June 15
There’s been positive news on the medical front. My six month visit to the urologist/surgeon revealed that my PSA had dropped to < .01ng/ml. The hormone therapy appears to be stalling the cancer. I'd like to apologize to everyone who has been a frequent reader of this blog. I have been derelict in my duty in so far as regular posting here is concerned. May I explain.
As Siddhartha Mukherjee references in his Pulitzer Prize for Non Fiction book The Emperor of All Maladies, when cancer enters the lexicon of you and your family and friends, it’s basically there in perpetuity. Well, I needed a break. I just didn't want to write about it for a while. I just didn't want to think about it. Picture a little kid with his arms folded across his chest with that stubborn, pissed off look saying 'I won't' . That was me.
Back in November (Entry 13) my urologist Dr Jeff Saranchuk said that with a few breaks I should be back paddling my canoe by this spring. I held up my end of the bargain by diligently working my body back into the kind of shape that would allow me to contemplate going on a 2 week wilderness canoe trip. That unconsciously became my goal. I would recommend that process to anyone. It keeps you busy with something you can control, keeps you focused and helps rein in on an active imagination. Nothing new here but it worked for me.
I am passionate about paddling a canoe. Margaret did a good job of explaining the odd creature I become during the mid to late Canadian winter. Pouring over maps, checking out gear, and drying food for the trip is therapeutic for me. I know many of you won't get that, but that’s what turns my crank. Put me in my canoe in a true wilderness setting on the boreal forest of the Canadian Shield and I'm home. You don't have enough fingers and toes to count the times my heart sang as we paddled through the stunning beauty of Woodland Caribou Park. My sincere thanks to friends Danny Williams and Tom Robinson who kept me company on the trip.
And guess what? I came home to the fabulous news that the NHL has returned to Winnipeg. 'The good old hockey game' is back where it belongs in the 'Peg'. My son Tom and I tried unsuccessfully to get a pair of Winnipeg Jets seasons tickets, but hey, relative to some of the things I have learned in the last year - no big deal.
Links
Flow
Our Canoeing Pictures
NHL Returns to Winnipeg
Contact: hdstimson @ shaw.ca
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