I born was born in a small village in Bavaria two and a half years after my parents married. In June 1949, we landed in Boston harbor, met by the Red Cross, who was giving out snacks of ice cream, doughnuts, and juice. My mother almost went into a panic thinking they were again in dire straits!

I have an extremely positive attitude – I am so happy to be alive at this time in the U.S.A, with so much research, options, hope and money pouring in from different organizations, etc. The other alternative is hopeless, depression and the realization that you will die anyway.

I am so happy to be alive, well, i.e. without pain, a support group, friends in Florida and friends from before all across the U.S., Canada, Israel, south Africa, Chile, Australia, etc.

At this moment in time, I feel the healthiest I can remember, except for the fact that I have bone mets from my breast cancer and tumors in my head from brain mets, but this is my life!

I putter all day and sometimes most of the night. (I have difficulty falling and staying asleep). I am lucky to be retired. I go to bed when I think I can sleep, usually very late, sometimes it's almost morning. If i don't sleep I stay in bed, rest, let my thoughts wander, go to the bathroom as needed. I know when I do fall asleep, I generally wake at 10 am. I spend the day puttering, which involves walking around the house- my exercise.

Puttering means bending down at every opportunity, picking lint off furniture and carpets, wiping spills off floors, wipe down shower tiles, glass doors and floors with paper towels, etc. Forget about the dishwasher – wash and put dishes away - great stretching – clean window sills, dust furniture, knick-knacks, counter tops, kitchen and bathroom. Clean floors in bathroom with paper towels, make the bed every day with throw pillows and all - you get the picture. I enjoy doing it, it keeps up my stamina, makes me strong. The one downside is this routine makes my husband crazy. He thinks I’ve gone insane, and he may be right, but for now, it’s all par for the course.