VOTE FOR MEEEEE POWER

Cast Your Vote for the Me Power Panel at the South by Southwest EDU Conference & Festival in March 2023

These past few weeks have been a whirlwind. Whew!

After back-to-back trips to Montana and then Southern California, I have returned home and have no travel planned until the end of September.

Perhaps the biggest news to share on the health front is that I will need a “pacemaker” for my severely enlarged, damaged heart (aka dilated cardiomyopathy). Technically, I will not have a pacemaker since the device I need is called an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD), which will monitor my heart rhythms and shock it if it stops or beats too irregularly.

What’s the procedure?

In 30 quick minutes, my cardiologist will place the ICD wires into a vein and thread them into my heart. He will place the device in my chest through a small cut, test the ICD to ensure it works, and 💥 I’ll be sent home the same day.

What are my concerns? Here’s a short list:

• Recovery complications. I like to plan for the worst and then hope/pray for the best.

• Getting shocked and then fainting afterward.

• Potentially getting shocked when I don’t need it because technology malfunctions sometimes.

• Needing to get the ICD reprogrammed.

• Having to get the battery replaced every 8-10 years for the rest of my life.

• Magnetic fields interfering with the ICD, including motorcycles, power plans, chain saws, cell phones, and airport security.

I’ll be able to ditch my six-pound external defibrillator, called a Zoll LifeVest, after September 13th. This is what I have been wearing 90% of the time since I was released from the hospital mid-February. It’s incredibly uncomfortable on hot and humid days.

I’m teaming with my Greek sister/friend Kristin Kalangis and author mentor Richard J. Marks (Rise to the Sun: 7 Footsteps and 7 Prayers for Getting Out of Hell) for a number of projects that will make your soul smile. We’re activating Me Power with collaborative efforts centered around Joy, Music, and Me Power.

Our first will be at the South by Southwest EDU Conference & Festival. I am naming and claiming the approval of our session in March 2023. We need your help to redefine the word “empower” and explore new ways to multiply our collective impact. You can support us by clicking on the “Vote Now” button on the website. Every vote counts!

Me Power Book Updates

Here’s where we are:

✅ Front book cover finalized

✅ Copy edited version finalized

✅ Me Power sent off to the proofreading

📕 Layout process and layout editing

📕 Complete back cover and finalize complete book jacket

📕 Price book and prepare for listing in all the places where books are sold

📕 Firm up marketing and book launch

📕 Redesign lanysha.com

📕 Begin Me Power PR campaign

📕 Soft launch electronic version of the book, get as many reviews as possible

📕 Hard launch Me Power (hopefully before Thanksgiving). I’ll have a more concrete date after we complete the proofreading and layout phases.

Three ⚡️ in 31 Seconds

⚡️ Wait for it…

⚡️ “Death doesn't discriminate
Between the sinners and the saints
It takes and it takes and it takes
And we keep living anyway
We rise and we fall and we break
And we make our mistakes
And if there's a reason I'm still alive
When everyone who loves me has died
I'm willing to wait for it (Wait for it)
I'm willing to wait for it

I am the one thing in life I can control
(Wait for it, wait for it, wait for it, wait for it)
I am inimitable
I am an original

I'm not falling behind or running late
(Wait for it, wait for it, wait for it, wait for it)
I'm not standing still
I am lying in wait (Wait, wait, wait)”

– “Wait for It” in Hamilton by Lin-Manuel Miranda

⚡️ To really know something, we must consider not only our own beliefs and opinions but also those of others. We may be biased in how we think, selectively attending to things that confirm our beliefs while ignoring those that contradict them. #MePower