Going through Cancer removes any UAS Guilt hehehe.

[Ukejenny]

This reminds me of that saying, "Some people say you only live once, but that's not true. You only die once. You live ever single day."

I wanted to add, for Andrew, that I called HMS about my Blackbird Clara but was told that y'all couldn't get one with a passive pickup, so I called Blackbird to order. If not for that, I would have gone with HMS.

 

[brimmer]

What a nice thread. I recently got thru a year of cancer treatment, and I found the uke to be a congenial companion throughout. The guitar was definitely a bridge too far. Four soft strings and a minimal fret reach was about all I could handle. The only 'real' instrument I found that's easier on the hands is the tin whistle. I don't know if music heals but it certainly calms the spirit while the medicines do their thing. I also have to admit to buying a uke I definitely didn't need to mark the end of my treatment. That's my Stradelele. I also have a new Impempe tin whistle from South Africa on order - but that's news for a different forum.

Good health to all members of this forum!

 

[Gillian]

Some of my friends on UU know that I have been battling the beast for 8 years now. According to the stats, I should have been dead 6 years ago, yet here I am, painting, sewing, knitting, traveling, biking, hiking, buying ukes and starting ukulele clubs (www.sanjoseukeclub.org).

I just finished my FOURTH course of chemo to keep the beast at bay, and according to last week's PET scan, it worked again!

Four years ago, I bought my first uke and since then, every time I've had to sit for hours in an infusion chair with that life saving concoction slowly dripping into me, I brought a uke. At first, I played an Eleuke to play as quiet as possible, but folks in the nearby cubicles still heard it and started requesting songs, the nurses too. So, I brought my acoustic ukes and we would have sing-a-longs that helped drone out the monotonous sound of the infusion pumps, (the nurses could still hear the alerting beeps, though). I was so pleased when one of the patients started coming to our uke club meetings! She said she hadn't smiled so much in months.

So Cheers to all who have fought or are fighting cancer. I am convinced that playing a uke has healing properties, both physically and mentally. It is a fact that reducing stress increases the production of our bodies' cancer fighting T-cells.

To celebrate this last bout, I bought the Blackbird tenor from HMS that had the RMC pickup. Absolutely fabulous sound, both acoustically and amped. No guilt whatsoever!

 

[AndrewKuker]

To Ivan and Jenny, I appreciate that but I don't even think about these sort of things. I understand we can't have everything and couldn't keep up with it if we could. And I only carry Blackbird because I love the product and the company. I have the same one as Gillian and w/ the RMC polydrive pickup it's pretty amazing- Congrats to you guys! Celebrate life!

 

[Olarte]

Andrew thanks for understanding. Jenny and I would have bought directly from you but this time buying directly from blackbird made more sense.

Gillian you are a true inspiration. I saw my sister in law battle until her last breath. My niece Amanda who is touring with cirque du soleil is going through a very agrsssive chemo for lymphoma as she tours. Like us music is a big part of her life which is keeping her busy and her spirits and attitude quite positive.

While prostrate cancee does not rival the type of cancer you and my family members have battled. It's only because mine was caught early. And even thought the Cancer is gone my body is not the same as I deal with a degree of incontience and complete erectile dysfunction since the.
I'm now 53 and hope to return to normal functions within another year or two hopefully. This as I continue to treat my diabetes II And other age associated aches and pains.

I'm very happy about this thread cause it has served as a great forum for and we all benefit from it. We are all more alike than we realize and it's concersations like this that give us hope and reminds us of this.
Aloha
Ivan