Lung Leavin Day 2009!
18 Feb 2009 by Wendi Lewis under Events, News, People, Twitter
I promised an update on Lung Leavin Day 2009, and here it is! Not really a story as much as some photos to share, courtesy of the day’s creator herself, Heather Von St. James (and her sister, Danna, who devised the name).
As you all know, Heather is a mesothelioma survivor. Diagnosed just over three years ago, she decided to undergo surgery at the International Mesothelioma Program at Brigham & Women’s Hospital. The surgery involved removal of Heather’s tumor, pleura, part of her diaphragm, and her left lung.
The date of the surgery fell coincidentally on Groundhog Day, prompting an instant slew of jokes from the patient herself – she asked her doctor if her tumor saw its shadow would she have six more weeks of recovery? – and her sister, who renamed the day Lung Leavin Day, which stuck.
February 7 was set for the Third Annual Lung Leavin Day celebration, as family and friends gathered at Heather’s home in Minnesota to celebrate life and let go of their fears. They wrote their worries on plates and smashed them into the fire, and took a moment to cherish friends and family.
Hooray for Heather!!
