Happy New Year everyone! Wow, 2010, pretty amazing. There were times when I was not so sure I would see 2010, but here I am. I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season. Were people good boys and girls and got what they wanted for Christmas, Hanukah, Kwanzaa, Ramadan, or any other holiday I may not be thinking of? Did everyone do their part to try to get this economy rolling again? I tried to be a good consuming American, but you know I am on a pretty fixed income. You do what you can.
As usual, there have been some ups and downs, though things seem to be going pretty well, health-wise, these days (knock on wood). I had a pretty decent scan in November and my marker has been fairly low recently, so we are holding off on chemo for the time being. I have actually been off for a good 8 weeks or so. I am actually feeling pretty well right now. The flip side is that my body, at this point, has pretty much been beat to crap and I am not really sure how much more chemo I can handle. The few months before we stopped, I got a lot of drugs without many breaks. Pretty much every week since the end of summer and I think we may have hit a bit of a tipping point here and there in my body. The peripheral neropathy is pretty bad as I really cannot feel my feet nor much on the very surface of my skin up my legs to around my calves. Without the sensory nerves in my feet and toes, standing becomes a little tricky sometimes.The motor nerves have also been damaged and the associated muscles have wasted away, especially my shins. It is basically impossible for me to raise my right foot or point my toe up. My left foot is affected, too, but there is still a bit of movement there. This all results in me walking very slowly and very hilariously. I tend to march, so as to bring my foot up high enough for my toe to clear the floor and then slap, because I don’t set my foot down heel, toe, more like all at once. I think it sort of looks like a high stepping duck. I am also painfully slow. It is often a race against the clock when I cross larger streets. I barely made it across Sunset the other day, whew, pretty stressful, too. Luckily, I have started physical therapy and, though progress is slow, I have noticed a difference after the first 3 weeks. My therapist gives me a really good workout every session which greatly pleases Eva. Somehow, I still have trouble with food. I have a hard time finding food I like and then often have a bit of pain and discomfort digesting and expelling it. I have managed to put on about 10 pounds, but it is hard keeping it on. One exciting moment was when, about two weeks ago, hair started coming in. It was awesome, little sprouts on my head, my mustache (well my pathetic teenage dirt-on-lip mustache), my legs, my arms (barely), and a few on my chin. My chest and armpits remain hairless about which I have mixed feelings. Right now it looks like I have a buzz cut. The really great part is that I now have eyebrows and eyelashes. What a difference that makes. Before, I looked like a super aerodynamic alien egg. Now, fairly human, though, I will admit, markedly less aerodynamic.
Otherwise, dialysis continues, and continues to be taxing physically and emotionally. It has been more tolerable recently as friends have joined me and hung out for a number of sessions. It is a really good way to catch up with people and pass the time. Again, I am very thankful that dialysis exists and that I have such a comfortable set-up, but it wears on you over time. It is just always there. There is no vacation from dialysis. My parents have been doing an amazing job of helping out with all the set-up, putting me on, feeding and keeping me warm during the sessions, taking me off, and cleaning up, but it is still just emotionally wearing. It is hard for me to need to be helped so often. I liked my old self image of being very independent and self-reliant. I tend to resent the situation and then you get grumpy Tyler. Not very pleasant. Sometimes the biting remarks just come out without me even thinking to close my mouth in time. I apologize if you are ever on the receiving end of one. Usually, though, they are reserved for family. Eva does a good job of balancing me out and often stops me in my tracks with remarks of her own. Like a good punch to the nose, I usually stop, shake my head a bit, and then smile as I find myself in a new, sunnier mood.
I have not been too active, but I did manage to get out of town for a few days before Christmas. While Eva was visiting her folks in Switzerland, my folks and I went up to Orcas Island to visit my Uncle Jerry and Aunt Mary. Orcas is up in the San Juans, right on the border with Canada, near Victoria. They have a beautiful house though it is a little out of the way but well worth the trip as it was really great spending some time with my aunt and uncle. It was a little chilly, so we spent most of our time indoors catching up or eating and catching up. My kind of trip these days. One evening, we drove up to the top of Mt. Constitution and enjoyed a pretty fabulous view though it did take quite a while for me to drag my sorry ass up all the stairs in the tower at the top. Throughout the few days, there were some pretty good stories about small town island life. I maybe romanticizing it a bit, but I really like the idea of small town living. I loved the summer I spent in Petersburg, Alaska. They often have such character. Eva’s little town in Switzerland is pretty cool, too. Don’t get me wrong, I really enjoy city life, but I could see myself living in some po-dunk little town somewhere (well, I guess not now, as I do require quite extensive medical facilities, oh-well).
Eva as been doing well and has really been enjoying her MBA program at Pepperdine. She had a great first semester and is just starting the second. It can be very stressful at times, but she handles it very well (with a little encouragement sometimes). The folks are doing well, too. Both are pretty active and get out and about quite often (much more than me but that is not really saying all that much). Sadly, my Uncle Tim, Aunt Robbie’s husband, recently passed. I did not really know him very well but the loss will certainly be felt by the entire family and my heartfelt condolences go out to my aunt. I attended his memorial service yesterday and, though it is always sad when someone passes, the service was a very nice celebration of his life and it was really good to see so much family.
Again, I wish everyone happiness and success in this coming year.
Carpe Vitam and Live Strong,
Tyler
Monday, January 11, 2010
Thursday, October 29, 2009
5K Champs again! Great People, Great Day!
Whew. What a day! The LA Cancer Challenge was last Sunday and it was a great day. In fact, I was thinking about it, and Sunday was probably one of my favorite days in a long, long time.
Thank you all so much!
Thank you to all of the wonderful people who came out and ran and donated so much time, energy, and money to a very worthy cause (ok, I may be a little biased). Thank you to those of you who showed their support from afar (You rock Aunt Zel, Breakfast buddies Ray and Bob, Uncle Bob, and Aunt Gloria, and the many others who gave but could not join us for the race).
All of your generosity was truly touching, especially with everything that has been going on financially over the last year. If you ever need any rationalizations, I have plenty so try this one on for size...with stocks being incredibly volatile, bonds likely to lose value if interest rates ever go up, housing being, well, housing, and T-bills yielding close to 0%, cancer research may be the best investment you could ever make. Think about it, regardless of how much or little you give today, there is a one in three chance you will get some form of cancer during your lifetime. I know that I would pay pretty much any amount for a cure for my cancer. Hopefully you never have to face a cancer diagnosis, but if you do, hope that it happens later rather than sooner. By that time, your dollars donated today may have contributed to a cure, which you will probably be able to afford (Go public option!). So your donation today would have matured into a treatment that could have infinite value to you. Hmmm, infinite, now that is a good return.
Threepeat!! We continued our streak and won our third 5K team title in a row. Props go out to Ross C.(for finally figuring out how to get onto team Tyler and taking 2nd place overall), to Daniel D. (always a powerful presence on the course), to Shannon R. (for being the first woman and 5th overall, getting Nike to provide some awesome jerseys, and letting all of us couch potatoes bringing up the rear say that we were on the same team as a World’s medalist and Olympian), Nate B. (for taking 9th and bringing out a great group of young runners from the Home of Scholars and Champions), and Andrew G. (for showing us that you can bounce back from something as severe as a collapsed lung in college and still take 10th in what is becoming a fairly competitive 5K, Maybe there is a chance that my body will eventually recover). Honorable mentions go out to Dan S., Mike F., Greg J., Alex G., and Mark C. for all going under 20 minutes and Effort awards go to John C. and Chris C. for representing the OG Choad and just completing the race. I did manage to drag my sorry butt around the course in 1 hour 26 minutes and 1 second (yes, that was for the 5K) and was emotionally broken as the kids fun run started right as I was finishing and a herd of children dominated me in the final 100m. By the time I crossed the finish line, I think they had stopped handing out medals (I forgot to pick up my number anyways) and was a little bummed. Luckily, my wonderful wife saw my disappointed look, gave me her medal, and saved us all from a big kid tantrum amidst the young well-behaved finishers.
The 10K team did great as well. Props to Dad, Becky S., Karen B., Marty L., Eva and Mom, though I think we may need to make some adjustments to be a little more competitive next year. It is really pretty straight forward. I am just going to need each of you to train a bit over the next year, and, if everyone can take, say 11 minutes, off their time, we should be in contention to win the 10K team title as well. You might want to start training now.
All in all, the race was a great opportunity to catch up with a lot of different people and I really enjoyed the time I got to spend with so many of you. I am trying to de-hermitize myself a bit and hope to see as many of you as I can before next year. Txts are probably the best way to reach me and please, be persistent. I often go days without checking my email or voicemail. Sometimes just getting to the couch is all I can manage. Other days I am pretty much unstoppable (or at least I think I am).
After the race, the contingent of x-Cal runners and associates went over to Ross’ parent’s house for lunch. They have a wonderfully pleasant backyard where we continued to tell old stories and new ones over crepes. Thank you for hosting a great little get together.
As if all that activity was not enough, Eva and I had tickets to a live taping of one of my favorite radio shows that evening- NPR’s Left, Right, and Center. There was a cocktail hour and then Robert Sheer, Matt Miller, Ariana Huffington, and Tony Blankley took the stage and did a special 45 minute show in front of a live audience. The “stars” mingled during the cocktail hour and a bit after the show where Eva and I actually got to meet Matt Miller. I usually do not go ga-ga over famous people but, as a testament to my nerdiness, I was a bit start-struck by Mr. Miller. He has laid out a very logical progressive agenda on which I agree with many of his ideas. I managed to utter that I had read his two books and he replied that I was amongst a select few. Then Eva mentioned that the Swiss model (which he often touts as a possible model for American health care reform) is still very expensive and might not be the answer we are looking for and he thought about it a minute and mentioned that he liked Tony’s comment during the show that the Swiss model works in Switzerland because its run and used by the Swiss. We got a quick picture and then left and I was just on cloud nine. What a day. So many wonderful people and moments that I will treasure for a very long time.
Exhausted, we made our way home, got a bit of food, and I slept for the next 17 hours, woke up, dialyzed, then went to bed again. On Wednesday, I started to feel sort of ok. Sunday certainly took a toll but was totally worth it.
Take Care and Carpe Vitam,
Tyler
Here is Team Tyler at the start. Or rather, the walking contingent of Team Tyler. Full of energy and ready to go.
Here we are a little later in the race. A bit less energy but we are still going. I kept telling myself, "Right foot, left foot, Repeat"
The Poly boys and girls that came out to the race. You know, next to the petite Shannon, my arms don't look quite so thin. Too bad she could probably dominate me in an arm wrestling competition.
Nate and Becky and me. Nate and I ran together during my glory days and Becky is his lovely wife. He now coaches the Poly girls XC team (he is the new Joe Carlson).
Eva and I with Matt Miller. If you are looking for a couple good reads, check out The 2% Solution or The Tyranny of Dead Ideas. Progressive ideas laid out in ways that both liberals and conservatives should love.
Thank you all so much!
Thank you to all of the wonderful people who came out and ran and donated so much time, energy, and money to a very worthy cause (ok, I may be a little biased). Thank you to those of you who showed their support from afar (You rock Aunt Zel, Breakfast buddies Ray and Bob, Uncle Bob, and Aunt Gloria, and the many others who gave but could not join us for the race).
All of your generosity was truly touching, especially with everything that has been going on financially over the last year. If you ever need any rationalizations, I have plenty so try this one on for size...with stocks being incredibly volatile, bonds likely to lose value if interest rates ever go up, housing being, well, housing, and T-bills yielding close to 0%, cancer research may be the best investment you could ever make. Think about it, regardless of how much or little you give today, there is a one in three chance you will get some form of cancer during your lifetime. I know that I would pay pretty much any amount for a cure for my cancer. Hopefully you never have to face a cancer diagnosis, but if you do, hope that it happens later rather than sooner. By that time, your dollars donated today may have contributed to a cure, which you will probably be able to afford (Go public option!). So your donation today would have matured into a treatment that could have infinite value to you. Hmmm, infinite, now that is a good return.
Threepeat!! We continued our streak and won our third 5K team title in a row. Props go out to Ross C.(for finally figuring out how to get onto team Tyler and taking 2nd place overall), to Daniel D. (always a powerful presence on the course), to Shannon R. (for being the first woman and 5th overall, getting Nike to provide some awesome jerseys, and letting all of us couch potatoes bringing up the rear say that we were on the same team as a World’s medalist and Olympian), Nate B. (for taking 9th and bringing out a great group of young runners from the Home of Scholars and Champions), and Andrew G. (for showing us that you can bounce back from something as severe as a collapsed lung in college and still take 10th in what is becoming a fairly competitive 5K, Maybe there is a chance that my body will eventually recover). Honorable mentions go out to Dan S., Mike F., Greg J., Alex G., and Mark C. for all going under 20 minutes and Effort awards go to John C. and Chris C. for representing the OG Choad and just completing the race. I did manage to drag my sorry butt around the course in 1 hour 26 minutes and 1 second (yes, that was for the 5K) and was emotionally broken as the kids fun run started right as I was finishing and a herd of children dominated me in the final 100m. By the time I crossed the finish line, I think they had stopped handing out medals (I forgot to pick up my number anyways) and was a little bummed. Luckily, my wonderful wife saw my disappointed look, gave me her medal, and saved us all from a big kid tantrum amidst the young well-behaved finishers.
The 10K team did great as well. Props to Dad, Becky S., Karen B., Marty L., Eva and Mom, though I think we may need to make some adjustments to be a little more competitive next year. It is really pretty straight forward. I am just going to need each of you to train a bit over the next year, and, if everyone can take, say 11 minutes, off their time, we should be in contention to win the 10K team title as well. You might want to start training now.
All in all, the race was a great opportunity to catch up with a lot of different people and I really enjoyed the time I got to spend with so many of you. I am trying to de-hermitize myself a bit and hope to see as many of you as I can before next year. Txts are probably the best way to reach me and please, be persistent. I often go days without checking my email or voicemail. Sometimes just getting to the couch is all I can manage. Other days I am pretty much unstoppable (or at least I think I am).
After the race, the contingent of x-Cal runners and associates went over to Ross’ parent’s house for lunch. They have a wonderfully pleasant backyard where we continued to tell old stories and new ones over crepes. Thank you for hosting a great little get together.
As if all that activity was not enough, Eva and I had tickets to a live taping of one of my favorite radio shows that evening- NPR’s Left, Right, and Center. There was a cocktail hour and then Robert Sheer, Matt Miller, Ariana Huffington, and Tony Blankley took the stage and did a special 45 minute show in front of a live audience. The “stars” mingled during the cocktail hour and a bit after the show where Eva and I actually got to meet Matt Miller. I usually do not go ga-ga over famous people but, as a testament to my nerdiness, I was a bit start-struck by Mr. Miller. He has laid out a very logical progressive agenda on which I agree with many of his ideas. I managed to utter that I had read his two books and he replied that I was amongst a select few. Then Eva mentioned that the Swiss model (which he often touts as a possible model for American health care reform) is still very expensive and might not be the answer we are looking for and he thought about it a minute and mentioned that he liked Tony’s comment during the show that the Swiss model works in Switzerland because its run and used by the Swiss. We got a quick picture and then left and I was just on cloud nine. What a day. So many wonderful people and moments that I will treasure for a very long time.
Exhausted, we made our way home, got a bit of food, and I slept for the next 17 hours, woke up, dialyzed, then went to bed again. On Wednesday, I started to feel sort of ok. Sunday certainly took a toll but was totally worth it.
Take Care and Carpe Vitam,
Tyler
Here is Team Tyler at the start. Or rather, the walking contingent of Team Tyler. Full of energy and ready to go.
Here we are a little later in the race. A bit less energy but we are still going. I kept telling myself, "Right foot, left foot, Repeat"
The Poly boys and girls that came out to the race. You know, next to the petite Shannon, my arms don't look quite so thin. Too bad she could probably dominate me in an arm wrestling competition.
Nate and Becky and me. Nate and I ran together during my glory days and Becky is his lovely wife. He now coaches the Poly girls XC team (he is the new Joe Carlson).
Eva and I with Matt Miller. If you are looking for a couple good reads, check out The 2% Solution or The Tyranny of Dead Ideas. Progressive ideas laid out in ways that both liberals and conservatives should love.
Monday, October 05, 2009
LA Cancer Challenge Oct. 25th!
Wow, well, what can I say? All of the amazing people who left comments and wrote such wonderful words truly touched me. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for each and every one of you. I really felt cared for, and those feelings are good medicine. Good for the soul, good for the fight. Again, I am sorry that I go a bit of time before updates. Tiana mentioned that people on facebook ask her about me, but I just figured that she was just trying to make me feel good. I know I should be better about updating, and the response after the last blog was immensely motivating. I think my aunt Betty took the prize for the fastest posting of a comment, a mere 30 minutes or so after I posted (on a Saturday night, no less. Betty, you and I have got to get out more). Again, thank you so much for your kind words. I am still doing very well and I think that every one of you have played a part in that. I may not see many of you very much, if at all these days, but there has got to be some sort of mental/spiritual thing going on (which is a pretty hard thing for an engineer to say).
Anyways, a quick health update. As I said before, I am still doing very well. I am a little light and my legs barely have the strength to get me around, but I still manage to get around, sort of. Dialysis still sucks but is tolerable and if you really press me I will admit that I am really thankful for it (though there are days when I don’t really think I need it but I suspect that I am being kept on because that is how the system works (this is on my more paranoid days and in actuality, I probably would not last long off the machine)). Wow, I was sort of all over the place there. My appetite is doing well (when it gets helped) though I could certainly be eating more. And of course there are a few other little issues, aches, and pains.
Now, onto the more important stuff. First of all, the LA Cancer Challenge 5K/10K is coming up in just a few weeks, Sunday morning, October 25th. The 10K starts at 7:30am (yikes!) and the 5K starts at 9am (a bit more reasonable). I will probably be there to cheer on the 10K runners and walkers, but I will be attempting the 5K myself. Lets see, if the race starts at 9am, I will probably be finishing around, hmmm, 10:30, 11, hopefully before noon. Last year, it took me 1 hour and 14 minutes. If I am still out on the course, someone save me some pancakes. Please go to my team page to join our team.
Link to the Team page. Please scroll down and click on "Team Tyler".
We have had the best overall 5K team time two years running, and it would mean a lot to me if me kept that streak going. Who knows what will happen this year, but it is looking like Shannon Rowbury (who ran the 1500m for the US at the 2008 Beijing Olympics) will again be leading our team. Just think, you can tell your neighbors, friends, and grandchildren that you ran alongside an olympian. She is really pleasant, too. She may even talk to you (that, by the way, is the only requirement for my father to like you). We all had a lot of fun last year and it is a really good opportunity to catch up with people I do not see all that often. So I hope to see you there. I apologize for the race’s website. If you can successfully navigate through it, I applaud you. Don’t worry about setting up your own website and doing you own fundraising. Just go through the motions, it has been a rough year, financially, for all of us.
As far as keeping busy, most of my time is spent dialyzing, getting chemo, or recovering from chemo, but I have managed to get out of town a few times over the last few weeks. I just got back from a trip to Portland to visit some family and see my great aunt on her 95th birthday. She looks great and is just as feisty as I remember her. I think I may have more in common with her, these days, than anyone else in the family. We walk at about the same speed, don’t really handle stairs all that well, take a while to get up out of chairs, are fairly particular about our foods, and occasionally speak our minds a bit more than maybe we should. Well, I guess Zel can say whatever she wants, whenever she wants, but I suppose I should maybe hold my tongue from time to time. I spent the majority of my time with Zel, but was also really happy to see my other family members in the area like Tom and Birken, Betty and David, and Jerry, who drove down from Washington. Everyone looked to be doing very well and I was really pleased having that much family together. I know that Grandma would be happy that her boys saw each other and that just put a smile on my face. Zel had quite a birthday filled with eating, eating. and more, you guessed it, eating. There was a bit of visiting during and between meals, but the main focus of the day was food. This was turning out to be a pretty good trip for me, once I medicated. Special props go to Birken and Jerry who came from pretty good distances by different combinations of boat, bus, or truck. Birken is just starting his sophomore year at Evergreen and is looking like quite the professional college student. This suits you much better than disheveled high school student. Well done, sir. Another highlight of the trip was Zel’s friends. They are hilarious and we really enjoyed our breakfasts with them. Can you believe that one of her friends lived in a house near Santa Fe, New Mexico, built in 1980, that was entirely climate controlled using passive solar energy. It was built into a hillside so that three walls were insulated by earth and then the south wall was all windows. On summer days, they would close the blinds. The rest of the year, the sun warmed the house nicely. I asked if she was comfortable, and she said she wore shorts and sandals every day of the year. It can be done people. It is about time we start implementing these considerations a bit more often when building. The flights went smoothly, the old folks home was very hospitable, the family and friends were warm and welcoming, all in all, it was a great few days. Even the weather was pretty nice, though I heard it was gorgeous the week before we got there (I think we heard that the last time we were in Portland, too).
The other two trips were a weekend in the bay area and a weekend in Tahoe. The first was mainly to see Tom as he has now moved to England and it was good catching up with him, his brother, father, and friends and also to see Chris and Katie and Vincinzo (their 2 month old). I got to spend even more time with the Coffees the next weekend which I spent with them in their family’s cabin in Tahoe. Both weekends were amazing and it was really good for me to spend some quality time with good friends. Hanging out with the Coffees was pretty amazing. In about 15 months, Chris went from being single (not really) with no attachments to him and Katie owning a house, getting married, having an adorable baby boy, and getting a dog. Wow, that is some fast domestication. Impressive. I have never spent that much time with a child that young though I think I made progress over the weekend. At first, I was pretty nervous even just holding Cinzo, but by day 3, I had held confidently, fed, burped, and changed him(with a tiny bit of poop) and even had gotten him to smile (no small feat for this kid). It felt pretty good and I was so thankful for Chris and Katie to be so comfortable with their child and me. Maybe I am some relation to my grandmother.
Anyways, the rest of the family is doing well. Eva is diving into her MBA, meeting great people and learning fascinating things. My parents are doing well. Dad is still playing soccer. Mom is running a bit more. Both are doing a great job at taking care of me. Eva’s parents just got back from a cruise through Scotland that sounded amazing. I love castles, and abbeys, and Scots. Well, I hope to write before then but if I don’t, I hope to see you at the LA Cancer Challenge. Remember to bring your “A” game.
Take Care and Live Strong,
Tyler
Anyways, a quick health update. As I said before, I am still doing very well. I am a little light and my legs barely have the strength to get me around, but I still manage to get around, sort of. Dialysis still sucks but is tolerable and if you really press me I will admit that I am really thankful for it (though there are days when I don’t really think I need it but I suspect that I am being kept on because that is how the system works (this is on my more paranoid days and in actuality, I probably would not last long off the machine)). Wow, I was sort of all over the place there. My appetite is doing well (when it gets helped) though I could certainly be eating more. And of course there are a few other little issues, aches, and pains.
Now, onto the more important stuff. First of all, the LA Cancer Challenge 5K/10K is coming up in just a few weeks, Sunday morning, October 25th. The 10K starts at 7:30am (yikes!) and the 5K starts at 9am (a bit more reasonable). I will probably be there to cheer on the 10K runners and walkers, but I will be attempting the 5K myself. Lets see, if the race starts at 9am, I will probably be finishing around, hmmm, 10:30, 11, hopefully before noon. Last year, it took me 1 hour and 14 minutes. If I am still out on the course, someone save me some pancakes. Please go to my team page to join our team.
Link to the Team page. Please scroll down and click on "Team Tyler".
We have had the best overall 5K team time two years running, and it would mean a lot to me if me kept that streak going. Who knows what will happen this year, but it is looking like Shannon Rowbury (who ran the 1500m for the US at the 2008 Beijing Olympics) will again be leading our team. Just think, you can tell your neighbors, friends, and grandchildren that you ran alongside an olympian. She is really pleasant, too. She may even talk to you (that, by the way, is the only requirement for my father to like you). We all had a lot of fun last year and it is a really good opportunity to catch up with people I do not see all that often. So I hope to see you there. I apologize for the race’s website. If you can successfully navigate through it, I applaud you. Don’t worry about setting up your own website and doing you own fundraising. Just go through the motions, it has been a rough year, financially, for all of us.
As far as keeping busy, most of my time is spent dialyzing, getting chemo, or recovering from chemo, but I have managed to get out of town a few times over the last few weeks. I just got back from a trip to Portland to visit some family and see my great aunt on her 95th birthday. She looks great and is just as feisty as I remember her. I think I may have more in common with her, these days, than anyone else in the family. We walk at about the same speed, don’t really handle stairs all that well, take a while to get up out of chairs, are fairly particular about our foods, and occasionally speak our minds a bit more than maybe we should. Well, I guess Zel can say whatever she wants, whenever she wants, but I suppose I should maybe hold my tongue from time to time. I spent the majority of my time with Zel, but was also really happy to see my other family members in the area like Tom and Birken, Betty and David, and Jerry, who drove down from Washington. Everyone looked to be doing very well and I was really pleased having that much family together. I know that Grandma would be happy that her boys saw each other and that just put a smile on my face. Zel had quite a birthday filled with eating, eating. and more, you guessed it, eating. There was a bit of visiting during and between meals, but the main focus of the day was food. This was turning out to be a pretty good trip for me, once I medicated. Special props go to Birken and Jerry who came from pretty good distances by different combinations of boat, bus, or truck. Birken is just starting his sophomore year at Evergreen and is looking like quite the professional college student. This suits you much better than disheveled high school student. Well done, sir. Another highlight of the trip was Zel’s friends. They are hilarious and we really enjoyed our breakfasts with them. Can you believe that one of her friends lived in a house near Santa Fe, New Mexico, built in 1980, that was entirely climate controlled using passive solar energy. It was built into a hillside so that three walls were insulated by earth and then the south wall was all windows. On summer days, they would close the blinds. The rest of the year, the sun warmed the house nicely. I asked if she was comfortable, and she said she wore shorts and sandals every day of the year. It can be done people. It is about time we start implementing these considerations a bit more often when building. The flights went smoothly, the old folks home was very hospitable, the family and friends were warm and welcoming, all in all, it was a great few days. Even the weather was pretty nice, though I heard it was gorgeous the week before we got there (I think we heard that the last time we were in Portland, too).
The other two trips were a weekend in the bay area and a weekend in Tahoe. The first was mainly to see Tom as he has now moved to England and it was good catching up with him, his brother, father, and friends and also to see Chris and Katie and Vincinzo (their 2 month old). I got to spend even more time with the Coffees the next weekend which I spent with them in their family’s cabin in Tahoe. Both weekends were amazing and it was really good for me to spend some quality time with good friends. Hanging out with the Coffees was pretty amazing. In about 15 months, Chris went from being single (not really) with no attachments to him and Katie owning a house, getting married, having an adorable baby boy, and getting a dog. Wow, that is some fast domestication. Impressive. I have never spent that much time with a child that young though I think I made progress over the weekend. At first, I was pretty nervous even just holding Cinzo, but by day 3, I had held confidently, fed, burped, and changed him(with a tiny bit of poop) and even had gotten him to smile (no small feat for this kid). It felt pretty good and I was so thankful for Chris and Katie to be so comfortable with their child and me. Maybe I am some relation to my grandmother.
Anyways, the rest of the family is doing well. Eva is diving into her MBA, meeting great people and learning fascinating things. My parents are doing well. Dad is still playing soccer. Mom is running a bit more. Both are doing a great job at taking care of me. Eva’s parents just got back from a cruise through Scotland that sounded amazing. I love castles, and abbeys, and Scots. Well, I hope to write before then but if I don’t, I hope to see you at the LA Cancer Challenge. Remember to bring your “A” game.
Take Care and Live Strong,
Tyler
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Still ok. Aug 2009
Well, once again, it has been a long time since I updated the blog. As usual, I am sorry for the absence and I appreciate those of you who remain persistent in checking it. Maybe an RSS feed would be a good idea. I am still doing well considering everything that has gone on. It has been a hard road since my kidneys went on the fritz, but I am still fairly normal. I guess a run down of the cans and cannots might be good. I can walk, I cannot run. I can go up stairs, I cannot go up two stairs at a time. I can lift small objects, even a few grocery bags, I cannot do pull-ups (funny story). I can pee, I cannot pee enough to prevent my body from filling up with water without dialysis. Most days, I can drive, some days I cannot drive, or maybe rather, should not drive (on a closed course I’d be up for trying anything). I can eat with a little help, I cannot really seem to eat enough to gain back any of the weight I have lost. Luckily, I am remaining pretty stable in the low 140s (my pre-diagnosis weight was 175). I can shower, I cannot comb my hair because I have none (and I mean none, I feel like Mr. Bigglesworth, Dr. Evil’s cat). I can be alert and appear to be pretty normal and functional, I cannot keep that up for an entire day (some days for more than an hour or so). That said, I still feel really lucky for still doing so well. In July, we passed the three year mark since diagnosis. Quite a milestone. In the beginning, we were celebrating the weeks, then the months, and now three years, and I still have my mind in the game (or at least I think I do, which I guess is all that matters). It has been a grueling three years and very tough on Eva, my friends and family, and me, but we knew from the beginning, this was going to be a marathon, not a sprint. I really have no idea where we are in the race at this point. Neither the start line nor the finish line are in view.
I have not really been doing all that much and I apologize in advance, if I resume updating the blog, it may be pretty dull. We’ll see, if it gets really bad, I will just start making up stuff. I guess the big news is that Eva will be starting her MBA program at Pepperdine at the end of the month. I am really excited for her and also looking forward to learning a bit myself as I look over her shoulder from time to time. To reduce the commute for her, we moved earlier this summer and are just about settled in. I have to say, I love the location and the apartment though there are a few minor drawbacks. We moved to a small one bedroom in Pacific Palisades and are only a couple hundred meters from the water. Being close to the water and also the trails in the Santa Monica Mountains is wonderful. Plus, now we actually have a wall that separates the bedroom (before, we just had some vertical blinds as the divider and Eva is sort of sensitive to light when she sleeps - not ideal). The apartment was redone right before we moved in and I really love it, but we are right next to Sunset blvd. and it can be a little loud. Eva and I have entered what I call our curmudgeony phase and sort of rail against the various sources of noise. We shake our fists at the motorcycles, curse at the loud cars, and are currently working with the MTA to try to get the bus drivers to turn off their buses while they wait to begin their routes. I could not believe it, the other night, a bus was on and sitting there for 32 minutes before leaving. Typically, they will leave the bus on and then actually go to the Vons or talk on a cell phone outside of the bus. I have confronted a bus driver and she said that she leaves it on because occasionally, it won’t start again. Hmm, seems like we got some pretty sweet buses here in LA. I wonder why more people don’t ride them. The noise is what really bothers Eva and I, but every minute that they are sitting there with there engine on, they are getting 0 miles to the gallon and wasting gas that you and I pay for. Whew, thanks for letting me rant a bit.
Anyways, it has been pretty hard to travel with dialysis and the logistical issues that entails but Eva and I actually got out of town for the first time in a long time in late July. We did a road trip to Bryce and Zion Canyons and it was awesome. We spent one night in Vegas, then two in Bryce, two in Zion, and another night in Vegas on the way back. These canyons are pretty amazing. If you have never been, I highly recommend it (especially if you like rocks). Bryce has some really unique rock formations, really unlike anything anywhere else in the world. A lot of pinnacles, all grouped together starting at the rim of the canyon and going down into the canyon and also a few incredible natural arches. There were thunderstorms in the afternoons, and even some hail but otherwise the canyon was pretty warm. We attempted a short hike down into the canyon that did not work out all that well. I was having trouble going down (bad sign) and between the hot sun, the steep trail, my lack of fitness, and the looming thunderclouds coming over the ridge, we decided to turn back early. Good thing too, because I barely made it back up to the rim. Those reverse climbs can be pretty deceiving. People would stop and ask if I was OK. I guess my expression was a little worrisome. Eva was a little taken aback, she was taking care of me. I am so thankful for her, I might still be down there without her help. We decided to just drive to some overlooks for the remainder of that day (good idea). Zion was also spectacular and very different. On Bryce, you are on the rim, looking down into the canyon. At Zion, you are at the bottom of the canyon with the huge cliffs all around you. Totally different feel. Plus Zion has a small river running down it which always adds to the appeal. Just to give you an idea of the depth of the canyon, the floor is around 4000 ft. and the tops of some of the canyon walls are over 8000 ft. Really cool. At both parks, we were fortunate enough to stay at lodges inside the parks. You just could not beat the locations (unless you were backpacking). We brought the cycler and I dialyzed once at Bryce and once at Zion. What really helped was that both lodges had porters who would help you with all your stuff if you needed it. Eva and I can do it, but it really just makes life a whole lot easier. What is a large burden for Eva and I, really is not that big a deal for a big guy. If we manage any trips in the future, I am sure we will be staying at places with porters, they are key. We did a couple hikes in Zion which went really well (I survived). It is still hard to think that four years ago, basically any hike that existed was doable for me and now I really can only complete the most basic hikes. I am saddened that Eva and I can no longer just march out into the wilderness and know we will be ok, and that even the easy hikes need a good looking over to insure I will make it. I wonder what I am missing. The curiosity that took me around the next bend or over the next little hill when I was young, is still alive in me, and eats at me, but then I try to remind myself that I am lucky for what I can do. I am lucky for what I can see. Vegas was pretty fun as sort of bookends to the trip. Eva and I are not millionaires nor are we in the poor house. In fact, we did not gamble at all. I do not know what it was, it just did not appeal to me or her this time. On the way to Vegas, I think I was in the hottest weather I have ever been. The outside temperature was 117 degrees F. I cannot imagine living in that kind of heat. Luckily the Prius performed beautifully (thanks dad and John B.) and we just marveled at the desert from our little comfort pod. It had been a long time since I had spent the night anywhere besides my apartment or my parents house, and it turned out really well. It sort of felt like old times (except when I was attempting to hike) and I felt so fortunate to share the experience with my wonderful wife. She is awesome.
Otherwise Eva and I have just been settling into the chemo patient routine. Get chemo, feel crappy for a few days, slowly start to feel normal, maybe get one or two good days, and then go back for more chemo. We have really gotten into gardening and are really getting a lot out of our tiny 2m by 2m balcony. We put up planter boxes and have a little herb garden with cilantro, oregano, thyme, sage, chives, margarine, and parsley. We got some other plants and then as we were running out of space, we got a rack to really maximize our gardening area. Sometimes we look over our miniscule little green space and I think we probably have the same expressions as if we were looking out over acres of cultivated land. Personally, I am just amazed that seeds actually do turn into plants. Another victory was getting an orchid to reshoot and rebloom. That orchid is basically like a child to us. Disturb it and beware our wrath.
Well, I think that is about enough for now. I hope each and every one of you are doing well. Remember, if there are things you really want to do, get out there and do them. You never know what may happen and someday you may not be able to accomplish them. Now is the time. If another blog absence occurs, just remember what I would always tell my mother, “If you hear nothing, everything is probably ok.”
Live Strong and Carpe Vitam,
Tyler
Here are Eva and I at Bryce Canyon. Now there is a happy guy.
Natural arch. Just stunning. Yikes, I am still getting used to seeing my bald head in pictures.
As we were driving, we came across a tree that was still smoldering from a lightning strike. It looked like the base of the tree had exploded. Pretty gnarly.
Do you want to know why I listen to my wife? Because she is really strong and I do not want to know the consequences of not doing what she tells me to do.
Me in the narrows at Zion. The walls on both sides of the canyon basically go straight up for hundreds of feet.
Eva on the top of Angel’s landing. I did not go on this hike with her. There was a lot of elevation gain but, obviously, the view was pretty nice. Two weeks after Eva did this hike, a woman fell to her death at the top while hiking with her husband and two young children. Quite a tragedy, but, needless to say, this hike is not for everyone. I am glad Eva is smart, cautious, sure-footed, and not scared of heights and am so thankful nothing happened to her.
A silhouette of our orchid just as it was beginning to bloom. Our pride and joy.
I have not really been doing all that much and I apologize in advance, if I resume updating the blog, it may be pretty dull. We’ll see, if it gets really bad, I will just start making up stuff. I guess the big news is that Eva will be starting her MBA program at Pepperdine at the end of the month. I am really excited for her and also looking forward to learning a bit myself as I look over her shoulder from time to time. To reduce the commute for her, we moved earlier this summer and are just about settled in. I have to say, I love the location and the apartment though there are a few minor drawbacks. We moved to a small one bedroom in Pacific Palisades and are only a couple hundred meters from the water. Being close to the water and also the trails in the Santa Monica Mountains is wonderful. Plus, now we actually have a wall that separates the bedroom (before, we just had some vertical blinds as the divider and Eva is sort of sensitive to light when she sleeps - not ideal). The apartment was redone right before we moved in and I really love it, but we are right next to Sunset blvd. and it can be a little loud. Eva and I have entered what I call our curmudgeony phase and sort of rail against the various sources of noise. We shake our fists at the motorcycles, curse at the loud cars, and are currently working with the MTA to try to get the bus drivers to turn off their buses while they wait to begin their routes. I could not believe it, the other night, a bus was on and sitting there for 32 minutes before leaving. Typically, they will leave the bus on and then actually go to the Vons or talk on a cell phone outside of the bus. I have confronted a bus driver and she said that she leaves it on because occasionally, it won’t start again. Hmm, seems like we got some pretty sweet buses here in LA. I wonder why more people don’t ride them. The noise is what really bothers Eva and I, but every minute that they are sitting there with there engine on, they are getting 0 miles to the gallon and wasting gas that you and I pay for. Whew, thanks for letting me rant a bit.
Anyways, it has been pretty hard to travel with dialysis and the logistical issues that entails but Eva and I actually got out of town for the first time in a long time in late July. We did a road trip to Bryce and Zion Canyons and it was awesome. We spent one night in Vegas, then two in Bryce, two in Zion, and another night in Vegas on the way back. These canyons are pretty amazing. If you have never been, I highly recommend it (especially if you like rocks). Bryce has some really unique rock formations, really unlike anything anywhere else in the world. A lot of pinnacles, all grouped together starting at the rim of the canyon and going down into the canyon and also a few incredible natural arches. There were thunderstorms in the afternoons, and even some hail but otherwise the canyon was pretty warm. We attempted a short hike down into the canyon that did not work out all that well. I was having trouble going down (bad sign) and between the hot sun, the steep trail, my lack of fitness, and the looming thunderclouds coming over the ridge, we decided to turn back early. Good thing too, because I barely made it back up to the rim. Those reverse climbs can be pretty deceiving. People would stop and ask if I was OK. I guess my expression was a little worrisome. Eva was a little taken aback, she was taking care of me. I am so thankful for her, I might still be down there without her help. We decided to just drive to some overlooks for the remainder of that day (good idea). Zion was also spectacular and very different. On Bryce, you are on the rim, looking down into the canyon. At Zion, you are at the bottom of the canyon with the huge cliffs all around you. Totally different feel. Plus Zion has a small river running down it which always adds to the appeal. Just to give you an idea of the depth of the canyon, the floor is around 4000 ft. and the tops of some of the canyon walls are over 8000 ft. Really cool. At both parks, we were fortunate enough to stay at lodges inside the parks. You just could not beat the locations (unless you were backpacking). We brought the cycler and I dialyzed once at Bryce and once at Zion. What really helped was that both lodges had porters who would help you with all your stuff if you needed it. Eva and I can do it, but it really just makes life a whole lot easier. What is a large burden for Eva and I, really is not that big a deal for a big guy. If we manage any trips in the future, I am sure we will be staying at places with porters, they are key. We did a couple hikes in Zion which went really well (I survived). It is still hard to think that four years ago, basically any hike that existed was doable for me and now I really can only complete the most basic hikes. I am saddened that Eva and I can no longer just march out into the wilderness and know we will be ok, and that even the easy hikes need a good looking over to insure I will make it. I wonder what I am missing. The curiosity that took me around the next bend or over the next little hill when I was young, is still alive in me, and eats at me, but then I try to remind myself that I am lucky for what I can do. I am lucky for what I can see. Vegas was pretty fun as sort of bookends to the trip. Eva and I are not millionaires nor are we in the poor house. In fact, we did not gamble at all. I do not know what it was, it just did not appeal to me or her this time. On the way to Vegas, I think I was in the hottest weather I have ever been. The outside temperature was 117 degrees F. I cannot imagine living in that kind of heat. Luckily the Prius performed beautifully (thanks dad and John B.) and we just marveled at the desert from our little comfort pod. It had been a long time since I had spent the night anywhere besides my apartment or my parents house, and it turned out really well. It sort of felt like old times (except when I was attempting to hike) and I felt so fortunate to share the experience with my wonderful wife. She is awesome.
Otherwise Eva and I have just been settling into the chemo patient routine. Get chemo, feel crappy for a few days, slowly start to feel normal, maybe get one or two good days, and then go back for more chemo. We have really gotten into gardening and are really getting a lot out of our tiny 2m by 2m balcony. We put up planter boxes and have a little herb garden with cilantro, oregano, thyme, sage, chives, margarine, and parsley. We got some other plants and then as we were running out of space, we got a rack to really maximize our gardening area. Sometimes we look over our miniscule little green space and I think we probably have the same expressions as if we were looking out over acres of cultivated land. Personally, I am just amazed that seeds actually do turn into plants. Another victory was getting an orchid to reshoot and rebloom. That orchid is basically like a child to us. Disturb it and beware our wrath.
Well, I think that is about enough for now. I hope each and every one of you are doing well. Remember, if there are things you really want to do, get out there and do them. You never know what may happen and someday you may not be able to accomplish them. Now is the time. If another blog absence occurs, just remember what I would always tell my mother, “If you hear nothing, everything is probably ok.”
Live Strong and Carpe Vitam,
Tyler
Here are Eva and I at Bryce Canyon. Now there is a happy guy.
Natural arch. Just stunning. Yikes, I am still getting used to seeing my bald head in pictures.
As we were driving, we came across a tree that was still smoldering from a lightning strike. It looked like the base of the tree had exploded. Pretty gnarly.
Do you want to know why I listen to my wife? Because she is really strong and I do not want to know the consequences of not doing what she tells me to do.
Me in the narrows at Zion. The walls on both sides of the canyon basically go straight up for hundreds of feet.
Eva on the top of Angel’s landing. I did not go on this hike with her. There was a lot of elevation gain but, obviously, the view was pretty nice. Two weeks after Eva did this hike, a woman fell to her death at the top while hiking with her husband and two young children. Quite a tragedy, but, needless to say, this hike is not for everyone. I am glad Eva is smart, cautious, sure-footed, and not scared of heights and am so thankful nothing happened to her.
A silhouette of our orchid just as it was beginning to bloom. Our pride and joy.
Saturday, November 01, 2008
LA Cancer Challenge 2008 Photo Highlights
So there are a lots of shots of me, I guess they will continue the self centered nature of this blog. Sorry about that. If you have any good shots, especially of the entire group, please email them to tnoesen@gmail.com .
Just a reminder, whichever way you feel, please get out and make your voice heard on Tuesday, November 4th. It is just three days away. Personally, Obama’s plans for healthcare would help me in very real ways (and probably you, too, by increasing the pool, the outlyers like me more readily get absorbed and I can get the care I need to stay out of the ER. Alternatively, if I get dropped or denied, I might end up at County more often, in which case everyone would probably pay more as I would probably not get the care I needed until I ended up in the ER.). Also, I will be voting for Debbie Cook for the 46th district congressperson. Time to vote the bums out.
Again, thank you all for making the LA Cancer Challenge such an amazing event. These shows of support really invigorate me in my fight against pancreatic cancer. Just remember how important it is to cherish those close to you, see the inexhaustible supply of beauty in the world, and truly live life.
“Live as if you will die tomorrow. Dream as if you will live forever.” –James Dean
Here is a shot of the group. What an amazing turnout. Thank you all so much for getting up early on a Sunday and coming out for a good cause. Your support means more than you know.
A little pre-race pep talk for the LB Poly XC girls from Shannon Rowbury (US Olympian for 1500m). Nate and I should probably be taking notes, too. I did not get up the courage to ask, “Do you have any tips for me to shave some seconds off of my 1 hour 15 minute and 21 second 5K time?” There is something to shake your head at. In my prime I could and did finish a 5K more than 1 hour faster. Yikes. I have a long way to go. Even without cancer, I doubt I could get back there.
Dialysis has become a big part of my life these days and these are the people who make it livable. Vicky runs the Da Vita unit at UCLA and Michelle is the Home Hemodialysis coordinator. Lets face it, dialysis sucks, but both are amazing women and really do make the treatment tolerable.
This is other wonderful person in my dialysis life, Richard. He is the Home Hemo nurse. See that smile on his face? How could you not enjoy spending a few hours a week with that guy? Though we joke a bit and each tell stories, at the critical times he is on it and his calmness and skill put me at ease and actually help me do my part better. Thanks for bringing the family out Rich. It was great to finally meet Ines and your boys (3/4 at least).
Like every little rink-a-dink 5K/10K, there is a race to win and then there are innumerable little races throughout the field, even way in the back. Here is a moment of frustration, as I got passed by a kid being pushed in a wheelchair. Luckily I did not see any little old ladies in walkers. I don’t think I could have borne that embarrassment.
Later, I had a smile on my face when the finish line was in sight. I completed the race without stopping, though I was going pretty slow on the slight uphills, and the flats, and, well, I would not exactly say that I was blazing down the downhills.
I think I was able to complete the race because of this inspirational angel. Can you believe it? Somebody I know thought she looked like a toilet brush.
Who wouldn’t want a picture with 6 high school girls and Nate’s wife, Becky. As far as a picture with Nate, I have mixed sentiments. Well, after further review, I guess he is pretty good-looking, too.
Well, it ends with two of the three people who bear the most burden (my tirades and such) and keep coming back for more. Now that is love. And Mark Carpenter, he’s a pretty nice guy, too.
And my lovely wife, Eva. Wow, am I lucky. And look! She is blowing me a kiss. What more could I ask for? Here she is cruising through the 10K. Right after, she walked the 5K with a couple friends. What a champ. Go Cutie!
Carpe Vitam and Live Strong,
Tyler
Just a reminder, whichever way you feel, please get out and make your voice heard on Tuesday, November 4th. It is just three days away. Personally, Obama’s plans for healthcare would help me in very real ways (and probably you, too, by increasing the pool, the outlyers like me more readily get absorbed and I can get the care I need to stay out of the ER. Alternatively, if I get dropped or denied, I might end up at County more often, in which case everyone would probably pay more as I would probably not get the care I needed until I ended up in the ER.). Also, I will be voting for Debbie Cook for the 46th district congressperson. Time to vote the bums out.
Again, thank you all for making the LA Cancer Challenge such an amazing event. These shows of support really invigorate me in my fight against pancreatic cancer. Just remember how important it is to cherish those close to you, see the inexhaustible supply of beauty in the world, and truly live life.
“Live as if you will die tomorrow. Dream as if you will live forever.” –James Dean
Here is a shot of the group. What an amazing turnout. Thank you all so much for getting up early on a Sunday and coming out for a good cause. Your support means more than you know.
A little pre-race pep talk for the LB Poly XC girls from Shannon Rowbury (US Olympian for 1500m). Nate and I should probably be taking notes, too. I did not get up the courage to ask, “Do you have any tips for me to shave some seconds off of my 1 hour 15 minute and 21 second 5K time?” There is something to shake your head at. In my prime I could and did finish a 5K more than 1 hour faster. Yikes. I have a long way to go. Even without cancer, I doubt I could get back there.
Dialysis has become a big part of my life these days and these are the people who make it livable. Vicky runs the Da Vita unit at UCLA and Michelle is the Home Hemodialysis coordinator. Lets face it, dialysis sucks, but both are amazing women and really do make the treatment tolerable.
This is other wonderful person in my dialysis life, Richard. He is the Home Hemo nurse. See that smile on his face? How could you not enjoy spending a few hours a week with that guy? Though we joke a bit and each tell stories, at the critical times he is on it and his calmness and skill put me at ease and actually help me do my part better. Thanks for bringing the family out Rich. It was great to finally meet Ines and your boys (3/4 at least).
Like every little rink-a-dink 5K/10K, there is a race to win and then there are innumerable little races throughout the field, even way in the back. Here is a moment of frustration, as I got passed by a kid being pushed in a wheelchair. Luckily I did not see any little old ladies in walkers. I don’t think I could have borne that embarrassment.
Later, I had a smile on my face when the finish line was in sight. I completed the race without stopping, though I was going pretty slow on the slight uphills, and the flats, and, well, I would not exactly say that I was blazing down the downhills.
I think I was able to complete the race because of this inspirational angel. Can you believe it? Somebody I know thought she looked like a toilet brush.
Who wouldn’t want a picture with 6 high school girls and Nate’s wife, Becky. As far as a picture with Nate, I have mixed sentiments. Well, after further review, I guess he is pretty good-looking, too.
Well, it ends with two of the three people who bear the most burden (my tirades and such) and keep coming back for more. Now that is love. And Mark Carpenter, he’s a pretty nice guy, too.
And my lovely wife, Eva. Wow, am I lucky. And look! She is blowing me a kiss. What more could I ask for? Here she is cruising through the 10K. Right after, she walked the 5K with a couple friends. What a champ. Go Cutie!
Carpe Vitam and Live Strong,
Tyler
Monday, October 27, 2008
LA Cancer Challenge 2008
Wow. What a day. Thank you so much to everyone who came out and walked or ran and also to those who gave so generously. It was a really fun day. I am really sorry for those of you who did not get a goodie bag. There were a couple instances where the race could have prepared much better. I am not sure if they were expecting the economic downturn to effect turnout or what, but the community came out in force for Pancreatic Cancer Research. There were over 3000 runners this year. Now it is not quite the 60,000 runners that the Revlon Breast Cancer run gets, but it is a really good turn out for a pancreatic cancer run. Thank you all so much for also surviving their convoluted web donation system. Honestly, I see a lot of room for improvement. I understand that they want to make everyone a fundraiser and give everyone their own fundraising page, but really, some people just want to give and be done with it and that is perfectly all right. We did so well as a team. I am so proud of everyone’s performance. On the fundraising side, we raised an amazing $4,040.00! That was 300% over our goal. Again, incredible generosity. We had 46 people join Team Tyler. I will never be able to communicate how much your support means to me and how much it has helped me fight this disease. Now, I have no idea how they figure out the team standings, but it looks like they took into account both races, and even though we were heavily stacked in the 5K and were overly relying on my father in the 10K, we managed to win the team title by over 3 minutes. It looks like we did this for the second year without Ross’ (the second place finisher) help as some how he just can not get it together to actually join team Tyler. Next year I may have to sign him up myself. Our team did benefit incredibly from Shannon Rowbury and her friend Dan demartini (cool last name). He won the race and she was 4th place overall and the first woman and totally whooped John Burke. I guess those Olympic athletes are legit. Also, another great perk was that, even if you walked the 5K in an abysmal 1:14:20 (yes 1 hour, 14 minutes, and 20 seconds), you can say that on October 26th, I was on a team with an Olympic athlete. We may not all get to the Olympics (except maybe to watch), but at least we will have that.
I really enjoyed the walk this year as a number of people on the team all walked together and chit chatted during the race. It was really great to catch up with so many of you and it sounds like everyone is doing really well. Nate Bershtel, a former teammate from my LB Poly XC days and the current girls XC coach at LB Poly, brought out a number of runners who all walked with me. I don’t want to be a dirty old man or anything, but it is pretty nice to have a dozen or so high school girls around.
One exciting moment during the morning came when my father spotted Harrison Ford. He of course could not just leave him be, so he ran and grabbed a Team Tyler t-shirt and ran over to Harrison and gave it to him. He did not put it on but we did see it hanging out from his belt a little later that morning. About a half hour later we saw him going into a porto-potty (I know, he wipes his own a**!) and we were going to confront him after he finished and walked out to insure that the t-shirt was not soiled. Unfortunately, we got distracted and never saw him leave the porto-potty. You may have escaped this time Han Solo, but I will watch you next time. In case you were wondering, his kid did the little kid’s run. I was thinking about hopping in, but I don’t think I could handle the emotional devastation of being beaten by 100 seven-year-olds (their quick little guys and girls).
Once again, thank you all so much for your support.
Take Care and Live Strong,
Tyler
I really enjoyed the walk this year as a number of people on the team all walked together and chit chatted during the race. It was really great to catch up with so many of you and it sounds like everyone is doing really well. Nate Bershtel, a former teammate from my LB Poly XC days and the current girls XC coach at LB Poly, brought out a number of runners who all walked with me. I don’t want to be a dirty old man or anything, but it is pretty nice to have a dozen or so high school girls around.
One exciting moment during the morning came when my father spotted Harrison Ford. He of course could not just leave him be, so he ran and grabbed a Team Tyler t-shirt and ran over to Harrison and gave it to him. He did not put it on but we did see it hanging out from his belt a little later that morning. About a half hour later we saw him going into a porto-potty (I know, he wipes his own a**!) and we were going to confront him after he finished and walked out to insure that the t-shirt was not soiled. Unfortunately, we got distracted and never saw him leave the porto-potty. You may have escaped this time Han Solo, but I will watch you next time. In case you were wondering, his kid did the little kid’s run. I was thinking about hopping in, but I don’t think I could handle the emotional devastation of being beaten by 100 seven-year-olds (their quick little guys and girls).
Once again, thank you all so much for your support.
Take Care and Live Strong,
Tyler
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Race Tomorrow
Sorry that this is a little late, but oh-well. The LA Cancer Challenge is coming up this Sunday. I am really looking forward to seeing so many of you there. I hope everyone is in shape and we can make a good showing. It is looking like we may be rounding out our team with an Olympian, so hopefully that will give us an edge. The race details are at www.lacancerchallenge.com. The 10K starts at 7:30am, the 5K starts at 9am, and both races are on the Veteran’s grounds next to UCLA. Parking should be available but may be a little ways away from the starting line, so give yourself plenty of time. We will meet and distribute t-shirts somewhere near the team canopies/tents. Just look for a lot of people with Team Tyler t-shirts. Thank you all so much for your incredible generosity and support. You all do more for my disposition and motivation to fight than you will ever know.
Thank you so much to Debbie Cook and Dr. Geisse for your very kind comments. Both of you are very special people and I feel so fortunate to have met and known both of you. Again, if you live in the 46th district, I am sure Debbie Cook would make a great congresswoman and she certainly gets my wholehearted endorsement (not that it is worth much, but she still gets it).
As far as my health for the week, it has been up and down a bit but generally ok. I was scheduled for chemo on Friday morning, but I woke up with a fair amount of back pain and we decided to hold off for a week. Over the last six weeks, I usually feel crappy on the day of an infusion, then really crappy for the 3-5 days after an infusion, then it slowly gets better and for maybe the 3 days before my next infusion, I feel fairly normal. That has been the “regular” 2-week cycle for the last few sessions. This last cycle, though, I just never really got to that semi-normal feeling. I was still feeling fairly crappy the day before the infusion. Add that to some back pain, and you have got a day where adding chemo probably is not going to do a whole lot of good. I always hate to miss a session, for fear that the cancer might gather a bit of strength, but I think that my body needed a bit of a break. Like Eva says, it is no good if you beat the cancer but the treatment has taken out all of your other systems, too. Another perk, is that I will have no pump for the cancer challenge. It would have been very dramatic, but I think I have a better chance of completing the 5k without it. Just to let people know, we may have to take breaks. Plan on chitchatting a bit with the water station volunteers. Maybe try to come up with a few good jokes to brighten their days.
So I have had to take some painkillers just to feel fairly normal over the last couple weeks. Eva was initially a bit worried as se is a caring wife, but after seeing me in pain for a few hours, she understood how important they are. In fact, a few hours after “perking up” a bit post popping a couple pills, she actually said I seem even more like my old self than when I am not taking anything. I would like to not have to take anything, but I am intimately familiar with how pain can take away your will to fight and destroy your resolve. I consider myself pretty tough, but when I am in significant pain, it is just so hard to stay motivated.
Anyways, I am really looking forward to seeing all of you tomorrow. Get a good night’s sleep and get psyched up for the run.
Take Care and Live Strong,
Tyler
Thank you so much to Debbie Cook and Dr. Geisse for your very kind comments. Both of you are very special people and I feel so fortunate to have met and known both of you. Again, if you live in the 46th district, I am sure Debbie Cook would make a great congresswoman and she certainly gets my wholehearted endorsement (not that it is worth much, but she still gets it).
As far as my health for the week, it has been up and down a bit but generally ok. I was scheduled for chemo on Friday morning, but I woke up with a fair amount of back pain and we decided to hold off for a week. Over the last six weeks, I usually feel crappy on the day of an infusion, then really crappy for the 3-5 days after an infusion, then it slowly gets better and for maybe the 3 days before my next infusion, I feel fairly normal. That has been the “regular” 2-week cycle for the last few sessions. This last cycle, though, I just never really got to that semi-normal feeling. I was still feeling fairly crappy the day before the infusion. Add that to some back pain, and you have got a day where adding chemo probably is not going to do a whole lot of good. I always hate to miss a session, for fear that the cancer might gather a bit of strength, but I think that my body needed a bit of a break. Like Eva says, it is no good if you beat the cancer but the treatment has taken out all of your other systems, too. Another perk, is that I will have no pump for the cancer challenge. It would have been very dramatic, but I think I have a better chance of completing the 5k without it. Just to let people know, we may have to take breaks. Plan on chitchatting a bit with the water station volunteers. Maybe try to come up with a few good jokes to brighten their days.
So I have had to take some painkillers just to feel fairly normal over the last couple weeks. Eva was initially a bit worried as se is a caring wife, but after seeing me in pain for a few hours, she understood how important they are. In fact, a few hours after “perking up” a bit post popping a couple pills, she actually said I seem even more like my old self than when I am not taking anything. I would like to not have to take anything, but I am intimately familiar with how pain can take away your will to fight and destroy your resolve. I consider myself pretty tough, but when I am in significant pain, it is just so hard to stay motivated.
Anyways, I am really looking forward to seeing all of you tomorrow. Get a good night’s sleep and get psyched up for the run.
Take Care and Live Strong,
Tyler
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