Hi Trisha and welcome back! You don't have to feel guilty. With
everything that you've gone through lately, it's great to have you
back. Sincerely, Josie


--- In BrainSurgery@yahoogroups.com, "Trisha Williams"
<trisha4080@...> wrote:
>
> Hi everyone. Hopefully, most of you know (and remember!) me, but
for
> those of you who don't, let me reintroduce myself and explain my
absence.
>
> My name is Patricia Williams and I am the founder of this website.
I
> know you all to be those who understand the issues and tribulations
of
> living with and after a brain tumor so I write the following words
> knowing you will understand. I just want very badly to reach out
and
> pull this group back together with a clear direction.
>
> I started this group due to a lack of follow-up after my brain
> surgery. My story is already on the website so I will not say more
> about that other than the fact that, as a registered nurse, I felt
> compelled to do something to improve the level of follow up provided
> to patients and families and to provide a forum for communication
and
> support to those of us taking this journey.
>
> I miss all of you and am sorry for letting so much time pass without
> participation. So let me explain.
>
> About a year after my surgery in 1999, my husband left. I was not
the
> same person inside my head and everything from my habits to my
> personality had changed. Instead of being the independent, type A,
> "family coordinator", all of a sudden my husband found himself with
a
> person who needed assistance on many levels. In the case of my
> husband, it was too much for him and he moved on; we divorced and
> that's that story.
>
> Bear with me... after remarrying in 2003, my life seemed to be
> progressing in a positive direction and I was growing and relearning
> skills I thought I had lost. I learned to read again, relearned
> improved communication skills, relearned the ability to do math and
> many other life skills I thought I would never have the joy of
> experiencing again.
>
> One thing never returned, however - my ability to multitask and
handle
> significant levels of stress without a price to pay. That price
being
> a lowered seizure threshold and having to stop one activity in order
> to focus on a new one.
>
> It is due to these deficits I have been unable to participate for
> quite some time. About two years ago, I found out my new marriage
was
> over after finding out about many affairs my husband was having or
had
> had. I won't go into all the details, but having to deal with this
> realization, along with managing through a divorce and all the
> emotions and confusion associated with it, I find myself left with
> very little energy to contribute to this group. I wasn't even
getting
> any of the posts because my email address had changed.
>
> I have continued to do my fundraisers on a lesser scale, raising
about
> $4,000 for various non-profit brain tumor organization and I conduct
> my annual fundraiser at the Florida Brain Tumor Association
conference
> each January.
>
> Having now made it through this stressful period of my life, I am
> ready to jump back in. I do miss being part of this community.
>
> I hope many of you are still interested in continuing with this
> website and exploring ways in which we can help each other as well
as
> those patients and families to come. I do feel we have made a
> difference to many people as a group and look forward to continuing
on
> in this regard.
>
> I look forward to discovering how many of you are still reading the
> messages and if there is an interest on your part in continuing on
> with this community.
>
> I hope to hear from some of you soon!
>
> Please forgive me for my absence and let me know what has been
> happening!!! I will read back over the posts now and delete those
> that are inappropriate (spam) from the archives.
>
> Glad to finally be back,
> Trisha
>