Hot, hot, hot!

flowers in my garden

Spring/Summer are always a time for me to slow down with the fiber arts.  I love the beautiful cooler days of spring and early summer.  We are getting to the hot, hot, hot days now though so I will be spending more time inside.  Thank goodness for air conditioning! I have lymphedema, a milder case than some but I am definitely not alone.  Three to five million people are estimated to be affected by this disease and yet very little is known about it.  Kathy Bates has recently become the national spokesperson for lymphedema and is helping to bring awareness.  You can click her name to hear her tell why she became the spokesperson.

There is no cure but there are treatments that can help significantly.  It took 25 years for me to find a doctor who knew what was wrong and knew I could get help for this problem.   I am talking about it so others might realize there is treatment available and it does help. My left leg and foot are swollen from extra lymphatic fluid in the tissues.  This is not edema they are different problems.  Mine is considered primary (which means I was born with it) even though it didn't really become a problem until I was pregnant with my first child.  Some have the condition at birth. The sooner people receive treatment the better the outcome. Many people such as Kathy Bates develop lymphedema after surgery and/or cancer.  I am fortunate as I have decent insurance and it covers the cost of two compression stockings per year.  (They are over $500 each)  Many people don't have this coverage and can't afford the help they need.  Visit lymphedematreatmentact.org to learn how you can help.  Here is a little poster that explains more about this disease.

Anyway, heat makes my problems worse so I am inside more than out now.  The last few days I started to catch up on the Craftsy BOM taught by Jinny Beyer.  I have all the blocks through July completed now.  I need to start cutting out the flowers I will appliqué on five of the baskets.  Once I get that done I will almost be caught up.  I think this will be a beautiful quilt.

Craftsy BOM 2015

I have also been spending as much time as possible with my sweet dog.  He just passed his 14 year check-up.  Not doing quite as well as he used to but still living the sweet life.

Mocha Chip

My husband and I did a 5k on Saturday for the Suicide Prevention Collaborative in our county.  Suicide is the second leading cause of death among teenagers in Minnesota.  These people do wonderful work so it felt good to support their cause. I'm glad it started at 8 in the morning before it got too hot.

Suicide Prevention Collaborative
Together it gets better

Expect to see more posts from me about quilting etc., since I will be spending more time inside.
Have a creative day!
Janet