@ MD Anderson - Part 4 (Volunteers & a BIG supportive family)

Being a patient at MD Anderson turns you & your caregiver into a big family with other patients & their caregivers, doctors, nurses, workers, security, volunteers and more.

This blog is dedicated to every one of them. Thank You for making our journey as delightful as possible despite the pain, homesick, worries of cancer & the rest of the cancer worry list.

 Imagine walking one day into your hospital and seeing it filled with jade green & purple balloons all over! Wouldn't that put a surprise-smile on your tired face? It sure did. We were very happy to see that the whole hospital is celebrating patients & CAREGIVERS! How cool is that? 

Below is a picture for two sweet volunteers that roamed around the hospital with big smile on their faces, giving free turbans and head covers to patients whilst taking their chemo session.

Here are some pictures from the different activities.

Scattered tables with free gifts & cards for survivors and caregivers

 The card baskets for everyone to pick a free card that has been designed by kids and volunteers.

 Free biscuits ( All year round, and not just during the celebration week)

The store selling MD Anderson related merchandise from Tshirts, magnets, notebooks, mugs, and much more

How cool are these volunteers? I wish our youth generation take an hour or more from their busy time to spread a smile to those in need in their own capacity.
Let us put hands together to share the similar experience at different hospitals in our areas. You can make a difference in their tough journey, start now!
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We Love Chemo

There was a time when I feared the word (Cancer). I tried as much as possible not read about it,  not to say it, not to even ask my closest friends or family members about it.
Recklessly thinking that doing so will keep it away from me & all the ones I love & care about.

I was wrong.

The first victim of (Cancer)  has been sweet little (Nadine). My cousin's 14 year old daughter who's pure soul & face never left my father's wallet for as long as I remembered. I grew up hearing her story and loving her so much even though I never saw her as she passed away a few years before I was born.
Her struggle introduced me to this awful disease and ever since, the word (cancer) is linked to the darkest memories.

Life moved on, and so did we. Though, the love we had to those we lost never left our heart. It grew bigger day by day. May god rest their souls in peace.

30 years later, life challenged my family with another (Cancer) story. This time affecting a 19 year old angel that is so dear to my heart.












I have been struggling for 2 weeks to find the right words that can express what I felt , but I found none. So I will keep the blog blank for now and move on to the part where I urge each one of you not be like me!
Read more about Cancer. Ask. Be comfortable about it. Know deep in your heart that everything happens for a reason, no matter how sad or angry you may feel about it, there is always a (hikma) behind it. We may never realize it at the time, but we will eventually.

Chemo sounds like the end of the world for us; It supresses the immune system, kills active cells in our bodies and destroys the hair & nails. However the reality is, it supresses the growth of Cancer & therefore, we should be thankful for chemo & for the brains behind finding the best combinations of it.

Cancer has 4 main stages. Each stage requires a different set of meds. Some Cancers require a set of Radio therapy to shrink the tumors in the early stages. Other Cancers require a combination, while the higher stages cuts it directly to Chemo.
MD Anderson introduces Proton Therapy too. Something I personally never heard about until I saw it Houston. It's the friendlier version of Radio Therapy as they explained. Here is a link about it incase you want to read more about it. http://www.mdanderson.org/patient-and-cancer-information/proton-therapy-center/index.html

Be safe. Be strong. Be thankful

@MD Anderson #Houston (Part Two)

Going to Houston anytime soon? For medical treatment or study, here is my Houston Guide

1-      Weather

The weather in Houston is somehow similar to Bahrain. It rains a lot in the Winter & storms may disrupt electricity so watch out for the weather every day. If you're packing, make sure to pack two heavy jackets and one rain coat. Also, get a closed shoes & many casual tracksuits. Don’t over pack, as you will find many good options to buy at amazing prices & awesome quality.

2-      Places to stay

      I recommend that you stay at (Domain At Kirby) . The Address is( 1333 old Spanish trail, Zipcode 77054) it is 7 minutes away from the Medical Center and is very close to a pharmacy, a bank, a phone shop and the two most important grocery shops.

You should contact the leasing office mentioned below, and sign with them if you want a furnished appt its approximately ($3000) a month for a two bedroom fully furnished room.

Step one: Email this lady mjmclean@corplodge.com and mthomas@corplodge.com  and give her the dates of your travel so she can check the availability.

3-      To Shop

 Daily Grocery: Fresh Fruits& Veggies & Arabic stuff from FIESTA. Across the road from the apartment. You can get quick stuff from Walgreens, CVS too. Kroger is best for their delicious Roasted Chicken, quick sushi & dumplings and other gourmet groceries. Get your organic grocery from WHOLE FOODS on Kirby Drive.

Home stuff: FIESTA & Target

Halal Arabic Grocery & Meat (Al Quds)

Clothes : Casual, Brands for less at Marshalls, TJ Maxx, Nordstrom Rack. Walmart & Target has day to day clothing & PJs

Premium Outlet: an hour away by Car.

Galleria: Largest Mall in Texas. Across the road there’s a plaza that has Nordstrom rack, Marshals and Old Navy. Across the road there’s DSW ( Discount Shoes Warehouse) - visit the Container Store for home stuff.

4-      Your Financials

      Open a current account in Chase. The most convenient bank in the area. Visit the one on (Main St) which is a 2 minute walk from the Apartment. I personally like their service & the fact that their ATM is located inside the hospital is very safe. I can withdraw & deposit cash safely & easily there. 

The same current account can have two ATM cards, if you want to share the account with someone.

Give the account details to your family in Bahrain to transfer you money. The bank will charge you $15 each time you get a bank transfer. You can also receive amounts by Money Gram (in Walgreens) or Western Union (in Kroger)

You will need an ATM to pay for your petrol! So get one quickly J

Try to hold 2 $20 maximum in your wallet. Don’t walk around with more than that! Be careful when you are withdrawing cash, try to use the one in the Hospital as I felt its safer than the ones on the road

5-      To Communicate

I used T-Mobile during my stay. It is located near the Bank on Main St. which is also a walking distance from the apartment. Look for ABEL. Tell him you know PAKIZA. You will have to pay $60 (+tax) if you require a Blackberry service. If you need a normal prepaid sim then ask them for the cheapest option. If you feel you are going to stay for over a year, then get a postpaid package that gives you a free phone and a yearly commitment.

6-      Internet

Most places have WiFi so as an option, you can take the prepaid voice simcards & use WiFi if you have a Samsung or an iPhone to use whatsapp, Viber, Tango or Skype for example.

Use GPS on your smartphone. Google the address of the place you want to go to, copy paste the address on the Map and zoom in as much as possible. By the time you're driving, the blue dot will move with your car, along the route of the pre-downloaded route. This works without WiFi or 3G service.

  

7- Important Addresses: (Will post a full review on the restaurants at a later blog)

• Meyerland Plaza Shopping Center, Houston, TX 77096, USA
• Premium Outlets 29300 Hempstead Rd #400, Cypress, TX, United States  +1 281-304-5820 () ‎ · premiumoutlets.com
• Jerusalem Halal Meats 3330 Hillcroft Street, Houston, TX, United States  +1 713-784-2525 () ‎ · jhmeats.com
• Cedar's Bakery 8619 Richmond Avenue, Houston, TX, United States  +1 713-706-4141 () ‎ · cedarsbakeryhouston.com
• Mantra Fine Indian (Halal) 15295 Southwest Frwy, Sugar Land, TX, United States  +1 281-325-0071 () ‎ · mantraofsugarland.com
• Fleming's Prime Steakhouse 2405 West Alabama Street, Houston, TX, United States +1 713-520-5959 () ‎ · flemingssteakhouse.com
• Samurai Japanese & Sushi  5317 Bissonnet Street, Bellaire, TX, United States +1 713-432-1858 () ‎ · samuraisteakandsushi.net
• Fadi's Mediterranean Grill  4738 Beechnut Street, Houston, TX, United States +1 713-666-4644 () ‎ · fadiscuisine.com
• Cafe Caspian (Iranian) 12126 Westheimer Road #116, Houston, TX, United States +1 281-493-4000 () ‎ cafecaspian.com
• Phoenicia Specialty Foods (Arabic Stuff & Buffet)  12141 Westheimer Road, Houston, TX, United States +1 281-558-8225 () ‎ · phoeniciafoods.com
• Edwards Cinema   3839 Weslayan Street, Houston, TX, United States  +1 713-871-8955 () ‎ · regmovies.com
• Pasha Turkish Restaurant   2325 University Boulevard, Houston, TX, United States +1 713-592-0020 () ‎ · epasha.com
• Walmart Supercenter  2727 Dunvale Road, Houston, TX, United States  +1 713-977-2099 ()
• The Chocolate Bar  2521 University Boulevard, Houston, TX, United States  +1 713-520-8888 () ‎ · theoriginalchocolatebar.com
• Hermann Park  Outdoor walking area, fountain, Zoo, flowers, train, lake +1 281-233-1730 () ‎ · fly2houston.com

@MDAnderson #Houston (Part 1)

MD Anderson Cancer Center is one of the original three comprehensive cancer centers in the United States. It is both a degree-granting academic institution and a cancer treatment and research center located at the Texas Medical Center in Houston, Texas, United States.
For nine of the past 11 years, including 2012, MD Anderson has ranked No. 1 in cancer care in the "Best Hospitals" survey published in U.S. News & World Report.

The hospital is very comfortable, clean and spread over multiple buildings. It took us a while to get the hang of it. With the help of the mini maps and the extremly helpful staff/volunteers, we were able to commute smoothly. We sometimes had to take the golf carts to move from a building to another - it was fun to hear the nice stories of the drivers especially during Christmas where they would be wearing Santa Clause outfits & ring their little bells around the corners.

This is the main building. It is located on Holcombe street. Despite the thousands of cancer patients & caregivers that walk into this building daily, parking & transportation services are unmatched! You can either park your car in a large building, you can use the hospital shuttles that roam around the area (to hotels & appartments), use a cab or have your car parked via Valet parking service like no other! Extremly dedicated outsourced staff & very friendly to the extent that they would greet you every morning with your name and ask about you if they haven't seen you for a while. We can never forget the sweet ( Frey )

Before getting into the building, one can enjoy the scenery of the beautiful seasonal flowers. I believe it makes a great impact on the patients morale to see such amazing colors before or even during taking chemo.

I will have to conclude part one. Will take you all into a tour in the building & introduce you to some of the great staff there. Stay tuned