kathleen@kathleenmosko.com      Twitter  @KathleenMosko     www.aimisspine.com

Hi Everyone! 

I want to take a little time out to reflect on a few things before getting back to my regular writing. Since arriving home a little shy of two months ago from a magnificent trip to Cyprus, several big events have taken place in my life. Still, before the end of the year, a few more are yet to come! But, right now, with the holidays coming on, I need to put things into perspective. There is a family hurting over the loss of their beloved wife and mother. And, her passing has given me pause to take a step back and really reflect on what’s important. What should be important in everyone’s life. 

Back in the summer, I want to say, July maybe, I met a woman online named Linda. She read my book and contacted me because she too lived in the Vegas Valley. She was moved by my story and gave her two cents of wisdom and inspiration. She’ll never know how much inspiration she actually was when I needed it the most. 

Linda was the type who never spoke bad about anything, nor did she have anything negative to say. I’m told she was often the life of the party being full of fun and loving a good prank. Every time I spoke with her she was so upbeat and uplifting I just knew we would be friends for a long time. 

Our conversations were comfortable, like talking with an old friend. I know what that feels like because my friend from high school was to arrive on Halloween to spend a week with me. Linda was that kind of comfortable! Anyway, Linda and I became fast Facebook friends often talking by private messages. She shared she was diagnosed with a breast cancer that sounded so familiar to me… it was almost identical to mine. She wasn’t comfortable with what the drs were telling her she had to do, much the same as myself. I shared what happened to me and what I did about it with her. I also sent her to the doctor here in town I felt would give her the straight information, one that treated me. She was grateful and thrilled, and made the appointment for the second opinion, which was what I suspected, a much better diagnosis than the other doc she went to. Linda felt more confident than ever she’d made the right decision for herself about her treatment.

 We had a lot in common so I felt comfortable asking to meet her for coffee. And we did. I usually only meet with someone for about an hour or so, but with Linda, 3 hours had passed very quickly. We made a pack to meet up again soon to have coffee and share more, possibly after my trip to Cyprus. I promised Linda I’d call by the end of the week for coffee, but the week just got away from me. We agreed the following week should work out better, but the activity I was involved with made me forget my promise. I hate when that happens, I’m usually a woman of my word. I was busy with rehearsals but we did keep in touch through Facebook. Between getting ready for my girlfriend to come for her visit and rehearsals, there was always something to be done, with little down time to just chat. I know it was just the way things were, and I’m sure Linda more than understood. We talked about me getting back into life and what it was going to take.

 So you can imagine how stunned I was to read a post with Linda’s profile picture, which was her obituary. I must have read it four or five times. I had just private messaged her… oh my… I checked the date on our last messages… two weeks had gone by…. I was devastated. This just couldn’t be! We just met! We just became friends! She admitted she was going to live vicariously through all of my postings because rheumatoid arthritis had pretty much sidelined her. We even laughed about it. I hadn’t seen her on FB for a while. I guess I didn’t put much stock in it because that’s happened with several of my friends, but we always seem to swing back around, full circle. I never thought I’d never get to see her again!

Her obituary said her funeral service was at 4 pm October 31^st, Halloween, the same day I was to pick my friend up for her week’s visit. She would arrive at 9 pm. So in one day, I had to bury my newest friend, and pick up my oldest friend. I had a knot in the pit of my stomach. I vowed to make my girlfriend’s stay just that much sweeter. I usually make her feel welcome, but I tried extra hard to make her as comfy as possible. We really do need to take care of the things we value.

 It isn’t that I didn’t value Linda’s friendship, but rather, I didn’t put ENOUGH value on it. I took it for granted that she and I would have years to share “girl power” stuff. I don’t know if it was out of guilt that I went to Linda’s service but I knew I made the right decision when I saw her husband just inside the door. I introduced myself telling him my name but I only got half of it out before he welled up with tears and said Linda talked about me a lot and she really liked me. I’m rarely at a loss for words but I struggled to find words of comfort for him when he shared that. I didn’t think I’d made that big of an impact on Linda… I figured I was just one of the very many people she had in her life. He said she was so grateful for me helping her with her breast cancer and that she admired what I was doing these days. Privately I was blown away.

 Others came in so I had to move on, next, to her only child. We also had that in common, we both had one son. I shared some of the things she spoke about him and how much she loved him and wanted only the best for him. As insensitive as it was, I asked the question of him I was struggling with and had no one else to ask. I shared I’d just Facebooked her not long ago and I didn’t pick up that she was ill in any other way. He then shared she had a massive stroke, possibly the culmination of some 28 surgeries for her arthritis. He said she laid there for several days unresponsive until the doctors assessed the situation. It was finally offered for her to be taken off life support so she could go peacefully. Which is what they did. I was further devastated knowing I may have been a part of her demise suggesting she had the breast surgery the way she did. He assured me that was not the case, but I was no less shaken.

 I then walked over to the registry book to sign in and take an announcement card. A lady came in and stood waiting to do the same. Before I got my complete name written she exclaimed, “Linda loved you, she talked about you all the time!” I was so taken aback I could barely say anything audible, but I managed a, “really?” out of my mouth. She went on to say she was a good friend for many years and talked to Linda almost daily. Linda told her all about me and to prove it repeated much of what she knew of me, including about my book! The tears just rolled down my cheeks as the lady continued a back and forth with me about how much Linda thought of me. I realized then I was in the right place, though I had my doubts about even going so as not to seem like I was trying to interject myself in a very private affair.

She wasn’t the only one who came up to me once a few overheard who I was… I was speechless, but I knew I’d done the right thing. When the minister was done with his eulogy, he invited others to come up and say a few words. A few others did, and so did I. I was sitting in the back of the room trying to be inconspicuous but the walk up the aisle was long. When I got to the podium I tried to make sense of what was so sad. “That walk to this podium was one of the longest walks I’ve taken. I’ve know Linda for all of a nanosecond in time compared to many of you here today. I met her on Facebook and we became fast friends.

We met for coffee and discovered we had much in common. After sharing for what I thought was just a short while was actually more than three hours, but when you’re with Linda, as you well know, time flew. There are people who come into your life and you are at a loss as to the reason they are there, but you just know the relationship is right. That’s how it was for me with Linda.

 We didn’t know each other long, but we were both looking forward a long friendship and growing old together as girlfriends. She left an imprint on my heart though our time was short and I will be hard pressed to find another friend like her. She may be gone now, but she will surely not be forgotten.” Her husband and son were in tears. I knew it was the right thing to do.

 I had a few hours to go before picking my friend up from the airport so I went home just to close my eyes and think about all the events of the last few weeks and what was truly important to me. Linda was, but in her absence, I needed to make sure I held on a little longer to Julie, to hold her a little closer and to open up to her more than I’d ever done before. For so long I didn’t want to burden her with my problems. And yet, she was really willing to be at least a listener to what happened to me over the years. I would allow her into my world because of Linda.

 We ended up having a wonderful visit…. going from place to place and doing all our “girl” things girls do in Vegas. It was by far the best visit we’ve had since I moved to Vegas. I took her to a lot of my haunts and to a writer’s meeting to meet some of my Vegas writer friends. She was thrilled to meet them. I shared more with her this visit than I think I ever have. It felt good to trust her. It felt good to let go of some of the stuff inside. After I dropped my friend off at the airport, I went to the only place I feel safe outside of the Cathedral, I went home to do a little reflecting. It isn’t often you get to catch up with one friend as you bury another.

 I want to make sure what I do in life has purpose and to not miss the little things while taking care of the big things. I want to be grateful for all the things in my life and to know what’s REALLY important. And I want to do the things I dreamed of doing and make myself an example to others. Much like what I just did with Andrea Bocelli. A LOT of work went into me being able to sing with him this past weekend and, to finally have the confidence to achieve one of my life’s goals. I hope others see me and say, “If she can do that, then, by God, I can too!” But make no mistake, I didn’t do this in a vacuum. Many things had to happen, many people had to help me and, I had to be open to change and accepting that help in order for it all to come together. Yes, ultimately it was up to me to make it all happen, but, I didn’t do it alone by any stretch of the imagination. And to all those who helped me along the way…. from the bottom of my heart… THANK YOU FOR BEING THERE FOR ME! I couldn’t have done it without you!

 While walking into work yesterday morning with Dr. Smith, he asked me a simple question, “So what are you going to do for an encore?” A valid question…. I have some ideas…. stay tuned!!!

 Until then you all know what to do, take care of you and yours, and I’ll be back shortly to write more…

hugs,

Love,

Kathleen

kathleen@kathleenmosko.com         Twitter @KathleenMosko     www.aimisspine.com

Hi Everyone!

 For those who want to know about last evening’s performance with Bocelli… here goes….

 I’m still on an adrenalin rush…. almost 24 hours later…. each time I think about what I just did, I get a little more teary-eyed. I know one thing…. it’s time for me to rewrite my bucket list! Well, maybe not yet, since this wasn’t a duet with Andrea… LOL

 I guess there was more to actually talk about what happened before the concert than the concert itself. It went by very quickly… way too quick for my liking anyway.

 I got to the MGM Grand early, way earlier than I needed to, but I like early to be on the safe side. Waiting at home fully dressed and warmed up was something I didn’t want to do. We were told to come performance-ready as there were no places private to change and our space would not have a security officer to protect our belongings. I didn’t take my purse, but did take my iPhone, money (for programs), my driver’s license, and a debit card, along with my lipstick and a makeup bag. I figured if someone took the makeup bag and my sugar-free Hall’s, they’d have gotten the best part of what I carried in… the rest I put on my person. (The phone I hid in my cleavage, if you can call it that. It was a bit startling when my phone buzzed in silence while I was on stage!LOL)

 Since I was so early, after securing my things in our “green room,” I set out to explore. I went looking to purchase programs to get that out of the way. A lesson I learned the hard way by not getting some first when Brian once took me to a show putting it off until we left, only to find they’d run out. I came upon a delightful man named, Nelson.

 I shared my need for a program and, as we chatted, he inquired about how one gets to perform with the likes of Andrea Bocelli. Not being shy about sharing my demise and recovery from my surgeries, at the end of my explanation, I also shared I wrote a book about my experience with my world renown surgeon adding commentary. He asked who he was. He gave me a broad smile and said he knew exactly who he was because Dr. Smith had operated on him several years ago with great success. I am amazed at how many people I run into that have been treated by Dr. Smith… I just smiled. One thing lead to another in my conversation and before I knew it I was being offered a chance to have my book backed financially. I gave him my cell number and some other info he needed to help a gal out.

 Now, on top of all that, during my explaining, I’d interjected I’d brought a copy of my book to get into the hands of Bocelli since I talk about him in it and how he was my motivation to get better during those many months of recovery. A young man was just getting off the escalators as I was ending, and much to my surprise, Nelson called him over. He told the young man I have a great story to tell and he should listen. So, as shortly as I possibly could, I gave him my elevator speech about my condition, the book, yadda, yadda, yadda. Nelson then asked the young man to please take the book I brought to Andrea Bocelli because he’s one of his aides… I almost fell over….but instead, I ran back to my bag, got out a writing utensil and penned, “To Andrea Bocelli, Someday I will sing The Impossible Dream with you as a duet. Thank you for your motivation. My best, Kathleen” I briskly walked back to find the young man still waiting, and I almost thrust it into his hands as he stated he would definitely see to it Andrea’s personal assistant got it. I shared with him the x-ray on the front cover was my before and the back cover was my after shot. He just shook his head. So I guess the take away from this is that, I now have a copy of my book in the hands of Andrea Bocelli! AMAZING!

 I’m sure if Dr. Smith were to know this, he would chuckle and shake his head. I’m not really sure what he thinks about me or what I’m doing with my life or the book, but I’m pretty sure, it’s OK with him, since he hasn’t told me to stop yet! LOL

 The time to rehearse was upon me and I hugged Nelson, thanking him for his conversation, offer to back the book, and the help to get my book into Andrea Bocelli’s hands.

 The group I sing with, Southern Nevada Musical Arts Society (SNMAS), has been singing with Andrea Bocelli for four tours. I am honored to be a part of the big picture. With rehearsal behind us it was just a matter of doing our lineup and explanation about how to walk in and off the stage… we still had to do a warm up with Andrea. We were led to the stage, instructed how to gain entrance and then led on. I was so glad I had taken a very strong dose of a special kind of pill I only had 10 of to get me through the few days leading up to and the day of the performance. I was able to walk up the nine steps, yes, I counted them, and the real plus was we had chairs to sit upon when not singing…. for Judas Maccabeus we stood for the entire performance. I was in GREAT discomfort then.

 The orchestra instruments had to be at the very least, 75 to 100 strong. (I came into the building through the loading dock where I saw 6 semi’s being unloaded.) My editor saw the show in San Jose, California on Friday night, less than 24 hours before our show.

 Our conductor had a really cool personality! He was actually fun; very animated. He let the orchestra do a short warm-up, then it was Andrea’s turn. Andrea did a scale to let them do a sound check, then started singing with the orchestra, not whole songs, pieces of them just to warm up his vocal chords. I just sort of melted to hear him in person. I closed my eyes and enjoyed the brief moment. It was heaven.

 After Andrea came the soprano, then the guest soloist, who was singing notes in the C3 range… I was only hitting D in C2. For those who haven’t got a clue about what I just said…. When you sing to the radio, you sing in the C1 range, or the middle C octave. I, and my fellow sopranos were singing notes in the range of the second octave above middle C, hence C2, but the guest soloist, was singing notes in the third octave above middle C. Did I explain that clearly? I’m just grateful I can still hit notes in the C2 range! LOL (you know, after the neck surgery) Warm up was done in less than 15 minutes. It was off the stage and back to the green room for further instructions and then directions to dinner.

 Our meal was a catered buffet with chefs serving the food. Scrumptious looking for the most part. I ate just a small amount as I don’t like to be full or drink before a performance. I dread the thought of maybe having to go to the bathroom while on stage. LOL There was plenty of time to eat afterward.

 With all that out of the way it was just about time for the show. As we lined up behind stage, I could see through different areas into the audience the place was filling up fast. The MGM GRAND GARDEN ARENA holds about 15 thousand ( I misspoke yesterday that it was 18K), but because the stage took up so much room, there was only 13 thousand. Front row seats went for $1850. a piece! Quite rich for my purse. I overheard someone say it was a sold out crowd! WOW!

 Backstage was a flurry of activity as we lined up next to the security room where there had to have been at least 20 or more Metro Police officers just mulling around. There was a short video shown to the audience right before the lights went down in the house, the orchestra walked on stage, then it was our turn. My heart was pounding, but not from fright. I was so excited my chest felt like it was going to explode! Preparedness takes care of the jitters and I felt I was as prepared as I could be for the time I had with the music. Remember, we had only three weeks to learn 8 songs (OK, 7, the guys had one of their own and the girls had one to do alone as well) in Italian, phonetically. And all the nuances of opera pieces.

When Andrea came on stage, the crowd roared. It was amazing, and very moving! All this, the production, the preparation, the number of people in attendance, for one exceptional man. The music started and I felt anticipation, not apprehension. I can’t describe it to you any other way, except that I’m OK with all those faces looking at me. Yes, I know it’s easier if there are many others standing with you, but, I’m not uncomfortable on stage. It’s been 24 years since I’ve sung in a public venue. I’ve missed it. And I’ve only been back in church singing for the last 2 and a half years. This was very similar to singing in church, but on a much larger scale. The orchestra opened with a piece Andrea sang alone. Most all of what he sung was in Italian, the rest was in English. The applause was overwhelming!

 There’s nothing like hearing Andrea Bocelli in person. I’ve been listening to his recordings for some time now, but, it’s just different in person! They had jumbotrons on each side of the stage as well as a huge wall behind us streaming video. Every now and then I snuck a peek at the jumbotrons, cause all I could really see of him was the back of his head. I did get to enjoy the first half of the concert because the women only sung once as a full choir. The men had their solo piece in the first half. In the second half, the women sang our solo part and the chorus had our own song to sing by ourselves without Bocelli. We sang Funiculi, Funicula with him, but SNMAS sang Che Interminabili Andirivieni alone.

As for me hitting all the high notes personally, though I worried myself into a frenzie earlier in the week, I made every note on key, including the C2 D! I’m still smiling!

 There was plenty of applause when he started singing Ave Maria, and he played the flute during one of the songs as well. We sang Amazing Grace with him, which, for me, was absolutely magical! But the best part was yet to come… As the show wound down, he sang encores, The Prayer with Katherine Jenkins and Time to Say Goodbye, his signature song, with Maria Aleida. Our final song was a medley Nessun Dorma and O Sole, Vita! which thunderous applause brought the house down. As they say, the crowd went wild, the applause went on for minutes…. and I started to cry. Those tears were the culmination of a dream lost and a dream come true. I have God, and Dr. William Smith to thank for seeing to it I didn’t go to my grave before having this chance of a lifetime. I will be forever grateful.

 In just minutes I had realized my dream. I know this sounds really, really selfish, but, I want more! I want to do it again, and again… George Elliot said, “It is never too late to become what you might have been.” I know that, since my recovery, there’s little to stop me outside of myself. If it’s meant to be, it’s up to me. You too can have your dream come true if you are willing to work hard at what you want, IT WILL HAPPEN!

 I hope in some small way, if there is still a spark of some undone dream hiding in your heart, you use me as an example, and just do it, BUT DO IT NOW!!!!

 What I want most for all of you is to live your best life, pain free!

I’ll write more soon, but in the meantime, you know what to do… take care of you and yours.

hugs,

Love,

Kathleen

Here’s the link to my FREE BOOK! BACK SURGERY FOR 2012 A Patient’s Perspective
http://www.amazon.com/Back-Surgery-2012-Perspective-ebook/dp/B008CTT7Z0/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1353182371&sr=1-1&keywords=kathleen+mosko

kathleen@kathleenmosko.com     Twitter  @KathleenMosko     www.aimisspine.com

Hi Everyone!

I know it’s been a while but… well, you know, LIFE HAPPENS!!! I wanted to finish up writing about my trip before I tell you all what’s been happening to me. I would’ve just let it go but I think it’s so funny I just have to share it with you all! I will preface this post with a caveat that I mean no disrespect to different categories of people I’ll be talking about… You’ll understand what I mean in a moment.

I already said my goodbyes to all my new friends at the BBQ. I went back to my hotel to pick up my bags and wait for my driver… my plane left at 3:30am! I had little time to spare before he was there. We were to pick up another person and there was kind of a mixup with who was supposed to be where. The driver was miffed at me, though he said he was having a hard time remembering his instructions because they woke him out of a deep sleep to get us.

The flight back home was going to be a little less hassle and one less stop, flying from Larnaka to Frankfurt with no stop in Athens. However I had a 6 hour layover. I left plenty of time for me to get to my gate after the disaster of almost missing my gate there on the way to Cyprus. This would be the long leg of the trip, almost 7 hours in the air. The meds kicked in and I got to sleep most of the flight. I was in pain and exhausted…. in a good kind of way! I fell asleep thinking of all the great times I had with my new friends. No one can ever take the memories I have of Cyprus, no matter what! And they were all good!

We landed uneventfully in Washington… one more flight and I’d be home! I boarded first with the handicapped people so I would have time to settle in. I waited for my seat-mates to arrive so I could sit down, I was in the middle seat. The window seat was occupied by a very pleasant and very ample woman from Denmark. She and her friend had saved up enough money for the trip to see Vegas! She was so excited and kept looking back talking to her friend in the row behind us.

The aisle seat was reserved for a small Chinese-looking man who brought his own version of comfort with him in his little carry-on satchel. As he settled in to read his newspaper which had characters in vertical rows; that was the giveaway. The pleasant lady at the window was wonderfully friendly and talkative but not to excess. We chatted about children and different recipes.

As I was mid-sentence, I heard the Pfffffft sound. I paused for a moment, thinking I couldn’t have possibly heard that right. I continued to to speak, and then another more loud and distinct RRRRRRRRRRRIP! I stopped talking, my window friend and I looked at each other with a question on our faces, trying to hold back the laughter. She gave me a look as much to ask, “Was that you?” I shrugged my shoulders and rolled my eyes toward our seat-mate in the aisle seat. Before we could compose ourselves he let out another, announcing he definitely had a gas problem! By then, we were giggling and our bodies were heaving from laughter…

Our train of thought was broken so we settled back to relax a bit so as not to look like we were laughing at him. She and I both closed our eyes. I drifted off for a while, only to be awakened by a heavy scent of garlic. It was more like a WALL of pungent garlic! Before I could open my eyes I heard a VERY LOUD sssssssssssssssllllllllllluuurrrrrrrrrrrrp. Not once but several times in succession just as I was able to focus on the ruckus going on next to me. I turned immediately to my window seat-mate, and she too, was again aghast at his inconsiderate behavior. We just rolled our eyes and shook a little as we laughed at him again. One could tell he was used to doing as he damn well pleased.

Done with his meal of ramen noodles, he decided to take a walk. I suppose it may have been to the bathroom, but there was one immediately behind us, so I’m thinking he just wanted the exercise. I would’ve like to get up and move around but it was just too much of a hassle to maneuver in and out of the seat even though I’d taken some pain meds just before boarding. The other reason I didn’t get up was because if I’d buckled back in, my window seat friend may have thought I was fondling her since she had some of her body overlapping in my seat by some margin. It would have been difficult for me to find the buckle as well. I didn’t want it to be construed as groping.

Though we both watched our seat-mate return, he never made eye contact with us. I sloughed it off as a cultural thing. I was never so relieved to get off a plane as then. The excitement was building for my window-seat friend and her companion. I suspect Mr. Stinky was going to Vegas for one of two things… some high rolling gambling or to attend a conference or convention. It’s the nature of the city!

As for me it was back to my reality. My son and spouse were both at the gate to meet me, but my son came toward me with a huge smile on his face and a bouquet of balloons saying “WELCOME HOME!” A nice touch indeed! I’m glad they wanted to eat before we went home cause I was in no condition to be cooking at 8pm. I had pictures for immediate show and tell as we sat eating “FIVE GUYS” Burgers. I don’t often eat meat, so I had their veggie burger which substitutes mushrooms for meat. It’s tasty, you should try it! My body had no clue what time it was, so I immediately dug out the treasures I brought back, which weren’t many, for those I bought for.

I was home, Cyprus now just a sweet memory. But, AAAAAH, what a memory!

Those lazy mornings on the beach of the Med will be on my mind this winter as I snuggle in with my bunny under the covers!

Also, my reality was, I needed to see Dr. Smith in the morning…. I needed guidance as to what I should do about my hip and lower back. I really DON’T like taking pain pills! In the last two years I’ve rather grown fond of living a pain-free, and drug-free life! It’s awesome! I highly recommend it!

I will post more shortly, but in the meantime, you all know what to do…. take care of you and yours…

hugs,

love,

Kathleen

kathleen@kathleenmosko.com      Twitter @KathleenMosko              www.aimisspine.com

HI Everyone!

MY BOOK IS FREE ON KINDLE TODAY ONLY!!! If you’ve been wanting to read it but didn’t want to spend the money, now’s your chance!

You don’t have to own a Kindle to read it. Amazon has a spot where you can download a limited version of Kindle for FREE.

SO THERE’S NO EXCUSE!!! YOU SHOULD BE READING MY BOOK!

Stop back and let me know what you think of it and also, stop back on Amazon to leave a review. The more reviews I get the higher it goes on the charts…. the more people will read it and get help!

Here’s what one person who bought my book had to say:

Hello Kathleen
Your book was wonderful as it led me to Doctor Smith. I have surgery on Oct 23 with him. Without your book I would still be in the dark about how to get out of this pain. You are a miracle at amazon. I really enjoyed my appointment with Doctor Smith and you described him perfectly. Thank you again as without your great advise the doctor said I would be I’m a wheelchair and in bed the rest of my life. The 23rd cannot come soon enough. Thank you again I hope your book helps many others as it has helped me. May your God bless you. (name witheld)

So you see, it IS changing lives. One book and one patient at a time…. there’s only 9,999,999 more people to reach!!!

My next FREE ON KINDLE ONLY DAY WILL BE: November 10, 2012! But why wait??? If you or a loved one or friend is suffering in pain, GET THE BOOK NOW! NOW is not too soon, and you should never procrastinate! Think of all you friends and family who will be forever in you debt because you led them to relief!!! GET THE BOOK FOR THEM…. make it an early Christmas present!

WHATEVER YOU DO…. GET THE BOOK AND SHARE!!! The more people who have it the more people can be helped!

Off to my rehearsal for Judas Maccabaeus, but, I’ll be back! And in the meantime, you know what to do…. take care of you and yours,

hugs,

Love,

Kathleen

kathleen@kathleenmosko.com      Twitter  @KathleenMosko       www.aimisspine.com

Hi Everyone!  

It’s taken me days to find the words to explain this… I’m sorry I couldn’t sooner…..

I’ve been withholding this bit of information since my trip because I was hoping against hope it was all in my head. I’d rather be accused of being crazy, or a hypochondriac than have to do this again and again. It seems that when I was almost running from gate 18 to gate 32 at the Frankfurt Airport, my body decided it didn’t like what I was doing. Something in my left hip (the one not worked on yet) kind of popped or something and from that point on the pain on and off has been at about a 9-20 on a 1-10 scale. I’ve been limping since I got home from my trip big time and pampering myself, getting extra sleep, doing less walking, stopped swimming, more sitting, not going as many places all the while thinking it was getting better, but it’s only getting worse.

Worse to the point I am almost not able to walk. If I continue to limp and favor the other leg, I will start to throw off all the work that Dr. Smith did on my spine. So I find myself painted into a corner. I will have no other choice but to have, at the very least, one procedure and another hip replacement. The procedure may entail some low heat burning to alleviate the pain at my SI Joint for a short amount of time or it could possibly mean another fusion there as well.

I wanted this all to be behind me! I want to start living, traveling, being whole again, I feel the need to be helping others, not still taking help from others! Yes, I’m strong, but, REALLY, I’m as strong as I ever want to be. I want to sing with Bocelli!!! At this point, I’ll settle for being in that chorus, let alone doing a duet! But I still want to know I can sing the duet if I ever get the chance!!!! I don’t want to just watch PBS anymore! One of the reasons I was so bummed out the other day after getting this news was the fact that surgeries mean airways down my throat…. I JUST GOT BACK MY SINGING VOICE!!! I don’t know how many more my throat will take and still be able to perform. I was recently approached to do a one woman show and to tell my story. I agreed to do that before I found out about this situation.

I’ve seen two doctors, a pain manage specialist to do a diagnostic nerve study on my SI joint first, then a week later I’ll have an injection into my hip to see which one is giving me more pain. I’ve already seen my hip surgeon and he concurs with the course of action being taken. His preliminary tests show that there are two cysts on the ball of my hip. He said that’s due usually to wear and tear and age and use. He didn’t come right out and say it but he said, depending on what the tests revealed, he’ll know what to do when the time comes. From what I’m gathering, this is not exactly related to the rest of the repairs I had done, though I could be wrong. My understanding is this is just my age and body telling me I’ve done more than my fair share! Dr. Smith and I will have a pow-wow and go from there.

I’ve told all my doctors involved I will NOT forfeit my chance to sing with Bocelli and Christmas Mass… there’s also another performance on January 6^th for a Monsignor’s 25^th anniversary mass that I will NOT miss! So some good drugs are back on the table for me at this point until I can get to January. After that, we’ll see what happens.

I have to apologize to those who missed my follow-up post about the outcome of my second mammogram where, I shared that I do have two spots they’ve decided to just “watch.” That is what got me into trouble the LAST time and it turned into cancer! But they want to do nothing for at least another year. I didn’t mean to scare you all into thinking this was cancer, but for me, the news of possibly two more surgeries is hard to accept.

I know people are looking to me to see how I handle myself, and I’m OK with that because I’m proud of the way I have so far. But honestly, I’m having a hard time finding it in my heart to just be gracious about this last round of challenges. I know I’ll accept them for what they are, because this is what I must do, but, that doesn’t mean I have to like it one damn bit!

God knows I don’t ever want to cry in front of Dr. Smith! I want him to believe I am as strong as all of you think I am. I don’t want him to think I’ll EVER throw in the towel. I need him to know I’ll keep up the fight, no matter what. If I go weak, all of what he worked so hard to achieve with me will be lost, AND THAT’S JUST NOT ACCEPTABLE IN MY WORLD!

I know this is the last thing any of you want to hear, but, if you can find it in your heart to just pray for me, if nothing else, I’d greatly appreciate it. And I will keep all of you in my prayers as well.

I’ll be back to talk further about things as they progress, but, in the meantime, you know what to do, take care of you and yours!

hugs,

Love,

Kathleen

kathleen@kathleenmosko.com      Twitter @KathleenMosko     www.aimisspine.com

HI Everyone!

I’m off to do grocery shopping but I just wanted to let everyone know, MY BOOK IS FREE ON KINDLE TODAY ONLY!!!  If you’ve been wanting to read it but didn’t want to spend the money, now’s your chance!

You don’t have to own a Kindle to read it. Amazon has a spot where you can download a limited version of Kindle for FREE.

SO THERE’S NO EXCUSE!!!   YOU SHOULD BE READING MY BOOK!

Stop back and let me know what you think of it and also, stop back on Amazon to leave a review. The more reviews I get the higher it goes on the charts…. the more people will read it and get help!

Here’s what one person who bought my book had to say:

Hello Kathleen
Your book was wonderful as it led me to Doctor Smith. I have surgery on Oct 23 with him. Without your book I would still be in the dark about how to get out of this pain. You are a miracle at amazon. I really enjoyed my appointment with Doctor Smith and you described him perfectly. Thank you again as without your great advise the doctor said I would be I’m a wheelchair and in bed the rest of my life. The 23rd cannot come soon enough. Thank you again I hope your book helps many others as it has helped me. May your God bless you. (name witheld)

So you see, it IS changing lives. One book and one patient at a time…. there’s only 9,999,999 more people to reach!!!

My next FREE ON KINDLE ONLY DAY WILL BE:  OCTOBER 27TH, 2012! But why wait??? If you or a loved one or friend is suffering in pain, GET THE BOOK NOW! NOW is not too soon, and you should never procrastinate! Think of all you friends and family who will be forever in you debt because you led them to relief!!! GET THE BOOK FOR THEM…. make it an early Christmas present!

WHATEVER YOU DO…. GET THE BOOK AND SHARE!!! The more people who have it the more people can be helped!

Off to do the grocery thing now but, I’ll be back! But in the meantime, you know what to do…. take care of you and yours,

hugs,

Love,

Kathleen

kathleen@kathleenmosko.com        Twitter  @KathleenMosko   www.aimisspine.com

Hi Everyone!

Well, all my bags are packed, I’m ready to go…. but not before I have one last get together with my new family in Cyprus! THEY ROCK!

Diane came to get me one last time… I’m gonna miss her… to travel to Nikos’ house on the side of the mountain. I gotta tell you, getting in the car with ANYONE is a real test of my trust, let alone it being in a different country, on one lane mountain roads, IN THE DARK! LOL Diane is a great driver and I wasn’t scared a bit with her driving…. yes, there were times when one of the cars they sent for me had a driver who was hard-core Cypriot and went through red lights and drove in the middle of the roadway. Those rides gave me great concern! LOL  Diane was on her best behavior….

After winding through, no, THREADING, our way through many of the mountain roads, we came upon a street that was what I’d call normal. The house we pulled in front of was huge in comparison to some of the village homes. This house was on the corner, but Nikos’ was second from the corner, only because the first was his parent’s home, then his, then his sister’s. They all lived in a row and between them they have three golden retrievers, one black lab, and a puppy of unknown-by-me breed. Until recently Nikos had a bunny in a pen outside but, the black lab was a bit too hungry one day. I won’t say any more! <sniff>

 Their home is beautiful! And very unassuming from the outside! You’d never believe there was that much house behind those front doors, it was massive on the interior! A gorgeous living room/sitting area was to  your right as you walked in and a room off to the left which was an office. Just beyond the office was a half bath. The kitchen was the most prominent feature, one to die for if you love to cook like I do. The back wall was sliding glass doors which were completely inside their pockets leaving the entire patio and backyard a welcoming invitation.

Nikos’ BBQ station was to the right, a wrap-around patio went the full length of the home to the property line and a cement walkway completely around a square saltwater pool lit for the evening. Just to the right of the pool was a bit of yard where a tree grew with green fruit hanging heavy on almost every branch. I’ve forgotten the name of them but they are a cross between a grapefruit and an orange, but bigger than the size of a softball! Stashed away in the corner under the tree sits the now empty bunny pen. A sad reminder of a not so good day.

The patio was big enough to have two full banquet-size tables set complete with dinnerware. Beth, Nikos’ wife, is such a gracious hostess! Between her and her domestic helper, they put on a spread that would knock you over! Of course no one can BBQ like Nikos can so he was in charge of the meat. His setup for BBQing is AMAZING it’s in a horseshoe shape with a counter and storage that divided the grassy area and the patio.

Along the side wall was a built-in triple-spit pit, designed to do a WHOLE BUNCH of meat on the spits at once. All three spits were turning. Along the other side of the horseshoe was a propane grill for those things you just had to cook on grill grates. Things such as hallumi,(sp) a full bodied goat cheese that doesn’t easily melt, but rather softens. Then, there’s always at every meal, toasted pita bread for dips or sauces. And, since I don’t eat lamb, Nikos was kind enough to BBQ a chicken for me… not just ANY chicken I might add, but, a free-range special chicken that the local butcher grows. IT was scrumptious! 

Again, the food dishes were plentiful, tzaziki,(sp) and tabbouleh, drunken mushrooms, a lemon/raisin rice (I gotta get those recipes off her), salad, always a salad with meals, some roasted fingerling potatoes to die for and plenty of fine wine. Desserts followed dinner which were cake and ice cream but like I’ve never experienced before. I can’t remember if I left anything out or not. There was wonderful back and forth at the table and warm memories made. It was a fabulous way to end the visit. After all the goodbyes and hugs, Diane dropped me off at my hotel so I could check out and wait for my car. My plane left at 3:25am… I would sleep on the plane. I had a 5 hour layover in Germany too so I could relax in comfort since Claire was kind enough to see I had a pass to the business lounge during my layover. I only had three connections on my return.

Now seems as good a place as any to talk a little bit about the people I interacted with during my stay. I named names and places but I haven’t told you much about them as people. I want to share what I learned about each of them because, as separated as we are as Americans from distant lands, we need to understand there are plenty of people around the world who are just as wonderful as your friends and neighbors are. Our world is not so different that theirs, maybe our customs, traditions and languages are different, but in the end, they have similar hopes, dreams and desires as we do. And they bleed the same color blood we do when they are hurt. WE ARE ALL HUMAN FIRST!

So let me start with Claire. Like I said earlier, she looks like a Greek goddess. Long flowing black hair caresses her shoulders with beautiful skin and haunting eyes, and a body to knock your socks off! I am so jealous! But, what sets her apart from a lot of people is her depth of understanding of the human spirit and the human condition. She just “gets it.” She is a single mother of two who adores her children and cooks for them regularly and interacts with them as well as handling a highly stressful job. She is the Concierge and Destination Program Manager for AIMIS and she does this job seemingly with ease. I found her caring, fun-loving, mischievous and very empathetic. She and I could do some real damage if we ever had some time alone! I do hope she comes to visit in Vegas! We made secret plans! LOL

She cares deeply about others and it shows, especially for her friend, Tassos who looks like something out of the most recent GQ magazine. His salt and pepper hair is neatly cut and combed in a Mr. Business style. He has about a 6’3″ frame that is trim with olive color skin and a great complexion. They are an adorable couple together! I didn’t get to speak to Tassos much, he is the administrator of a private hospital there in Cyprus, but as we lingered at the restaurant after the Christening dinner, we talked.

He shared his passion and knowledge for the Greek/Cyprian history and of his experience growing up in a country torn by war in the 80′s and 90′s. I remember reading about the struggles they were having as I was doing my undergrad work at Kent State. I took a course on World Geography and found it very enlightening, as was Tassos explanation of their situation then and now.

Our conversation meandered and we spoke of personal situations leading to him sharing something with me, from a male point of view, which has given me new understanding and hope. I will contemplate that conversation for a long time. Funny how it took me to travel half way around the world to learn how to listen to my heart. Claire also reminded him that it was she who brought him to that enlightenment. He agreed and, we were all satisfied with such a wonderful conversation. I really loved that quiet time with them. I want to go back to that very restaurant and have a wonderful, quiet meal with special people. I would have given anything to spend a few hours in the village just checking out all the shops without being hurried.

Marios and Denise are the Godparents to little Isabella Adelaide. Marios, a good looking man, is about my age it seems, maybe younger by 5 years or so, and Denise, an attractive, short-haired blond with a slight build, about the same. He is the business/industry consultant of AIMIS who wears many, many hats at the moment. A busy man for sure, but soft spoken and very insightful. I found being around him calming on the drive into the facility and when we were in a couple of business meetings together. His wife Denise is a sweetheart of a person. She exudes caring and kindness in her mannerisms and the way she speaks to you. I didn’t get to visit with her much but I really feel she and I could hit it off well given the right opportunity. It was obvious they both loved their new role, evident by them taking Isabella off her nanny or parents several times when we were together. I do believe they have a grown daughter of their own, so that’s why Marios felt comfortable holding her and giving her the love only a Godfather could.

Beth and Nikos, are two of the most hospitable people I’ve ever been associated with. I met Nikos just after my first surgery in Dr. Smith’s office a couple of yeas ago. I liked him then. Beth and Nikos met in college in Oregon. She is Oregonian through and through and travels back home once a year. Nikos, a two-time Olympic Shot Put Champion, is almost larger than life, his stature is magnified by his personality. Between the two of them, they are down to earth, warm, genuine, friendly, compassionate people. They’d have to be to be raising three boys! Beth is the rock which holds down their family making sure everyone, including Nikos, is where they need to be, doing what they need to be doing. I like her a lot, still very American in many ways though she’s been there in Cyprus almost two decades. I noticed she and I have a lot of the same interests so we could definitely get into some cooking/baking frenzies given the right circumstances! LOL

Although I found the visiting neurosurgeon, Dr. Frank Feigenbaum and his wife Melany warm and friendly, I feel that, because of his status, I should reserve their interactions as private. Not that I don’t have great things to speak of about them, just that I will reserve their privacy.

For as long as I’ve been going to Dr. Smith’s office, well over two years now, I’d never seen Valerie in anything but scrubs, the office uniform. At least that’s what I told her, but I do remember seeing her in street clothes last Christmas when we met with her little girl to see Santa at the Fashion Show Mall in Vegas. It was also my first meeting with Gary, her husband. They are a delightful couple! We had some real fun together, and I liked how Gary interacted, fitting in like the rest of them. Sometimes, when a spouse comes along, they hold back but Gary got right in there with the guys and held his own. It tickled me to see this. And then there was the mischievous side of them both as we swam at Aprodite’s rock! That was such a good time! I hope we can do other things together as well. I’ve seen Valerie just frazzled at the office, overwhelmed by demanding patients, and stacked up cases, and extra work because someone else didn’t do it and then quit. She’s truly an awesome person, because I’ve watched her under that kind of pressure and she is always so pleasant. She does her job better than anyone I’ve ever seen in her position. And believe me, I’ve seem plenty of those people, but none as nice as her.

I got to interact some with Stephanos the financial officer of AIMIS, but only for a few brief moments in one of the meetings. He also was at the Christening and one of the Mezes, but seated away from where I was. He’s a nice person but, like I said, we didn’t get to visit much.

The same went for Sunny, she is the Russian liaison person for AIMIS. She is there in much the same capacity as Claire is but for the Russian patients, translating so they feel comfortable that there are no barriers and misunderstandings.  Sunny is a bright young lady with much to give though she’s only been there five months. I expect big things from her in the future!

I saved Diane for last. Maybe because she was the last one I saw, or maybe because I spent the most time with. We had plenty of time and yet not near enough time to get to know one another. She’s smart and funny and full of everything good. She’s two years older than my son and, if I had a daughter, I’d hope she’d be like Diane. I’m sure she would get along well with Brian and Ally. Diane holds a Master’s degree in, I can’t remember what, along with several diplomas in a variety of things that interest her. She shared that she just loves to learn. She tried to explain to me that diplomas were similar to what we would call an Associate’s degree here in the states, but, you are allowed to get them concurrently in the UK as you work on your regular degrees. I don’t completely understand their education track but it doesn’t matter, I do know that Diane is more than competent at what she does or she wouldn’t be there. Period. I love her British accent and her ways of thinking are at times comical, not in a mean way, just in the sense that her sense of humor takes over sometimes. (She was the first to connect with me after I left in an email, sending me pictures of the Christening from the photographer.) I hope to have a long relationship with Diane. She is very special.

So, I guess I have to bid Cyprus farewell for now…. I am a far richer person for having had this opportunity to connect on such a wonderful level with such special people! My heart is both full and sad, but my driver awaits. I must go….

I will be back soon to add more to my website, but in the meantime you all know what to do, take care of you and yours. Go to Amazon to get a copy of my book BACK SURGERY FOR 2012 A Patient’s Perspective… It’s on Kindle too.

hugs,

Love,

Kathleen

kathleen@kathleenmosko.com   Twitter @KathleenMosko      www.aimisspine.com

Hi Everyone!

Today I’m looking forward to a great look-see of the Island… and the bittersweet knowledge it’s my last day here. But I have much to talk about so let’s get started.

Diane, bless her heart, either volunteered or was pressed into service to take Valerie, Gary and myself around to a few “sightseeing” places. She is such a wonderful person and the perfect one to be our guide. She does this as part of the “team” when there are certain visitors on the island. Her “real” job is an OR technician when the doctors are in surgery. I know I’m leaving a lot of her responsibilities out but only because I could neither remember them if she told me or understand them enough to explain them to you in such a short publication. Just know that, she’s well educated with a cute English accent and a penchant for the mischievous as you will soon find out….

After my final sunrise at my special lagoon, and breakfast on the terrace, we were off to see the Island. Diane didn’t take the freeway, yes, they have a compelte infastructure, and no, they are NOT a third-world country, so we could see the countryside in it’s most upclose kind of way.

I saw more olive trees than I’ve ever even seen in pictures heading toward Kourion, Episkopi. I guess I didn’t realize we were climbing as we traveled, I was too busy along the way looking at the many orange groves and small farmer’s roadside stands selling their harvests. I really don’t know what I was expecting before I arrived, exotic fruits and veggies, but in reality, they grow much the same produce we do here in the states in our own back yards.

When we arrived at our destination, the ancient ruins, it was atop a good-sized mountain. There was a huge man-made canopy covering an archaeological dig site and of course the obligatory “guest” station and gift shop. When I got out of the car, I looked over my shoulder. The sight was breath-taking! To see the ocean, glistening in the sunlight as far as the eye could see was not something I was expecting! The short walk to the ruins was dusty and as I turned around to get a panoramic view of where I actually was, I saw trees that looked like they were in a windstorm. I guess from being up so high and so few and far between, their branches were simply all pushed in one direction kind of like this <. I had to snap a picture of them cause it’s something you just don’t see everyday!

As we descended into the ruins I had a sense of great awareness, a sense of timelessness, it was most overwhelming, to the point I really didn’t want to talk. I just wanted to take it in. The “dig” uncovered a bath chamber, crude maybe, but nonetheless, sophisticated enough to have a holding system and a drainage system for it. On a different level there was a hallway where the most exquisite mosaic pictures, thousands of years old were embedded into flooring. Some of it had eroded away but enough was still in tact to get some great pictures.

There were other levels and sleeping areas and places carved into the side of the mountain to hide in the heat of the day. If you turned around to look out all you could see was sea, I think mostly by design to be able to see if anyone was approaching to attack. This was my first time at an archaeological dig and it was absolutely amazing!

Basically, an entire village was built into the mountainside. Further down the mountain as we walked was an amphitheatre so perfectly designed that if you stood in a particular spot in the center of the floor/stage and spoke, you could hear the speaking voice without using electronic amplification all the way up at the top! The theatre could seat a couple thousand comfortably. I imagined the flat top of the mountain was where people parked their chariots while attending an event! LOL I didn’t venture into the seating, but Val and Gary walked all the way down to demonstrate the perfect sound system. We were on a time constraint to get back to Limassol for a 3 pm meeting with Marios, so for as much as we wanted to linger, it was time for the gift shop and onward to the next stop,Petra tou Romiou, Paphos.

Here’s where it gets interesting…. remember when I said Diane was a bit mischievious? Just off the coast of Petra tou Romiou is Aphoodite’s rock, a place legend claims she was born from the foam of the sea. This much we found to be true. (Val looked it up on the net when we got back) However, Diane pronounced that legend also held that if one was to bathe in the waters around the rock you could be beautiful forever. Val and Gary are what I would call adventurous and not at all shy to try something new.

So it wasn’t too far a stretch for us collectively to decide it was a good thing for us to go into the water to partake of it, just in case the legend was true. There were many others with their swimwear in frolicking. There’s just one catch…. we didn’t have swimwear! I think Val or Gary may have said, “Gee, too bad we don’t have suits and towels,” and I added, “If Diane were driving a rental car, I’d be in that water so fast, clothes and all…!” Diane said, “Hang on a minute as she dialed someone on her phone, then turned to us and said, my car will be fine, put down her things, took off her top, Val took off her top, Gary already had his off by the time I looked at him and they all looked at me as if I was the only hold-out! I said, “I’m not taking anything off but I’ll go in nonetheless!” AND IN WE WENT! The water was beautiful! The sun was hot, the water was just cool enough to make it feel perfect and I didn’t mind the fact that tiny shards of seaweed floated all around in the water. I did make the mistake of licking my lips which was extremely salty. YUCK!!

We splashed around and kept commenting about how this was really crazy to be doing but we all agreed it was something we’d always remember! I love spontaneous moments like this, those are always the best!!! It reminded me of the scene in “The Sound of Music” when the kids were in the canoes singing with Maria and ended up falling into the water. Yeah, it was like that. We laughed and carried on a lot! It was great!

After a while we remembered we still had to get back for the 3pm meeting, and as we stood in the sun onshore drying off, Diane made a call which yielded us the afternoon free as Marios was tied up and couldn’t make the meeting anyway. We went to this little coffee shop a couple of miles down the road that sat on top of another peak of the mountain. The whole back wall was a patio and open eating area. We enjoyed our drinks as we visited and took pictures of the ocean from so far up. In the distance you could still see Aphrodite’s rock.

Diane suggested we should try to take in our last destination so we’d have time to spend there as well. So off we went to our final landmark. Actually it is considered a “Site of Antiquity.” It was a midevil castle at the Paphos Harbor. The harbor itself was a picture you might see on a jigsaw puzzle box. Sailboats everywhere. And huge pleasure yachts too. Lots of them. At one side of the harbor stood a castle, much smaller than I ever thought a castle might be, but it had water all around it with a walkway built to enter. It was made of what I might think is sandstone with a white and very pale tan color, and  two levels to it.

As you entered into a great room there were rooms off either side. Both of which housed “cells” used for prisoners. there were some on the second level but those were reserved for the people who committed worse crimes who were sentenced for a long time to be imprisoned. The cells on the first floor were for short timers. We went to the upper level and looked out through the portals used for cannons, now no longer there. I could see why they wanted to have it so strategically placed to protect their harbor from intruders or renegades. It was so interesting!

As we walked back to the car, we stopped along the way at a few shops to find treasures to bring home, and so I did…. there was a lot of junk, but a few treasures as well. With mine in hand we had an ice cream cone and back to the car for our trip back to our hotels. It was a wonderful day getting to know Val and her husband outside of the office and a chance to see a more personal side of Diane. I will cherish this day always.

I do have to tell you that, CYPRIOTS DRIVE ON THE WRONG SIDE OF THE ROAD!!! LOL Actually I think that comes from the Brittish occupation the Island was under when they were building the infrastructure and roadways. They have cars where the steering wheels are on the right side and the white lines on the roadways are but a mere suggestion. A lot of Cypriots drive in the middle of the roadway, no matter if it’s a one lane road like in the mountain villages, or on city streets like in Limassol! OH, and red lights are ok to go through if you honk and pay attention to pedestrians. If there aren’t any people walking across the street and no oncoming traffic, they just beep and go through the red light…. and that’s pretty much standard practice!

When we got back to drop Val and Gary off at their hotel, I spied a silver Mazarotti parked in front of the drop-off area. I couldn’t resist getting a couple of shots of that car. I’ve only seen two in person and that was one of em. The other was back home in Vegas I saw about a year ago. I thought it was cool so I just had to take the shot.

Brian got me hooked on high-end model cars when we’d do our dream sessions. I wanted him to feel good about going to work for the next 30 or 40 years so I’d take him to places like high-end dealerships or places that had things he eventually wanted to own. We’d talk about him owning this or that and I’d use it as a lesson for him to learn that if he studied hard and earned a good enough living he could have anything he wanted. I encouraged him to daydream. Mom always said, “Your days are made better by your daydreams.” And she was right! I wanted him to always have a dream. His was owning a whole cache of high-end cars. His favorite is a Lamborghini, which is the next thing on his bucket list. His first already done was to live in a high-rise on Las Vegas Blvd. He’s so happy he got that one! One down and a lifetime more to go!

After a little rest we were to meet up with everyone at Nikos’ house for a BBQ and some last minute fun. I’ll save that for another post but for now, you know what to do, take care of you and yours.

hugs,

Love,

Kathleen