phone calls, I've decided to take my talents and head to...ARIZONA! To a treatment center called An Oasis of Healing.

I ultimately decided on An Oasis of Healing because it focuses on an integrative approach to getting rid of cancer. Rather than just poisoning my cells with chemo, I'm taking a gentler approach for my body. As I've mentioned before, chemotherapy leads to a host of short and long term side effects, including fatigue, infertility, thyroid malfunction, heart problems, and other more serious cancers.

At An Oasis of Healing, I'll be receiving Insulin Potentiation Therapy (IPT). This is a low dose chemo that uses insulin to direct the drugs directly to the cancer cells. This allows the chemo to keep most of the healthy cells intact and reduces most of the side effects of conventional therapy. In addition, I will participate in other complimentary therapies such as yoga, nutrition, supplements, and if I'm lucky, courtside tickets to a Phoenix Suns game (Hey, I girl can dream can't she? Did I mention I have cancer?).

The goal at An Oasis of Healing is to not just get rid of the cancer, but to learn how to keep it away. Kind of important when you're only 28 and promised The Hubby you'd live to be 94.

When I asked my oncologist about IPT, not surprisingly he told me he wouldn't do it because "it may be dangerous." Last I checked, chemo wasn't exactly safe.

So am I taking a risk by going against my oncologists advice? Absolutely. Just like Lebron took a risk in alienating all his fans and pissing off the rest of the world. But it is THE risk That I, Cancer Girl a.k.a. The Thunder Stealer -- need to take. Otherwise, 5 years from now I could end up with breast cancer from the radiation and I would hate myself for not at least trying a different route. And maybe Lebron felt the same way. It may be the unconventional road, but sometimes you just have to take it to avoid your own "what ifs."

Will a lot of people think I'm crazy for going against the doctor's advice? I'm sure of it. Like Lebron, I'm sure that I too will have angry fans pissed at me for switching directions and going against what's been comfortable for us all. This team works. Why risk switching to another? But also, like Lebron, it's MY decision.

In fact, You can google alternative medicine, including IPT, and will get hundreds of negative articles to confirm my so called insanity. FYI, I've read them all, so please don't flood my inbox with hate mail. Unlike Lebron, I can't handle the negativity.

But at the end of the day, I have to be the only one that is comfortable with my decision. And this is THE Decision I believe in.

Hey Arizona, You Win!  The Thunder Stealer is Coming Your Way!

Someone tell ESPN I'm ready for my close up.