Lighting Up the Night

Last night we attended the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society "Light the Night" fundraiser in Durham. Marty, Deb, and Alex join us there with several friends adding donations to our team to benefit all of the good work that is done by the society for research and patient advocacy. Last year I was out of the hospital on the night they held the event, but my cell counts were too low to out and about with the public. It felt good to be able to join in this year, walking with a lit balloon-mine white since I am a survivor, while Holly and Alex had red ones as supporters. The event was much more somber than the Breast Cancer events I've attended. For one, it was notable how few white survivor balloons there were compared to red supporter balloons. Fortunately there are fewer blood cancers diagnosed each year, but the survival rates are much lower than for breast cancer. It certainly hit home seeing the paucity of white balloons compared to red ones at this event. I could go on and on about how lucky it made me feel. I could extoll my appreciation to everyone who supported me last night & the last year whether you were there or not. And I could assure all of you that I am happy for every additional day I get to be here. One survivor who had the same cancer I had last year spoke to the gathering just before we left for the 2 mile walk around Durham. He said that he didn't feel much like a hero which someone had called him. But then he realized that he was "Here -Oh," and that seemed to fit. Well thankfully I am "Here- Oh" too.

What 50 Looks Like

Today is Holly's 50th birthday. While I was able to avail myself of the 3:30am hotflashes to say happy birthday, I had to wait until 7am to properly sing her the Happy Birthday song which is customary in my family. She was good natured too about the big tube of "Oil of Old Age" which I gave her. Tonight we'll go to the local hangout to celebrate a bit. We haven't done nearly enough of that- what with the cruise trip to Scandinavia, the cabin weekend with friends at the Va Creeper trail, and of course that happy birthday wish at 3:30am. Tee hee. Anyway, I feel incredibly lucky and blessed to be here now and celebrating my girlfriend's 50th. In some ways, it feels like I am celebrating my 50th birthday too. After my struggles and health challenges of the past few years, I feel older than 47. So 50 seems as good as any age to pick, and it's a fun one to commemorate. Thankfully I'm here and healthy and happy and able to be part of so many fun events.

More Happy Birthdays

On this delightfully sunny October 13th, I'd like to wish my sisters Beth and Becky a warm Happy Birthday! They are turning 45 yrs old today. Now all three of us are deeply ensconced in our mid 40's (well I'm 47 which feels a lot closer to 50 than 40, but you get the idea). I hope that they have plans to to do something fun and exciting today to celebrate.

The Asheville gang plus Miriam and Alex from Durham celebrated Holly's 50th in the Virginia mountains this past w-e. We rented a big cabin that used to be the one room school house for the Whitetop Va community, where we stayed to take advantage of the Virginia Creeper bike Trail and hiking in nearby Grayson Highlands State Park. The family who owns the house turned it into a family cabin with gas logs, a big open kitchen, sleeping porch and loft in addition to actual bedrooms downstairs. We were a little cramped all eleven of us stuffed in there together, but this is the gang that goes camping, hiking, and canoeing all the time so intimacy just means having your own bathroom. We had a fabulous time with everyone arriving Friday evening just as the weather turned from blue skies to drizzle. We enjoyed a big potluck dinner with lasagne and eggplant parmesan followed by Susan's famous pound cake for dessert. She made a new one, tweaked a bit with the addition of cream cheese. It was the best I'd ever eaten and her other ones are pretty fantatstic. Ellen celebrates her birthday Sunday Oct 18th, so we got to fete her Friday night, and sang to Holly Saturday night. Seven years ago, Ellen rented the very same cabin for our group on her 40th birthday, so it was really fun to go back to the same spot. They even had a candle still decorating the house that she had left there 7 yrs ago. We had to get all nostalgic about that when we realized it.

By the way, while I'm thinking of it, nostalgia really is under rated. I think it's one of the reasons we go to these places with our group. We have so many terrific memories of old trips in the area, of staying the last time at this same cabin, of all the cold bike rides from Whitetop to Damascus when it's freezing even in July. This time did not disappoint either as we had a cool drizzle most of the day. But hey, we didn't let a little thing like light rain keep us from having a blast. The colors were at their peak, the bikes were all functional, and we even figured out how to shuttle then back to Whitetop without much ado. Everyone was such a good sport about the trip, all aspects. We enjoyed great food, funny stories, a beautiful mountain view, the bike ride, an entertainment show complete with dancers, and plenty of fun. I am thankful everyone was able to go to celebrate Holly's 50th and Ellen's 47th. More fun and funny memories for later (not everyone is brave enough to fashion a rain poncho from a plastic bedsheet, but we have just the gal for that too!)

Here are some photos from the trip.

More Yellow Ahead

Today being October 1st, it reminds me to take time to notice the leaves. We've been very busy at the clinic lately, what with H1N1 infections and now giving flu shots and all the kids getting every stray cough, cold and crud that floats their way. It's easy, I think, for everyone to get caught up in what is happening at work this time of year. The kids are back at school meaning that they, too, are going full throttle with homework, tests, report cards soon and, of course, fall sports (a little soccer anyone?). But this is the most gorgeous time of the year, and I entreat all of you to stop once in a while to catch your breath, take a walk (now that it is no longer hot & humid, you can't use the weather as your excuse), and notice the leaves. We'll have plenty more yellow ahead, but now is the time to pay attention. Sure, it will get better and better-brighter and more vibrant as the days get cooler and shorter-but today is exquisite too.

I found myself driving around Charleston with my Mom earlier in the week explaining some of the gifts that having cancer has given me. I was down in my old hometown to be with my Mom while my stepdad had exploratory brain surgery. Unfortunately, we didn't get good news-he, too, has cancer. We're still waiting on the official biopsy results to know more about the type of chemo and radiation he'll have depending on the tumor type etc. I told my Mom that I like to think about each day and remember where I was last year and what I was doing (usually either in the hospital having chemo, or recuperating from chemo, or getting ready to have more chemo). Then I like to celebrate that I'm not doing any of that now by contemplating exactly what do I want to do TODAY, October 1st, just in case next October 1st is different from today. I know it might sound silly, but the perspective is really helpful. It is really freeing to consider what I want to enjoy today just in case next October 1st isn't so fun. So here's what I did today that I really enjoyed-woke up at 5am, snuggled until I was sure I couldn't get back to sleep, drank coffee while watching the daylight creep into my bedroom, had a terrific row while listening to REM, drank coffee containing chocolate syrup and whipped cream while visiting with Holly once she woke up, wrote postcards to 3 loved ones with cancer, wrote a Thank You card to my friend's mother who prays for me at a pilgrim site in France (I swear I am not making this up), treated a few sick people and told a few that they weren't as sick as they thought, enjoyed a fabulous walk at lunchtime up and down the street behind my workplace, ate a peanutbutter sandwich dribbled with extra peanuts, treated a few more sick people, then came home to start this blog entry. Holly and I will go hit the local sandwich place for dinner when she gets home in a few minutes.

So you pick the thing or things you want to do today that you just might not be lucky enough to do next October 1st.

Photo-my Mom and Brian just before we left for his surgery. I should have taken an "after" photo since he was up showered, shaved, and ready to go just a mere 24 hrs later.

Hugely Grateful

Hugely Grateful-that is what one of my patients told me yesterday when she came for her usual check up on diabetes and high blood pressure. Her husband of 47 yrs died of a ruptured bowel in late January, and she had not been in to see us since. She said that they had been together "since the 10th grade" and that she was "hugely grateful" to have had so much time with a great man (she is now 66). I was struck by her words because I too am hugely grateful. Hugely grateful to have been able to attend the Brewgrass Festival in Asheville last w-e, when I couldn't last year due to my treatment. Hugely grateful that I have so many great people to enjoy both at work and outside of work. Hugely grateful that my girlfriend is game to run 13.1 miles with me to celebrate life. Hugely grateful that my best pals are willing to hang out all day listening to bluegrass music while we eat pretzels and sample craftbrewed beer. Hugely grateful that my family is ever ready to call, visit, and drop their daily lives to be with me when I am sick. So today, after hearing my patient's story, I just want to reiterate how hugely grateful I am to be here enjoying the heck out of everything I get to do-each day, a gift to share with people who are terrific. You know who you are!

Okay, on a different note, we did finally get to the Brewgrass festival this year. We had tickets to attend last year. But that w-e, I was busy recovering from one of my chemo treatments, and we couldn't travel. Susan and Donna sold our tickets to someone else and attended on their own. This time, we got to go too. Donna made us pretzel necklaces to chomp on during the day, and naturally,I ate all of mine (see photo). We loved hearing the Dehlia Low band, and the others were great too. One band from Knoxville, Tenn was terrific. We arrived good and early to get our chairs set up close to the stage, which was great, because later in the day, that field was full and I mean full, full of people. We sampled lots and lots of craft beers which was really fun. I didn't enjoy the taste of them all (pumpkin beer-why combine the two???), but it sure was fun trying new ones. I got a temporary tattoo from the "Tattoo Man" so now I am tickled like my little kid patients who get them from us at the clinic. Mine says "Rogue Nation" with a big fist. I got one for later that says "Big Boss" so watch out for that one. Fun and silly.

We are staying in Hillsborough this upcoming w-e since it's my turn to work the Saturday clinic. We plan to reconnect over dinner with some friends who live here. And I'll have a chance to work in the garden here, getting the space ready for my fall plants and bulbs. Later I'll leave for Charleston to be with my Mom, whose husband is having surgery on Monday. Hoping all of that goes smoothly.

Happy Birthday Momacita!

Today is a very special day-my Mom's birthday. I had to call (as she always does) and sing her happy birthday early this morning. I just love that we celebrate birthdays as a special day in my family. Of course it's all I've ever known. But I simply can't imagine being in one of those families that treats birthdays like any other day (you guys know who you are). I try to be open minded and tolerant of differences, but with this one, we are right and they are wrong. So a big warm, happy birthday wish to my Mom on her special day.

Saturday morning Holly and I ran the Asheville half marathon over hill and dell, past Beaver Lake and up Lookout Rd. It was a challenging 13.1 mile course, to say the least, and we were happy to finish in about 2hrs and 9 mins. Actually, we ran the course a bit faster, but we stopped to visit with our support crew (Donna, Susan, Jan and Ellen, see photo) at our house which happened to be near mile marker 10. The new course is a good bit hillier, and it gave us a great excuse to pause before heading back to the race. They were sweet to come out and cheer us on, and the eclairs from the Creme bakery afterwards were pretty nice too.

Lovely, Just Lovely!

Holly and I are home again, safe and sound in our little Hillsborough home after a week in Scandinavia and England. We had a terrific time-blessed with fabulous, sunny weather and only one choppy,rainy day at sea. Friday night we caught the direct flight from RDU to Heathrow airport in London. That got us into London around 7am their time, where we took a National Express bus directly to the Southampton Cruise terminal some 1 and 1/2 hrs away. Neither of us slept much on the overnight flight so the bus ride allowed us a short nap before boarding the ship. Our cabin was terrific with big sliding glass door, balcony, and deck on the starboard side of the ship. That turned out to be the better side of the ship as we got to see the dixieland jazz band play at the gangway as we sailed away. It also afforded us a marvelous view of the Oslo fjord both coming and going on our last port of call at the end of the trip.

Our first stop was in Zeebrugge, the port for Bruges, Belgium. We took the local train to Bruges about 8 miles away-through the beautiful countryside of Flanders-an area of important battles during WWI. It was green, lush farmland. The Bruges train station was a short walk to the old part of the city, a medieval village that has preserved much of its character and history. I got a picture of the bike lockup area outside of the train station because I have never seen so many bikes. It was just the first of many such bike parking areas in these European cities that tax cars at 180% (yes, you read right. We couldn't believe it either, but a car, even a small car costs the equivalent of $40,000 to encourage biking, trains, buses, etc).
Anyway, we literally ate our way around the Bruges walking tour I'd downloaded from the internet. In short, we had waffles, chocolate, beer, mussels, and frites (fries). We bought some great Belgian beer to take back to the ship since they only had can British beer-not our favorite. Beer must be heavily subsidized in Belgium as a bottle costs little more than 1 euro in the grocery store (well they are brewed by monks...). We bought a selection of different ones and enjoyed them one at a time each night before dinner. Unfortunately we didn't have time for a brewery tour at one of the monasteries-next time.

Our second stop was in Copenhagen Denmark. The walking tour started right near the boat dock with the Little Mermaid statue and continued along the shore to the Royal Palace, the city hall and then to the central shopping district. We had packed some delicious sandwiches for lunch from the hard rolls, smoked salmon, and cheeses from the ship buffet. But we still ate our way around the city, stopping for chocolate and pastries at the golden pretzels (that's how they advertise their bakeries). I wish we had had time to take the countryside bike tour with Mike at one of the local bicycle shops. Bikes are huge in Copenhagen-everyone has one-those cool commuter types with good fenders, baskets for hauling goods and, of course, bells on the handlebars to warn pedestrians. They cost the equivalent of $1,000 for the basic model-a lot cheaper than a $40,000 car at least. The bikes have there own lane in the streets, and watch out if you're a pedestrian, because they do have the right of way. We saw every kind of person biking, and I mean even women dressed in chic outfits with fancy shoes. Everyone bikes and you can get everywhere on bike. People were especially friendly and happy, it seemed to us, in Copenhagen; it's high on our list to see again. Maybe a bike trip next time.

Next we cruised an hour or so North to the small town of Helsingborg Sweden. It was the least impressive of the ports we saw. But we had a great walk through town and up past the fortress to a preserved farmstead from the 1800's. That was pretty cool-to see what an old town square was like complete with shops, barns, animals, windmill, and gardens. I looked, but I couldn't find Pippi Longstocking. She was in the bookstores though. Tee hee.

Our last port of call was Oslo Norway. We cruised up the Oslo fjord just as it was getting light; we really enjoyed seeing that entrance into town. It was the prettiest of the places we docked being at the marina for ferries and other boats. We bought one of the Dagskot cards to get the tram, or streetcar, out to Frogner park with all the famous Gustav Vigeland sculptures. We managed to get there early before all the tourists arrived. It's a city park with many paths for walking or jogging and some 200 sculptures. I took lots and lots of photos as the guy made sculptures of all kinds of human figures expressing various emotions. At one point, we were walking along the jogging path and noticed a big monument that looked remarkably like Lincoln. When we got closer, we realized that it was Lincoln-our Lincoln seated on a big slab of marble. The monument said it had been given to the people of Oslo from the state of North Dakota in 1914-Go Figure. Must have been alot of people from Norway in ND in 1914, who knew?
Oslo was full of interesting museums, including the Nobel Peace Museum, right near the docks. Again, there were tons of bikers just like the other cities, but everyone rode mountain bikes instead of those city commuter bikes. And man, talk about an expensive city. The cheapest mountain bike was Kroner 14,999 which is the equivalent of $3,000. A typical sandwich at a shop was Kr80, about $16 each. A beer was Kr49, about $10. It turns out they are the richest country in Europe due to their oil (3rd behind Saudi Arabia and Russia), fishing, and timber. But $3000 for a mtn bike, really that is alot. Makes my little Bella seem like a bargain (and she is).

We had a beautiful trip back out the Oslo fjord on the way back to Southampton England. Once we got to the North Sea, we hit bad weather with galeforce winds and rain. The Captain slowed the boat to a crawl, and we landed in port later than planned. Many people missed their connections to buses, trains and planes, including us. Fortunately, we were able to go online in the Ship's internet cafe and rebook a later bus back to London. We missed the chance to go into London and sightsee, but that was okay. We had a nice dinner of fish and chips and Fuller's ESB in the Three Magpies pub near our airport hotel. All in all, we only had 1 day of bad weather (out of 8), and it was a day at sea anyway, so who cares? As the Brits say, Lovely trip, just lovely!