Millie’s Story

Site created on September 21, 2022

Welcome to Millie's CaringBridge website. Millie has recently been diagnosed with breast cancer. 
It was caught early and Millie's overall health is excellent so the prognosis is very good! 

To maximize Millie's energy to focus on treatment and healing, we are going to use CaringBridge to send her loved ones updates on her progress in interacting with this unexpected visitor. Her family will use CaringBridge to send you updates along the way. 

I'm her daughter-in-law Alice. We know Millie would much rather spend time in her hammock than be on her laptop so I'm handling CaringBridge for her. This way she won't have to deal with electronics and will have much more time to focus on joy and gratitude for being alive. 

Millie's health journey begins with six weeks of chemotherapy on Thursdays, starting September 22. After that, she and her trusted oncologist will evaluate what steps to take next. 

Millie feels incredibly swaddled in love by Pablo, her kids, grandkids, and siblings. She told me today that she feels calm and confident as she goes on this next step of her new journey. 

Many years back she had that crazy bicycle accident which slowed her down and started a new part of her life. 
She sees this journey as giving her a new look at life as well. 

If you have any questions, email me at alicerosenthal718@gmail.com

We appreciate your support and words of love, hope and encouragement. Thank you for visiting. 

Newest Update

Journal entry by Alice Rosenthal

Dear Sweet Friends --- I am happy to say that this is my very last note to you on Caring Bridge!

It’s impossible for me to say how much your love/prayers/support/words have meant to me these past nine months. I’ll let my multi-colored backyard friend convey my exuberant appreciation.

You see, way back in August, about the time that I got the diagnosis of breast cancer, I was upset about the sudden dying of a beloved backyard rosebush. I knew I wanted to replace her with something beautiful, and something that didn’t require sun all the time.

Lots of online searching. Then I found this in Gurney’s Seeds (Trusted by generations of gardeners since 1866!). How could I resist a rosebush described as:

  • Clusters of striped flowers in warm hues
  • Slight tea fragrance
  • Floribunda with great disease resistance

And her name?  Frida Kahlo!  I ordered her immediately.

Then weeks of waiting for Frida to arrive. Then weeks of watching her planted, but looking almost dead. That was about the time that I began my chemo sessions. I watered her, spoke to her every day and was upset when she didn’t seem to manifest anything positive. My husband and grandkids said, “Be patient, Mil/GranMillie. She will come.”

And she surely did. At about chemo #3, Frida shot out with gorgeous multi-colored blossoms. 

And look at her now! This is me with Frida in our backyard yesterday, her first blooms of this season. I think she wanted to appear especially to thank you in my last Caring Bridge e-note.

Frida’s blooms give me courage to tell you some personal news that I will share with “the public” in a few days. These months of illness and healing let me know – again – how precious our lives are, and how important it is to use our energies wisely. Many of you know that I have wanted to hand off Oasis in the Overwhelm to a younger generation. The mission and strategies of Oasis are still timely – and maybe needed now more than ever.

Now it is time for me to move on, and time for Oasis to get fresh energy to meet the needs of today. I will probably announce this in my next Oasis e-note.

Meantime, if you – or you know of anyone(s) - interested in bringing the simplicity and power of Oasis to the world, please be in touch: millie@milliegrenough.com If you are looking for a side gig, or a way to use your energy in a positive way, or want to cooperate with someone else or a group to bring Oasis to a new audience, consider the opportunity. You never know how it might bloom…

In closing:  know that I feel extremely healthy – still some fatigue and neuropathy, but overall fine and so relieved that my oncologist affirms that I am currently cancer free. You can see for yourself that my hair is growing! 

Big love and thanks to each of you for being with me on this journey, Millie

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