FogHorn June 18 Meeting
Posted by Editor: FDBobko
The FOGHORN
ROTARY CLUB OF HALF MOON BAY
Program: Shari Bookstaff
Meeting Notes - June 18, 2015
Strive to Thrive (not just survive)
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Article by Joe Brennan
Our speaker Shari Bookstaff teaches Biology at Skyline College and gave an inspiring talk about the ordeal which, out of the blue, threatened and consumed her life for years.
She has written a book about enduring brain tumor surgery, her remarkable survival strategy and her recovery experience entailed When Life Throws you Lemons…make Cranberry Juice.
But first she introduced her best friend companion service dog Grommet. She had her first dog at age three and she was raised in the heart of Wisconsin where she wanted to study Whales and Dolphins. She earned a B.S. in Biology and became a teacher. She studied Marine Mammals (although prone to seasickness) in grad school and became a Biology Teacher. She founded a local whale conservation group and a high light of her career was being the Naturalist aboard a cruise ship in Alaska. One of her guiding lessons has been Don’t be afraid to try something new and difficult.
Shari described the onset of her discomfort as dizziness and nausea which she brought to her doctor’s attention in April of 2006 and was told it was vertigo and would go away by itself. Without relief she went back to the doc in June and was told the same thing. In July she visited an Ear, Nose and Throat specialist who advised an MRI in the off chance it was a tumor which on July 5th it was proven to be. It was pressing on the stem of her brain, a golf ball sized mass but a “good” tumor in terms of treatment. A “Routine Surgery” was scheduled after which she was to stay in hospital for "five to ten days"; an excellent prognosis. The surgery took 13 hours and she spent the next 246 days in hospital’, through March 2007! What happened? She had suffered a stroke as a secondary complication.
It was here her survival mode kicked in. She lectures using key catch phrases which I have put in italics, the first of which was; breathe, Breathe, BREATHE, don’t panic! In the long post-op days in the ICU she saw her large goals as Stand, Eat, Run which all seemed impossibly far in the future if they were to happen at all. What motivation would be needed to continue? She realized; first look at the bright side = I am Alive! Next was Focus on what you can change. She realized that she needed to accept this new life and move forward setting small doable goals. The first goal was “Eat Chocolate Ice Cream by Monday” and her lesson was Modify to your goals but be true to yourself. So to wasn’t to be that first Monday or many thereafter but it would be CHOCOLATE ice cream when the time came as it did eventually.
in her long convalescence, her love of whales lifted her spirits which she describes as a “cranberry”. Her K9 companion was both a cranberry and a step toward independence. She advises to look for cranberries to bouy your spirits like recalling goofy movies, scenes or friends you recall warmly…any memories which make you smile are cranberries. Do the best you can with the resources you have; Maximize our Resources. Like her positive memories, her cranberries were positive steps toward improvement and recovery. If you are ever involved in assisting such a recovery, offer specifics and persist as the victims don’t know what they need. Most important is a Positive Outlook. Don’t mouth cliches but speak from the heart!
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Books were available to purchase, and she encouraged visiting her on Facebook
Article by Denali St. Amand
For our Flag Salute opening this week, Amy Warden (guest of Charise) treated us to a fabulous rendition of the National Anthem, and then led us as we all sang it together. Paul Wrubel delivered a thoughtful inspiration responding to the tragic murders in the Church in South Carolina.
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Guests
As his guest, Steve Wilson brought Charlie Gardener, who has made many contributions to the Coastside.
Farewell
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Dianne gave a heartfelt tribute to Tony Roehrick at his last meeting with us before he moves on to a new position back in Marin after his resignation as Superintendent of CUSD. He has been a Board member of our Club for the last 2 years, making many contributions while providing strong leadership to our local school district.
"It's ALL About WHAT WE DO" SERVICE ABOVE SELF AWARD
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Several members received well-earned recognition. Charise and Robin received well-deserved stars, Charise for her work with the Rotary at HMB High School in collaboration with the Chamber, and Robin for his work on our RC of HMB Foundation and chairing the Endowment Committee.
Special Thank You from Liz
Liz recognized Dianne reading the "Starfish" poem and gave her a starfish pin, which was a fitting metaphor, as Dianne has indeed been so generous with the impact she has made for everyone.
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Happy/Crappy News
Dave updated us on Ed Daniels. He encourages us to continue to reach out to him, as he has very much appreciated our support.
Charise and her husband greatly appreciated a special room at the HMB Lodge since he is recovering from successful surgery and cannot put weight on his foot for 6 weeks. It was a great idea to stay in the 'handicapped' room - made the transition home so much easier for both of them!
Announcements
Don't forget to be at the Senior Center, 6 pm, Thursday the 24th, for Dianne's debunking. This promises to be quite fun, so don't miss it!
Also, please send information as soon as possible to Dianne about our club's sons and daughters who have just graduated, so we can feature them on our website home page!
No Clean-Up at Carter Park on Saturday, June 26. Shakespeare Co. has these on hold for a while.
NOT TO MISS (from Joe B and Dan B) - SUPPORTING OUR COMMUNITY!
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