Dear Friends and Family,

If any of you are still checking this site then my hat (wig) is off to you. You are obviously blessed with an abundance of forgiveness and perseverance. I have been very negligent regarding this blog, sorry. I will consider this my final entry and an opportunity to wrap up the year.

Our family is doing well after this challenging year. The loss of Dad Cutri was our biggest hurdle and one that many of you have already endured. Though we all miss Dad very much, we are at peace knowing that he no longer has to suffer. I learned so much from Dad's passing. It brought out the best in Dad as he graciously and lovingly said his goodbyes to us all. And it reaffirmed my belief that my husband is a wonderful man and son. I firmly believe that Dad is up in heaven watching over us all. Alex has recently gotten very encouraging news regarding his art work and future projects. Alanna's boyfriend, Mike, is on the last leg of interviews leading to a new job that will afford him the opportunity to go to college and secure a future career. I'm sure Dad has had a hand in both of those developments.

I have finished my radiation treatments. They were much more invasive than I anticipated but they are over and I am healing. I have a PET Scan Jan. 6th. It will prove that I am just fine then they will remove my port and I will truly be finished with the treatment phase. My hair has started to come back - it's about an inch long and growing in the most comical directions. But I can't get too upset about it - relatively speaking it just isn't that important.

I want to thank all of you for your support this year. I have been humbled by the love and best wishes that my family and I have received. As we all face the New Year together please know that I wish you all strength to survive the tough times and perspective to know that the rough moments are fleeting. Cultivate and nourish the relationships you choose to fill your lives because in the end, as we all know, that is what matters. I will strive to live my life productively with less judgment and more of an open heart. I wish each of you a Happy New Year.

Love,
Dianne

Hi Everyone,

It seems as though once again I am starting off with an apology for not being more diligent with my blog entries. It has been a very busy month.

My dear sweet father-in-law passed away on October 4th. He had a rough battle with prostate cancer and the last few weeks were brutal. Of course, we were all heart-broken to see him go but so ready to see his suffering end. We were all lucky to have enough time to tell him how we felt about him and he said all his good-byes to us, as well. His spent his last few days at Lifepath Hospice House in Ruskin- they are a wonderful organization. Frank was with him when he took his last breath and it was a very peaceful ending to a love-filled life. We had a Memorial for him yesterday. It was a large gathering of friends and family and a fitting tribute to Dad.

On a happier note, my mother is doing better. Alanna and I went to Indianapolis for 5 days to visit her, Dad and the rest of my family. She is doing better than I expected and I think our visit was helpful. We still have issues to deal with regarding her health but that is just how life is for everybody. We all face challenges and just do the best we can with each new situation.

I have finished my first week of radiation. It is a breeze when compared to chemo. As the weeks progress I will start to have more skin reactions but for now- all is good.

I hope you are all well and happy and productive. Spend as much time as you can with people you care about. Love, Dianne

Hello All,

My plan was to wait until I started radiation before my next blog entry but since I still haven't started I will bring you up to date. I have had my preliminary appointment with the radiation team to take measurements. I still have to get the tatoos ( not as glamorous as it sounds) which will be the targets for the radiation beams. I was hoping to have already started the radiation treatments by now but nothing runs as planned with this disease. Unfortunately, my mom's health has taken a turn for the worse and I am going to put off radiation to go home and visit my family. As soon as I return I will start the treatments.

I have been very busy trying to reclaim my former self. I exercise at least 2 hours a day - there is nothing more pathetic looking than a white, middle-aged, bald woman doing African and Latin dancing ( Zumba class). I am also taking Pilates, Yoga, Step and Weight Lifting classes. I have cut my calories to about 1200 a day with less than 30 grams of sugar. So you would think that I would have lost at least ONE pound... but NOOOOOO. Can you tell that I am a bit frustrated by it? A doctor friend told me that often the chemo treatments affect the thyroid in such a manner as to almost shut down your metabolic rate so that it is very hard to lose weight. He said eventually it will even out again. More evidence that god has a wicked sense of humor. No real progress on the growing hair front either. I think I am supposed to be learning patience but it certainly isn't my forte.

Frank's dad continues to deteriorate so please continue to pray for him and my mom. Please, take care of yourselves. Thank you all for caring about me and my family.

Love, Dianne

Okay, I think we can all agree that I am a terrible blogger. I guess I am not as selfish as I feared because I find it very boring to just write about myself. It seems like such a self-absorbed endeavor. But I appreciate that you care about me so let me update you on the latest.

I have recently finished my LAST Chemo treatment. HOORAY! Soon I will start what I believe will be 7 weeks of radiation 5 days a week. But I have a firm belief that radiation will be a piece of cake compared to chemo. And speaking of cake - I am excited to be able to get back to working out 6 days a week and hopefully losing a few pounds and getting back into shape. I have missed my daily workouts. My chemo doctor said that my hair should start growing in about 3 weeks after my last chemo so I am really anticipating hair and eyelashes and eyebrows and all those things I always took for granted.

Frank and the kids are doing great. Alanna and I are wrapping up our swim season. With Alanna's help I managed to survive the summer and service my clients. Alex is still working at Outback and is starting to work on some new art projects as well. He is a very gifted artist- check out his website http://digitalcutti.deviantart.com/. Frank and I are beginning to book more performance gigs for the fall/winter season. That is a very good thing. The economy has hit our business very badly in the last few years and we are hoping for a busy season.

Frank's mom is doing very well and has decided not to have surgery for her breast cancer. She has been taking medication which has shrunk the tumor to the point where it is barely discernible. Considering her age and poor heart and diabetes I think she has made the right decision. Frank's dad, on the other hand, is doing very poorly and wasting away from us on a daily bases. Hospice comes in to help 3 times a week and they are a god-send. Please remember Dad in your prayers.

I would love to hear from those of you who still check in to my blog. I want to know how you are doing and what is new in your life. Thanks again for all of your good wishes and prayers. I truly believe the worst is behind me and I am anxious to reclaim my "normal" life. Love and happiness to you all. Dianne

Hospital updates and video post

Hi Everyone,
I apologize for not keeping up with my blog. Life has been a bit hectic lately. My mom ended up in the hospital when her heart rate dropped to as low as 25 beats per minute. I was surprised that you could still be conscious with that low of a heart rate. But they installed a pacemaker and she is doing great now. The next day we took Frank's dad to the hospital where they are treating him for a UTI and lower intestine infection.

Relatively speaking I am doing just great. I only have 2 more chemos to go and then it is on to radiation treatments.

Alanna and I put together a video of some of our students. I think you should get more out of seeing their smiling, swimming faces than reading my drivel so enjoy. Love, Dianne

Hi Everyone,
Happy Independence Day! All is well here. Frank is on a much-needed vacation in Syracuse for about 12 days. It is very quiet around here without him. I went to an aerobics class last Thursday and today (Saturday) and I went grocery shopping - so, as you can see, I really am doing well. The new chemo treatments (Taxol) are much easier on me except for the leg pains. Now that I don't have to waste time shaving my legs or washing my hair I am doing more reading and I am going to try and get to the gym as often as possible. It is hot and humid here and pretty rainy too. The Tribune ran a story about our survival swim lessons and I hope that will motivate more people to sign up. The economy still sucks here so business has been off. I go in for another chemo this Thursday - 3 more to go. Hope you all have a nice long weekend. Love, Di

Hi Everybody,
I just had my 5th chemo session today. I'm hoping it will be easier now that I am just taking Taxol...

I am sick to death of talking about myself, so I thought I would share some photos instead. This is just a collection of random events.

Last week, Alanna and I did an interview and photo shoot with the Tampa Tribune about Infant Swimming Resource. It will run on the front page of the Brandon section on June 23rd, 2010. See below for photos taken by Alanna with our new underwater digital camera. A few of them will probably be featured in the newspaper article. Next week we will post the video of some of our current students that we are editting now .

I hope you are all doing well and I love hearing from you. Stay safe and happy.

Love,
Dianne

Cocktail Party at our house with some of our favorite people. February 2010
Di, Jeanne and J'Lene at weekend get-away on Marco Island. September 2009
Mike and Alanna at Grandma and Grandpa's party. April 2010
Fran and Frank at their party. April 2010
Fran, Frank and Frank Sr.

Alex, Alanna and Mike at Frank's Birthday Dinner. March 2009
Alanna and Penny (impersonating a 'purse dog') goofing around. June 2010
Miss Dianne's student, Macee, swimming to the steps during our Tampa Tribune interview/photo shoot. June 2010




Miss Dianne donned her new wig for the photo shoot.
Miss Alanna with her student, Evan. June 2010

Dianne (ISR Instructor) and Alanna (ISR Student) on Bonita Beach. 1987

Half-way through chemo, Yeah!!

Hi Everyone,

Well the good news is that I survived another chemo treatment and now I am half-way through, Yeah! Last Thursday was my final double-med chemo. The next four treatments are with the single drug Taxol. It still has all the same side-effects but we are hoping that they may diminish somewhat since it is only one drug. Hope springs eternal....

Another good thing is that Monday I went to another aerobics class and lived to talk about it. Unfortunately, today I had to go to the hospital for a chest x-ray since they suspect I have either bronchitis or pneumonia. I have already started on the antibiotics so I choose to believe that I am already getting better.

My eyebrows and eyelashes are nearly gone. Without make-up I look like Uncle Fester, with make-up I look like Uncle Fester in drag. Vanity is a very hard thing to abandon.

I am learning things about myself through all of this. I realize that the best day is one where I can be productive. I'm happiest if I can teach my students or go to the gym or even just clean a room in my house. I have no patience for sitting around and not contributing, that is why my chemo weekends are so difficult.

Frank and the kids are great. Frank is dealing with a computer melt-down right now. His computer has been in the shop for 2 days and he wanders around here like someone cut off his right arm. Alex is in the midst of painting the interior of he and Alanna's house. He is very proud of being able to completely transform their living room with hard work, artistic talent and few bucks worth of paint. Of course, the fact that he can create his own artwork for the walls really enhances the final product. Alanna is staying very busy in the pool helping me with my students and, of course, teaching her own students. Mom and Dad Cutri are doing as well as possible and looking forward to dinner and poker night with the family at Alex and Alanna's next weekend.

I'll try to post some photos and video next week for everyone to see. Thanks for your continued interest in our little saga. I love you all. Dianne

What a triumphant day! I went to the gym today for the first time since Feb. 23,the day before my surgery. Between restrictions after surgery and the port placement, medical appointments and just feeling crappy, I haven't felt well enough to actually go to the gym. So I view this as a very important day. I did an hour on the treadmill. Okay, so I didn't go very fast and I didn't amp up the incline but I still think of it as a victory. I intend to go as often as I possibly can and just work my way back to the same 6 day a week workout schedule I was on before all of this interrupted life. I'm feeling very good and looking forward to enjoying the next 8 days before my next chemo round.

Franks folks are doing okay this week. Mom feels fine and Dad got a blood transfusion recently so he is feeling as good as possible at this stage. Frank is doing great. Enjoying motorcycle riding and playing racket ball and of course working in the studio. Each of you have a wonderful week. Love, Dianne

HI Everyone, Hope you are all doing well and finding as much joy as possible in your lives. I'm not sure if you all know that Frank's parents could also use your prayers. Dad has prostate cancer and is doing very poorly and Mom has breast cancer. She has been taking a med to shrink her tumor and will probably have a Lumpectomy in July. They both have heart disease and diabetes so we worry about them a lot. Frank is amazing considering all the stuff going on right now. He spends a great deal of time driving his folks to the hospital and of course helping me. I'm doing fine. I had my third chemo last Thursday. The effects are cumulative, so it is a bit longer each time to recover but I didn't vomit this time so that is a big improvement. Alanna is taking over a couple hours worth of classes for me starting Monday, so I will only be teaching 3 hours a day now. How will I ever repay all the favors to people? Things are going along fine and I'm so thankful to have Frank, Alex and Alanna and my family and friends. Take care of yourselves and each other . Love and laugh every day. Di

Hi All,

It started out to be a great week. I was regaining my strength and worked in the yard all last Saturday then worked in Frank's parents yard on Sunday. Monday morning I woke up with a cold it has plagued me all week. My sweet Alanna, taught lessons for me on Wed., Thurs. and Friday as I tried to recover for our big job on Saturday.The band was playing another high society wedding reception in Long Boat Key for some very good clients. Luckily, my sub showed up this week and sang very well. I also managed to sing well enough that most of the audience didn't realize I was sick. Ah well, the show must go on.... Anyway the night was a success and we all survived and the clients were thrilled.

Our good friend, Gary Branch, is visiting for the week so Frank and he will have a good time. They are in the living room right now playing tennis on the Wii. It will be a good distraction for Frank since I haven't been a lot of fun lately. I can't imagine that a coughing, sneezing, nose-blowing, bald wife is much of a turn-on.

Lessons start tomorrow morning again and I am certain that I should recover from this cold soon. My next round of chemo is Thursday so I will be laying low next weekend. Hope you are all doing well and enjoying life.
Love, Dianne

Soul Sisters Race for the Cure

On a brisk, but sunny Saturday the Soul Sisters team gathered on the IUPUI campus early in the morning. Since the temperature was near 40 degrees, we started the morning by kicking up our heels with Smiley from Z99.5. Jen was so excited when he sang "Hey, Soul Sister" to us...look how Jen is smiling and standing right next to him!

Participating in the walk is truly an awe inspiring event. Everywhere you looked people were smiling, hugging, and yes, even some tears were shed. Even with the tears it is a positive energy! Everyone is positive that we are making a difference and bringing us closer to a cure for an awful disease that affects our mothers, daughters, aunts, friends and unfortunately our sisters.

Barb Davis was our fearless leader and she did an incredible job. The members that walked were Laura Forehand, Angie and Hannah Friddle, Missy Szakel, Jen Sandefer, Jordan Louden, Sherry Fagin,

and Niki and Laurie Gates. Rae Fagin and Alaine Melfi were also part of our team, but were unable to walk. Under Barb's leadership we have raised $2,912, not too shabby for our first time! And you can still make a donation to our team by going to http://race.komenindy.org/site/TR/Race/General?pg=team&fr_id=1070&team_id=38590 .

The Soul Sisters have already planned on walking again next year. We've even recruited some younger siblings to join us.

We are especially excited because Dianne has already said that she will join us next year for the walk. It will be a joyous moment to watch Dianne walk in the Survivor's Parade, and a moment that the Soul Sisters will cherish forever.

Ringling Mote surrounding the stage!

Hi Everyone.. Frank here and I just wanted you to know how amazing Dianne was on the weekend of her 2nd chemo treatment. Here we are at our Friday high profile wedding at the Ringling Museum Courtyard on Friday. Dianne not only worked the job and helped with the setup but also found time to look fantastic in her new wig. The caterers even commented on how nice her hair looked. Dianne said they could "own it too". This is the kind of great attitude she has had from the time she began her battle with breast cancer. Thank you to all that leave heartfelt kindness for Dianne. It helps her and me to know we have caring friends and family out there. Frank

The past few days- wheww.

Hi All, it has been an exhausting few days but I'm hanging in there. Here's a quick run down:

Thursday : Left for the hospital at 7:30 AM for chemo treatment. Returned home at almost 5Pm.

Friday: The band played a very high-society wedding reception at the Ringling Museum in Sarasota. What a fabulous venue - I will post some photos for all of you. The bad part is that it was a difficult venue to set up equipment and it was huge, a bit larger than a football field! We actually played on a stage that was surrounded by a moat - no kidding, a moat. Really cuts down on "Requests from the audience" if they have to swim the moat to get to you. Anyway, we left the house at 1:30 in the afternoon and didn't get back home until 13.5 hours later. We hired a substitute singer to come in and help out for the night, since we assumed I would be exhausted from the chemo, but unfortunately she didn't show up. Our sidemen (band members) helped out a lot with singing and moving the equipment so we all survived the night.

Saturday: Frank drove me to the hospital for my white blood cell booster shot. Then it all came crashing down . I was very sick Saturday night.

Sunday: I spent the day sick and exhausted.

Monday: I had my first day of teaching swim lessons. Luckily, my sweet daughter, Alanna, who is also a certified Infant Swimming Resource instructor, came over and got in the water with me to help out. The first few days after chemo I am literally too exhausted to sit at my desk or talk so Alanna did most of the talking for me and it all worked out fine. It was very healing to have my little "swimmers" back in my arms. Seeing how well they all did after those long winter months out of the pool is so rewarding and re-affirming. I am so lucky to have two fulfilling careers.

Tuesday: I am regaining my strength. Lessons went well today and I strong enough to sit at my computer and type this blog. Any day where you can do something productive is a very good day. So I am thanking God for his blessings and thanking all of you for your caring hearts.

My sisters, nieces and friends walked in the Walk for the Cure in Indpls. last weekend and I hope to have photos from that event to post for you as well.

I hope all of you are well and happy . I love reading your comments and "hearing" your voices through this blog. Thanks again to Ashliegh for setting this up. I love you all. Dianne

Bald is NOT beautiful, at least not yet!

Hi everyone, today we have hit a new milestone. I'm BALD!! My hair started falling out a few days ago so today Frank (have I mentioned lately that I have the best husband in the world) shaved my head for me. I must admit it was a bit traumatic. I guess I have been moving through this Cancer journey trying to ignore that anything has really changed. Even after my lumpectomy and node removal, with my clothes on, you can't see the scars and I look the same. Now, if I catch a reflection of myself, it is very apparent that something drastic has changed in my life. Okay, that's enough of the maudlin stuff, now on to the positive stuff.

Pros
1. Save money on shampoo
2.Save time spent fixing my hair
3. It will be much cooler during the steamy Florida summer.
4. I will learn to be less vain.
5. Frank always said he liked me in hats. (More evidence he is the BEST )

Cons
1 . I'm bald and look like Sinead O'Connor on a very bad day.

But life goes on. I spent time outside today doing some yard work and trying to get my head looking less like a very pale melon. In a few days I will get more accustomed to it. On the good side, I am feeling well and building strength each day.

Next week will be a busy one. Thursday I will have my next round of Chemo. Friday the band is playing a high society wedding reception at the Ringling property in Sarasota so I will try out my new wig.We have hired another female singer to help out since I may not have enough energy to sing the entire night. I'm sure it will all be fine. Frank and I will try to add some photos soon. I hope you are all well and happy. Thank you for your concern and prayers. Love, Dianne

I feel your love and support.

Hello Friends,

First of all, I want to thank Ashleigh Bullivant, my friend and colleague for constructing this blog. And thanks to her dad, Harvey Barnett, for suggesting she do it.

I am feeling very well. I had my first round of chemo 10 days ago. It is a long, 6 hour day, but it may be God's way of teaching me patience. I was a bit sick and very tired for a few days after the treatment but I am regaining my energy and learning how to pace myself.

I have been overwhelmed by the love and support all of you have shown for me and my family. In a way, cancer has been a gift to show me how much love I have in my life. I feel very blessed to have all of you with me. I will try to add an update once a week and know that I feel and appreciate your love and support. Love, Dianne

Komen for the Cure

From Dianne's sister, Barb Davis:

The fight against cancer goes on. In today's society everyone knows someone who has been touched by breast cancer. Whether it's a friend or relative, someone in your circle has battled breast cancer. I have found a way to fight against cancer- through the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure®. I will be dedicating my walk to Dianne Cutri, who is currently battling breast cancer. Also, my sister-in-law who is an 11 year suvivor.

Dianne is my sister. She has been an ISR Instructor for 27 years. She is an MI. You will remember Dr. Barnett recognized her and thanked her for her dedication to ISR at the 2010 Conference. She was diagnosed with breast cancer in January. She received her first dose of chemo last week, March 23. She will receive 6 months of chemo followed by 2 months of radiation therapy.

The Komen Race for the Cure is a community event that honors and memorializes breast cancer survivors, co-survivors and those that have lost to the disease. The Race also plays a vital role in raising funds for research, education, prevention, advocacy and treatment. Each year over 1.3 million people take part in Race for the Cure events around the world. My team of family and friends, called Soul Sisters, will be joined by hundreds of others April 17 at the Indiana University Medical Center Campus.

How can you help?
You can support me by making a tax-deductible contribution to Susan G. Komen for the Cure. If you would like to donate, please visit my personal page to make a donation to my efforts. You may also call me with the amount you will be pledging and can send the donation, payable to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure, to me at 6604 Valley Forge Court, Indianapolis, IN 46237. I must have all donations by April 15.

Sorry if this note has been sent to you more than once. Feel free to pass it on to anyone you want. The more people we have donating to the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, the sooner this awful disease can be eradicated!

Thank you for supporting the fight against cancer!

Sincerely,
Barb Davis, Certified ISR Instructor, b.davis@infantswim.com

Click here to visit my personal page.
If the text above does not appear as a clickable link, you can visit the web address:
http://race.komenindy.org/site/TR/Race/General?px=1811127&pg=personal&fr_id=1070&et=WtFThHR8IHX67htlmwuFyA..&s_tafId=22910

Click here to view the team page for Soul Sisters
If the text above does not appear as a clickable link, you can visit the web address:
http://race.komenindy.org/site/TR/Race/General?team_id=38590&pg=team&fr_id=1070&et=7P9SVehMU7I7TVmWmcVwbg..&s_tafId=22910