One Direction Video & Update :)

Hey Bloggers! Sorry that it's been so long since ive updated. I've been a little busy! I finished off my last semester with a 3.9 and recently got accepted into UT where ill be heading in the fall. I have a TON that I want to talk about but I think i'll wait until the next post to put all that down in writing.
Just a summary of it all though, I will be going to Camp Periwinkle very soon and I cannot wait, my best chemo friend Rosa Ibarguen unfortunately passed away this past week, and I took my very last dose of Methotrexate chemo tonight. I am getting closer and closer to the end of treatment and I am getting more and more excited.

Tonight I write as kind of a request..
I'm sure plenty of you know that I am a huge huge fan of One Direction and some of you may know that when I get my all day chemo treatments, I watch their videos literally the ENTIRE time. That kind of distraction from the chemo has helped me to feel better and keep me from getting sick. I actually REALLY want to meet them. And if there is anything that ive learned from the past two and a half years it would be that if you want something to happen you have to make it happen. If you want to get better, you have to make yourself better, and if you want to be happy, then just be happy! So if I want to meet one direction, I should make a video begging to meet one direction and get as many people as I can to help this video go viral and eventually get to them! So here is my request.. Send this video to everyone you know and tell them to pass it on. I am passing it on to Ryan Seacrest and other big names in the Radio Industry. I just want to meet these boys and thank them for everything that they have done for me, and this video going viral also serves the purpose of raising awareness for Childhood Cancer.
Please please please reblog this, repost it on facebook, post it on twitter, on instagram, and lets get this thing really going. Even if it never makes it around to the boys (which I of course hope and pray it does), make sure as many people as possible see my story and are aware of what kids like me go through!
Thank you all so much for everything and all of the support...
Here is what I sent to the radio stations and you can follow the link to the youtube video to learn how to post it to your walls! :) I do ask that just the video is shared and the bio that was typed up and not this particular blog post :)

My name is Devin Duncan and I am a 19 year old two time Leukemia Survivor from Houston, Texas. I was diagnosed for the first time in November of 1996 and the second time on February 18, 2010 and am currently undergoing treatment at Texas Children's Hospital. Since being diagnosed I have become a children's cancer advocate and have done spokesperson work for Texas Children's Hospital, The Snowdrop Foundation, Angels in Action, and The Sunshine Kids. I have spoken at events like the Lombardi Awards, The Layla Grace Foundation Golf Tournament, The American Cancer Society's Oscar Night America- Houston, numerous schools, etc. I have been in several fashion shows, attended several runs with the Snowdrop Foundation and Kevin Kline of Houston's New 93Q, been on several newscasts, been on the front page of the Houston Chronicle, won Homecoming Queen, been on several radio shows, and even put together a "Bald is Beautiful" event at my high school that raised over $4,000 in 3 days for the Curing Children's Cancer Fund-. I went to a community college close to my doctors last year and while getting chemo and missing numerous weeks of school due to illness, took 32 hours and earned a 3.9 GPA. I was recently accepted to the University of Texas at Austin to study Public Relations and hopefully one day go to work at Texas Children's in the PR department and continue to help sick kids just like me. I have a ritual when I get chemo where I watch One Direction videos on YouTube back to back to back when I get chemo every Monday and it helps me to keep my mind off of the chemo and keep me from getting sick. For anyone who doesn't have cancer, they don't realize how hard it is to keep yourself from getting sick from chemo and One Direction has managed to help me do just that. So to thank them (and of course because I love them), I am officially inviting them to my end of chemo dinner to celebrate with me and my family. When I was diagnosed for the second time at the age of 17, I actually didn't cry, but I instead asked the doctors, "what do we have to do to beat this?" I have that same "will win" attitude when it comes to this. I figured if I wanted it to happen I had to make it happen! So I have made them a short video asking them to come that you can find at the link below. I am sending this video to as many people as I possibly can to try and make it happen. I appreciate your help and feel free to pass it along! :)

http://youtu.be/_bb3a1Bb4tw


xoxo
Devin Duncan

Pass it on.

Okay bloggers, yes i've been waiting nineteen years to say that, I am about to go on a little teeny tiny rant. Although I am not nearly perfect and still a nineteen year old girl, I pride myself on being a pretty positive person. That may be why it KILLS me to listen to people complaining over the stupidest things. I mean think about it..how many times a day do you hear things like.."My phone is being so stupid!" or "I've been waiting at the doctor for an hour now and everyone who got here after me has been seen."

COME ON. I think it should be a rule that everyone has to at least witness someone who doesn't have their health or is in a bad situation. I am not saying that I wish that on ANYONE, but everyone should have to visit a hospital or homeless shelter or something just to see how great we all have it. I say we because I don't even think that in my current situation I have it very bad.

In the past two years I have witnessed an unfair amount of children and adults who have not been able to fight their disease and beat their cancer. Lately it seems like more and more of the people I have fought alongside have had a bad turn of events in their treatment or passed away.

This has made me want to spread a message that I feel we all forget sometimes. So here it goes. I challenge each and every person who reads this blog to think about what I am about to say before you go to bed tonight. Write it down, leave a note in your wallet for when you're having a bad day, write it on your mirror so you see it when you wake up..most importantly, pass it on. Post this blog to your facebook and share it with your friends.After you've done any of these things, leave a comment below saying, "I promise to give thanks". This could really be a movement. People need a little spread of positivity in their lives. I just strongly believe that this is something people need to hear.

No matter how hard things are for you...
Here are a few things to remember:
You have food in your belly and a roof over your head.
You are witnessing God's creations every day.
You woke up this morning.
You are beautifully and wonderfully made and you are loved.
You have your health and you are alive.

While not all of these may apply to all of you, some of them will. It is important that people start to count their blessings and not dwell on the bad things in your life no matter how large they seem.

There are billions of people in this world. No matter how bad you think you have it, someone else has it worse. So please, stop complaining so much. When you wake up every morning and before you go to bed at night, be sure to think about these things and say thank you.

I'd also like to quickly add in that Angels in Action is holding a golf tournament at Hearthstone Country Club in honor of Paul Petropolis. I had the honor of visiting Mr. Petropolis at home tonight and he was laughing and joking and still in good spirits. He is an amazing man and has done a lot for my family. This years golf tournament will cover any bills he will leave behind to his family after his passing and the coming years will benefit the Angels in Action ministry. The tournament will be held on May 14th, 2012. If you have any questions or would like more information on forming a team or volunteering, please contact me in comments below.

Update :)

So I realize it has been a while since I last posted. Honestly, I can't even remember all that i've done since then..oh yeah, except for that whole going to the hospital part. I was sick over Spring Break and in the hospital almost the entire time. Not really how I was hoping to spend my weekend, but it was actually kind of great. It really got me thinking more and more about this plan I had to start some kind of cancer teenage support group.

I've always said that I was given this disease twice for a reason, and I think I may have finally figured out what that reason is. I am going to hopefully meet up with some doctors who have gotten on board with me, the tech people who run the TCH website, and a few other older patients willing to help me out, and begin the process of starting my own teenage support group. There are always questions that run through a cancer patient's head that other people just don't think about. For example, I had a girl ask me recently what it feels like when your hair grows back. Not emotionally, but physically. I'll bet a bunch of you don't know that it actually stings or hurts when your hair begins to break skin. I actually sat on my bed with a bag of ice on my head to try to numb it. Crazy huh? I just think that there are so many questions like that and they can only be answered by people who have gone through the same thing.

I am hoping to start the group online and run it through TCH so only patients will be able to be a part of it. I want it to be a safe place for patients to go and talk about anything and everything. This project has kind of become my baby and I really hope that it booms the way I hope for it to. I will definitely keep everyone updated on the progress we make.

Other than that, I have been busting my booty trying to get into UT. Unfortunately, I cannot find out if I got in or not until after I finish my 30 hours at Lone Star. I am chomping at the bit to find out! It is definitely a test of my patience! I currently have a 3.9, but I still have finals so we'll see.

I really enjoy writing and hope to write a lot more in this blog, but honestly I am having a little bit of writers block at the moment. So leave a comment below and let me know what you want to know! I can be extremely deep and talk about the world's problems, or I can tell you what nail polish colors are my favorites. That might be a little extreme, but seriously..leave me a comment and let me know.

XOXO
Devin Duncan

StayStrong.

Since being diagnosed with Leukemia in February of 2010, my dad has kept a caringbridge site for anyone who wants to follow my story. I thought it was about time that I created my own blog for people to read my own thoughts and ideas. For those of you who don't know my story..here we go. I am Devin Duncan. I was diagnosed with Leukemia for the first time in 1996 when I was three years old. I underwent two and a half years of chemotherapy and after that first battle, I thought I was done. After being in remission for thirteen years, I was diagnosed with cancer again, like I said, in February of 2010. I am currently toward the end of another two and a half year treatment that was much more aggressive. It hasn't been easy by any means. I've had pain, sickness, weakness, felt down, gotten to the point of wanting to give up, made friends, lost friends, etc. But throughout all of that I managed to keep a smile on my face. People ask me all the time how I do it and honestly, I don't know. Keeping a positive attitude is something that you have to constantly work at, every day. I know one thing that helps me is realizing that no matter what i'm going through..there is someone out there going through something much worse. I know that because i've seen it up close. I go to a hospital that has 36 rooms on the cancer floor. That's 36 stories, 36 battles, most importantly 36 children fighting for their lives. Especially as one of the older children on the floor, it is hard to see other kids suffer through the same thing you are going through. Anyone with cancer would tell you, we would NEVER wish this upon anyone. So to witness it first hand definitely puts your life into perspective.

There is no greater feeling than being told that you have inspired someone. I hear it all the time and it never gets old because it makes me feel so great about myself and helps me through my cancer journey. One person who inspires me is Demi Lovato. I was watching her "Stay Strong" documentary on MTV tonight (if you haven't watched it you should) and I was so inspired to know that she has struggles too. She has always been a role model for me but even more so now. At her Houston concert that I went to she pulled a little girl with cancer onto the stage and let her sing with her. At the time I thought it was sweet, but after seeing it on the documentary I was blown away with how kind the gesture was. Demi had been having a bad day and facing some of her own personal demons that week when she originally met this little girl in a meet and greet. The little girl told Demi that she had inspired her to go to the concert without her wig on that day. Demi smiled politely and wished the girl luck as she walked out and then began to cry. That little girl may have been going through what I know to be one of the toughest battles that there is and Demi was so moved to know she had inspired her and helped her get through it. Seeing this gave me an idea..

For a while I have been thinking of possible things that I can do for TCH, the hospital I go to, to stay involved even after I am not a patient anymore. I've realized for a while that it seems like teenagers don't get quite as much attention as the little kids in the clinic and in the hospital. Nothing that is on purpose because the staff and doctors there are beyond supportive and amazing, but maybe because they don't know exactly what the teenagers need.

Cancer is a VERY scary thing. No matter who you are, how brave you, or how positive you are, there are times when you are just flat out scared. So why not have a teenagers support group where we can all get together and talk about things that really nobody else can understand but us? The changes in a normal teenagers life can be stressful, but add cancer on top of that and it can be an extremely tough situation. Sure, friends are there in the beginning..but as the newness wears away, so does the endless support. I think it's time for TCH to have a safe place for teenagers to just hang out, take their wigs off, feel normal again, and be able to talk about the deep things that we can't talk about with other people because they don't quite understand.

Just a thought. I have many of those and I will continue to get them all out on this blog. Please comment and let me know what you all think of the idea!

"You never know how strong you are, until being strong is the only choice you have"
StayStrong.