Well

Well, well, well. That is how I am.

Very late last night, I reached home. On Monday, I met Dr. Sato, the foremost authority on ocular melanoma, at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia. I met him for the first time a year ago in person but he has been helping me regularly with advice for two years now.

He assured me that I seem to have ended up in the best possible situation for a person with this dreadful disease. I have twice undergone immunotherapy with ipilimumab and have had radiation to several aggressive tumours. Together, these treatments have got me to a sweet spot where my immune system seems to be able to keep the cancer in check. For several months now, there has been very little change. Dr. Sato has growing confidence that this will be an extended period of wellness and I need to get on with my life. Very few people get to this extraordinary moment. There is no way of knowing how long this balance can be sustained. Scanning will continue at regular intervals.

And so, here I am in an unexpected and novel place. I do not need further treatment at the moment. My body is strong and my mind is catching up! It will be an enormous but exciting challenge to live each day as if it is the last, but with lots of confidence that tomorrow will come!

Thank you to all who have walked this path with me.  It has never been lonely. Peace and love, Nigel

Peace

This has been a painful week if you live in Canada. The nation's peace has been disturbed in a high profile way by the death of two soldiers, one off duty, the other, gun not loaded, guarding our War Memorial on Parliament Hill in Ottawa. What evil leads to this destruction of human life? What, or whose, cause is served? What good can possibly come of it?

It is not possible to think that the religion of Islam, a religion of peace, can be responsible. In both cases, it appears as if distressed young men, living failed lives at so many levels, sought in one desperate final act to attract some, any, attention and depart in a blaze of some sort.

Yesterday, quite by coincidence, we were driving along Highway 401, from the historic city of Kingston to the airport in Toronto. We became aware, as time progressed, that all of the overpasses were slowly filling with a mass of humanity, dressed often in red, quietly holding the Canadian flag. By the time we got close to Toronto, the crowds were thick, but quiet, reflective and dignified. Thousands had gone out of their way, stood for hours, determined to find a way to be part of a large and beautiful statement that might sound like this: we know that a horrible thing has happened in our midst. We seek only to return to peace. We are united in saying we don't hate anyone,we will help anyone, and we want to live in peace. This horror will pass sooner if we stick together. It cannot define who we are. Let's just stand together a while here as we wait for the funeral cortège to pass. Things will get better. We are strong and resilient. Peace will be reestablished.

Solo

It's fall marathon time! As the temperatures dwindle and the leaves colour up, with training program duly completed, the body and mind turn to completing the distance - 26 miles and 385 yards.

With all of my running friends, we usually group up to go to attractive destinations close by or, occasionally, far away. Race Day brings huge excitement - family,  friends and many enthusiastic strangers all along the course to cheer us on, bands, water and aid stations, posters, crazy costumes, never a dull moment as we push our bodies to achieve the finishing time we have set our heart on. Since October 2003, my first marathon, here in Victoria, I have enjoyed running in the cooler fall temperatures (between 9 and 13 degrees) in close to perfect conditions, very little rain, hopefully little or no wind, a beautiful, scenic, gently undulating course.

This year, everything was in place for the usual running celebration. However, my son is working hard at enjoying running and becoming a serious runner. I really want to see him in his half marathon on Sunday. I can't participate in the marathon and support him at the same time!

Last Saturday, I found a way to solve the problem.  On a gray, drizzly day I set out on my own to run the distance. I wondered what it would be like to run without any support. How important are the distractions, the fun, the hoopla, the excitement of race day?  What is it like to stop at all the red lights and patiently wait for them to change to green?! Is it discouraging to run mile after a mile with no one else involved? 

The answer is in. If you love the distance, the challenge, the ritual, running all on your own is a perfect experience - very different from what we are used to. It was a perfect solo marathon for the fall of 2014!

Happy thanksgiving to all! Peace and love. Nigel

Hooray!

This is a wonderful day! I picked up the report on my abdominal MRI and learned that my cancer has not changed from June to October. This is the first time since the beginning of the journey that there are no signs of progression. The wayward growth is still for now. My body and the disease have agreed on a temporary truce. Things do not seem to be getting worse. I am very thankful for this bright window.

However, the work continues. I advocate every day for help. I travel to Philadelphia later this month to consult with Dr. Takami Sato again. Once I know what he recommends I do next, I will start to organize to move in that direction.

A trip out east also gives me the opportunity for a visit with my youngest brother and his family in Ontario and also to enjoy the extraordinary colour that marks the end of summer. We will have time, and leave sufficient flexibility in our travel plans, to move to where the colour is brightest!

But before we go, we celebrate Thanksgiving on October 13, thirty nine years to the day from my landing in Vancouver! I have always loved the weekend when I remember my good luck in arriving in such a beautiful part of the world in 1975! The food is fabulous and the company special! My son will be in town to run an incredible half marathon and I will be there to see him fly to the finish line!     Peace and love to all!