What a difference a year makes

Life is 10% what you make it and 90% how you take it.
November 3rd marked a year since I started treatment. Can you believe it ? November is also Lung Cancer Awareness month. More on that later. This morning we met with Dr Mackler and my case study co-ordinator, Ann Novak for last week's CAT scan results. As Joann told Paul afterwards , "I'm not calling from the Chevy dealer" so yes, the news was once again good. Thank you GOD. The larger mass that caused all this ruckus and last classified as near scar tissue has shrunk even more and the other that mysteriously disappeared in last August's scan is still MIA. Next February's scheduled scan has been pushed back to May because, 1. they feel I don't need it again so soon and 2. to give my kidneys a break from the contrast solutions that play hell with them.
And that pretty much says it all, other than I feel great and pushing a wheelbarrell full of acorns with a cute hitchhiker aboard didn't wind me a bit last weekend up in Port Austin.
Jo and I were invited to and attended the first annual National Shine a Light on Lung Cancer vigil at St Joe's in Ann Arbor on November 4th, one of 100 simultaneous meetings held across the country and the brainchild of the Lung Cancer Alliance, a grass roots effort initiated by Oncology professionals to bring lung cancer treatments into the 21st century (the program I was in), provide support for patients, families and caregivers and increase federal research dollars, especially for the early detection of lung cancer, which surprisingly, there currently is none. I'm glad Jo talked me into going. Terrific program presented by the cancer team at St Joe's and by now you must know how I feel about those people.
If you're interested, log onto http://www.lungcanceralliance.org/ It's a wealth of information, WILL cause you to quit smoking and debunks the many myths about cancer that we all should be aware of....and don't forget to sing in the lifeboat.
LIVESTRONG
Ken

LXII and still in the game

Age is mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter.

Can't say I've always felt that way. Was reminded that on my 40th birthday in Traverse City I threatened bloodshed if the waitresses were cued to sing...and meant it. 40 was an age I didn't want to be.

Come to think of it 50 wasn't much better. What was I thinking ?

September 17th (you didn't guess I was a VIRGO after reading these things ?) I turned 62. Had a terrific time at Ric and Deb's in front of an angry Lake Huron, Avery called to sing happy birthday, which was a hoot, spent an incredible evening reconnecting with old friends we haven't seen in years (my gift to myself), Paul showed up unannounced from K- Zoo for a round of golf with Matt and I (trounced us both) and Avery blew out both candles like 62 times...does it get any better than grandkids and birthday cakes ?. And in a couple of months another milestone, my first social security check. Had a great day and if I missed your's, and likely I did and will, hey, HAPPY BIRTHDAY and to hell with the number.

Hope you all had a great summer.

LIVESTRONG

LIVELONG

Ken

August CT

I've received a number of e - mails asking why I haven't posted the results from last week's CT scan. Guess that's what I get for announcing the end of this thing and then occasionally adding new posts. Sorry, didn't realize so many people were still looking.
If the news was bad I'd be in my new Vette right now. GM lost another sale, the news was good. Very good actually.
Three months ago Dr Henning told us that nothing new "lit up"and that was a relief in itself. Yesterday he said the same thing and then added that a 5-6mm nodule that was present in the last CT has disappeared and the remaining two masses are close to half the size they were last April. Could it be that the teatments that ended six months ago are still perking ? Frankly, I was afraid to ask. Two more CT's @ 3 month intervals to go and if all is well, we shift to a 6 month schedule. This is dictated by the case study we're in rather than CT results.
I told Joe and Lorraine (before we got the above news) and I'll say it again, that all in all, this is one of the best summer's of my life. Hope you can say the same.

LIVESTRONG and please add my friend Brian in your prayers.

Ken

LIVINGSTRONG

A few more photos from Benton Harbor.

The one word that comes to mind is "focused".

70.3 ( as in MILES )

For many months now my final word to all reading this thing has been to LIVESTRONG, a phrase coined by the Lance Armstrong Foundation to inspire the 28 million people currently living with cancer. It has me and I thought in some small way it would you if I wrote it down often enough. Deep down I've hoped this story we've been sharing would inspire (or scare) some of you to change your lifestyle for the better, a stretch objective to be sure. Then yesterday it happened, and from about the last person on earth I'd expect it from. Our son Paul. Yep, Burger King Paul. Super size it Paul. The Paul that put away the one pound "Leroy Burger", fries and cole slaw at the Port Hope Hotel way before Adam on Man V Food was making everyone queasy on cable TV.

As Paul tells it, he didn't quite know what to do when I was diagnosed but felt he had to do something other than be angry. That "something" was to hit on everyone he knew for pledges to the Lance Armstrong Foundation in return for his competing in an Ironman 70.3 yesterday.
For the past many months he has trained, eaten right, drove by, instead of through Burger Kings, (notice how many are now boarded up ?) spent a substancial amount on gear and trained even more. Yeah, he's ripped, but this 70.3 still wasn't a walk in the park, not by a longshot ! Joann and I were in Benton Harbor yesterday to see Paul, Lo and 2000 other competitors swim 1.2 miles in Lake Michigan in a downpour, bike 56 miles on wet pavement and run 13.1 miles in the heat of the day, all in well under 8 hours. Seeing him cross the finish line is something we'll never forget, nor will he. Paul has been living strong, completed what he set his mind and body to do, honored his commitment to those that pledged over $1300 to a very good organization and brought this smiling old man to tears. It's all good. Thanks son, we're proud of you.

Your turn to LIVESTRONG
(Click on the picture twice to enlarge it)

(Grand) Father's Day, 2010

Kate wants to know why everyone stays home on Mother's Day to be with Mom but no one, except Mom, stays home on Father's Day. The reason of course is that the weather is usually too iffy in May to fish or golf. Whoever scheduled Father's Day in late June was no dummy. Hope you're as proud of your children and enjoy them and your grandchildren half as much as Joann and I do. Enjoy the day Dads...and take Mom with you...let her drive the cart...

Hard to believe we're already making plans for the July 4th holiday. Our work on the cottage is done seeing as tomorrow is the official "first day" of Michigan's twelve weekend long summer. That's not to say there's nothing more that needs to be done, just that it's time to put the tools away. Joann talked me out of torching our "two butt" kitchen, instead settling for new countertops which we built and installed after updating the 58 year old plumbing and scraping the original cast iron sink - what a pain that was. Needed a new drain field and spread and seeded 3 yards of top soil on top of that, power washed the joint top to bottom to take the place back from the spiders, installed some carpeting, repaired what needed to be repaired, cleaned everything up and wrestled a new washer/dryer up the stairs. Enough already - we're tired, but it sure felt good being able to do these things, albiet, alot slower than in the past.

See you on the water

Ken

Milestones ?

Hi. Been awhile. Thought about writing a few times but up until last week didn't think anything had happened worth mentioning...then it did. A milestone, my first post treatment haircut from Deb, and it felt great. Milestone ? It is when you lose all your hair three months ago in a span of two days...trust me, this was big, even if it was just a trim.
Then I got to thinking (oh no, not again !) of the milestones we all experience in our lives. Some of them are major, school graduations, your first car, first boat, first buck, first love, getting laid, marriage, becoming parents, becoming grandparents (that's Peyton @ two months, by the way) retirement and now, after a very long winter, how everyday occurances have taken on new significance for Joann and I. They're signs that things are finally returning to "normal " and "normal" is something a few months ago we thought was a thing of the past. If that isn't a milestone, I don't know what is ? Life is good.

Remember to save the earth, people, it's the only planet with chocolate

LIVINGSTRONG

Ken