View Full Version : Still on the planet!
To those of you who inquired about whether I was still alive, I am here to report that yes, I am! Thank you!
Completely bald (lost my hair twice so far), under 120 pounds (not much considering I'm 5'9") and very, very weak. But breathing. Alive! And grateful I've made it through nearly one and one-half years of nonstop grueling, grueling chemo.
I have not checked in before because I've had to curtail computer activity because of the simple fact that I cannot sit upright and type for very long. But I'm figuring out how to do things differently and participate in all the (wonderful!) humdrum things in life again.
It's great to be back!
My only quibble is I see that SoSimple has taken it upon herself to report to everyone my real name and where I live. Sorry, but I find this to be incredibly thoughtless on SoSimple's part. Please. Pause for a moment and think, SoSimple. Would you like a stranger to post on a public forum saying, "Well, SoSimple's real name is....and she lives at....." because that is what you have done to me.
Normally this is not a big deal and I would not be so paranoid about personal privacy and I do so love and admire most of you on this board and know you would never do anything mean or malicious. But many years ago I was the victim of a mentally ill stalker and this stalking even included bizarre threats against my child.
So...please remember SoSimple that no matter how clever you think you are in deducing the real names and addresses of those of us who post here from information you've gleaned various places online, that perhaps a person's true identity should be left for individuals to reveal if they choose to. You've deprived me of that choice and I do think this is both unethical and thoughtless on your part. I do realize that it's unrealistic to assume any modicum of privacy on line, but still...What's done is done. Just something to think about for the future.
Anyway, I am alive! As far as frugal living goes, my daughter and I are now living on $830 a month and we are making it. Primarily because I barely go anywhere (except doctor appointments!) and can barely eat. So that's a big savings right there!
I'm glad to see so many of you are thriving on this new incarnation of the boards and continue to live mindfully and thoughtfully. I have enjoyed catching up on all the posts!
Take care.
Glad to hear from you and best wishes!
Hi WJSimon. (Hello again). So happy to hear from you. At first I didn't recognize the thread, this thread, and then when I seen your name attached to it I thought, "am I dreaming", so I had to reread what I thought I was seeing just to make sure I was, indeed, seeing what I was seeing. We have all missed you so much and have been concerned (and worried) about your well being. I'm so happy you are still in the race, and just like day one, you are still in my heart, my thoughts, and my prayers. (Your daughter, too). Continued thoughts and prayers.
The link below is to a song I instantly thought of after seeing your post.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3Id4_t2izk
Glad to see you're still on the planet! Best wishes and good thoughts for you and your daughter!
I missed the other drama. Sorry to hear that happened.
Simpler at Fifty
9-5-11, 4:54pm
I am so happy to hear from you. I think of you often and your DD too. Thanks for letting us know how things are going. Please keep in touch.
You just totally made my day.
Welcome back. We've missed you and have been sending positive vibes your way.
lhamo
Fantastic news!!!! Hopefully you will feel well enough and strong enough to check in from time to time, or often! So glad our worst fears were all WRONG!!!! :) :) :)
Nice to see you back, and well enough to participate.
If your name and location are still publicly posted here, send the link of the thread/post to a mod or administrator and ask for it to be removed. To be honest, if it's still up, I'm surprised it wasn't reported and removed immediately. Many of us value our anonymity, especially on the internet!
Yay! Glad to hear from you! I hope you continue to get stronger and stronger!
Mighty Frugal
9-5-11, 6:10pm
So happy to read this! I'm thrilled to read your post. Sorry about the big reveal but if it makes you feel better, I totally missed that and so if I did, chances are others did too
I hope you continue your road to recovery
flowerseverywhere
9-5-11, 6:26pm
Another one who missed the big unveiling. Perhaps if someone had notified the mods it could have been deleted, the last thing you need is stress right now. If we didn't want privacy we would post a picture of ourselves and use our real names.
I have been rooting for you silently as well. I hope you continued wellness and glad your daughter still has you.
Wonderful!! Wonderful!! to see your name and you are still with us fighting....
p.s. I am guessing the other info was taken off because I like the rest never saw it..
Hooray, hooray! I am so happy to see you here and posting. That's wonderful...just wonderful. Thanks so much for taking the time and energy to write..to figure out how to do it and then to actually DO it. And I too, missed any personal information. Gosh, I am just so glad to see this thread here. I am smiling all over my face, as a little person once said to me.
So glad to hear from you and sending good thoughts your way. Please keep us in the loop of your life.
Please, may I suggest that we all respect WJ's right to share what she wishes without asking her personal questions about her family about which we can do nothing but leave her feeling vulnerable?
So great to see you back! I think about you often and you've been a inspiration to me, initially regarding really simple living and living on little money and now for other things too. I'm really glad you checked in with us.
Kestra (Formerly Chelhxi)
loosechickens
9-5-11, 11:02pm
WJSimon, I was doing the new registrations this morning, and was SO delighted to see yours in there, and SO glad that you're back.
Absolutely.....I was unaware that anyone had revealed your real name, and other information. If you can locate the thread where that occurred, (I tried myself to search, but was unsuccessful, but you may know which thread, etc.) most definitely send me a private message with the link, and I'll see that all that is deleted. I'm so sorry that may have occurred. We mods try to read most threads, but if it's a thread or a forum that isn't usually a problem, sometimes we skip or skim if time is short, so may have missed something that important.
Just so glad you are still hanging in there!!!!!!!
LooseChickens
It's so wonderful to have you back!!! Welcome, welcome, welcome!
I agree with you regarding the privacy issue. I'd be livid if someone did that to me. We have to remember that there are people who lurk on these boards and never post, so we don't know a thing about them.
loosechickens
9-5-11, 11:23pm
WJSimon, with assistance from Iris Lily (thanks Iris Lily), I was able to find the offending post with the inappropriate information and have deleted it, as well as information regarding a real life location for you mentioned in several other posts.
And discussion of the incident will be taken to the moderators' forum.
I am so sorry that we missed this breach of forum guidelines, and hope that it has not and will not cause difficulties for you.
Welcome, welcome, welcome back.....
WJSimon, I was beyond thrilled to come here and see your name!! So glad you're back!! I can't tell you how many times I have thought of you and wondered how you were.... Like LC above said - welcome, welcome, welcome back!! :)
Welcome back! Glad to see you are feeling well enough to post.
Bastelmutti
9-6-11, 9:20am
Great to see you back! Continuing to send positive energy your way!
I've missed you, too, and am so glad to hear from you!
Continued best wishes. It is lovely to know you are surviving and feeling up to connecting again. You've given many people something happy and positive to think about today, thank you.
jennipurrr
9-6-11, 12:03pm
Welcome back...it is wonderful to hear from you again. You are an inspiration to me on a daily basis.
Welcome back! You are obviously much-loved - and were much missed - in this forum.
Thank you for taking the time and incredible energy it must have required to update the group.
Blessings to you and your daughter in your continuing recovery...
WJSimon, thank you so much for gathering the energy to post. Every time I come to the boards I hope I will see a post from you. I'm so happy to hear that you are still here, breathing. That is a good reminder to all of us that just being ALIVE is a huge gift.
I am sorry to hear that your identity was revealed against your wishes (like others, I missed it, so you are still anonymous to me). I understand that that was a violation and not appropriate. If I might say a tiny word in SoSimple's defense, though, I have often wondered how you were doing and worried about you, and I feared that we might not hear from you anymore, especially once the boards moved. I imagine that SoSimple might have felt similar fears and was reacting to them and with the intention to do something good, which was to connect all of us here at Simple Living with you again. Again, it was not OK for her to reveal your identity, but it sounds like she did so with good intentions. For what that's worth.
I wish you and your daughter the very very best going forward and will visualize you breathing every day. Good luck to you.
early morning
9-6-11, 11:14pm
WJSimon, thank you so much for the update - I've been wondering how you were doing. And like many others, I totally missed your "outing". Peace be with you and your DD - hope we hear from you again soon!
(((((((((((((WJ Simmons))))))))))) Sorry to hear you're ill - but glad you're back posting (I also missed the "real name" drama). I always enjoyed hearing about yopur frugal lifestyle and it inspires me to keep living one myself. Posts oem more when you feel up to it!
WJSimon Thank you so much for letting us know you are still in the fight. How is you daughter?
Wow!!!! I am so glad to hear from you. Like others, I have thought of you often and was hoping for the best!
You are certainly a survivor and I don't really know why you have such an impact on me, but I sometimes would think of you when I felt whiney or ill.
You hang in there!!!! Good tohave you back.
Sherry
I'm very grateful that you ARE still on the planet..you're a wise woman...
What a fabulous post to read!!! Woo-hooo! So glad you're back, and still around.
Gardenarian
9-8-11, 3:16pm
WJSimon - so glad to see you back on the forum!
Thank you for taking the time to keep us updated. We all wish you the very best.
Thank you for all the warm and wonderful responses. I've missed you all so much! And thank you, loosechickens, for dealing so quickly and efficiently with the identity thing. I know SoSimple was not being malicious in anyway and probably even thought she meant well, but was just thoughtless with someone else's personal information.
You all have no idea how heartwarming your responses have been to me. They keep me going! Thank you again.
So glad to hear from you, WJSimon! I (formerly Persimmon) have often thought of you as well. I wish you the best in your continued recovery.
I don't get on here very often and I too missed the reveal of your personal information so your secrets remain safe with me. And I'm so happy that you have been able to persevere through the hardship of the chemo and have gained enough strength to check in with us.
I hope you know that our community is always sending you love and light and I hope this helps sustain you during those hard times. Continuing to send prayers and strength to you and your daughter. Welcome to the new forum. :)
nordette
10-29-11, 11:54pm
WJSimon: I was actually thinking of you yesterday and wondering how you were...and well...hoping you were still alive and spending time with your daughter. I really have found tremendous value in so many of your posts.
Like others, I haven't been here in many moons so missed any of the revealing info. I too value my privacy a great deal and relate to how you must have felt. But like I said, I missed it all so I know nothing :)
So glad you're still here and still able to type and let us know you're here :)
Oh! This is wonderful news.
I am so glad you are back posting.
You are an amazing person, and much loved.
Welcome back WJSimon! Hopefully your recovery continues and we all get to follow along as you regain your strength!!!
Wishing you continued health and strength for you and your daughter as you deal with this very difficult time. I know two women with OC, both relapsed but both are beating it AGAIN.
Glad you are back. Hope you get the other stuff sorted, but it is super you are doing so well. Hope everything continues in a good way for you. I hope you can eat soon too.
Like a lot of people I missed the name and address thing, so I will continue to call you Betty, how is that and think that you live in Wisconsin. Okay?
Thank you for the wonderful good wishes and support! I'm actually doing a bit better with this latest chemo and yes, Sissy, I'm so happy I had that time homeschooling my daughter, and Spartana, thanks for the info, I did get a free energy audit of our house, which was great, and they are going to fix a few things for free. Yippee!
Thank you everyone. You are the best!
Bastelmutti
11-16-11, 1:23pm
Rock on, WJSimon!!!!
Yay! Glad the chemo is going well. Check in when you have the energy. We love to hear from you!
lhamo
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