Off we go again!

Today, after months of preparation, I leave for New Zealand to spend some time with my sister and to enjoy all of the delights of a beautiful part of the world. There is much gardening on my horizon!

My diagnostic imaging at the beginning of October showed that there is no growth and no spread of cancer in my body. The miracle continues. There is no other word for it.

To celebrate my wellness I decided to run a half marathon on Thanksgiving weekend, the 40th anniversary of my arrival in Canada. The run was made more special as my son ran beside me all the way on a perfect running day, cool, no wind, bright and clear. What joy!

And now, my best news! I have committed to running the Two Oceans Ultramarathon in Capetown on March 26 next year. I will not be alone!  It will be an amazing experience running from the Atlantic to the Indian Ocean and back! I have miles to go before I sleep!

Wishing all my friends happiness and wellness on the journey!

Here we are on Thanksgiving weekend after our run!

 

Summer

Our perfect summer took a one week break but is back today. The week ahead looks as perfect as the months of sunshine and warmth we have enjoyed on the West Coast.  It was wonderful to get some rain to help the plants and trees out. Our children are back in school and the world returns to normal!

I had fun yesterday on a stand up paddle board...

I have been well. I am feeling strong. I have several cancer appointments over the next few weeks and I hope the outcome will be positive. In mid October, if all is well,  I will head for New Zealand again.

It is time to plan the next big crazy adventure..........

Bad Episode!

Twenty-four hours after my return from Ireland to Victoria, I was in pain. I didn't recognize the pain. It was new and different. I tried to ignore it, sometimes a very powerful pain control method. I went to bed at the usual time but awoke at 2 am with unforgiving and constant pain. It was so severe that bouts of nausea would sweep over me and I would struggle to get to bathroom in time.

By 9 am I decided it was time to seek help and Louise took me to emergency. Once again, words can't express enough praise for the kind of loving care that our doctors and nurses are able to show in ER. Our much maligned health system has consistently taken care of me with great compassion. I was quickly out of pain with an unprecedented and almost overwhelming dose of IV morphine.

A CT scan revealed that I had acute appendicitis and would have surgery as soon as possible. A merciful surgeon came to reassure me I was on his list and he would get to me by midnight.

Sure enough, at 11.30 pm, I was lying helpless and vulnerable on the operating table. By 1 am I was back in the recovery room and slept until 4 am. On waking, I decided I would demonstrate independence as early as possible in the hope of early release! I was so successful that I was home at 9 am!

I am now two weeks into recovery. All dressings are gone. I had no stitches. I was simply taped together! I am itching to get back to exercise. As the appendix had ruptured by the time the operation took place, I had to take heavy doses of antibiotics to ward off peritonitis. Lassitude and weakness are always the result, but I am now starting to feel as if I can get back to normal very quickly.  What joy to be alive, well and without pain!  

Summer is in full swing. Every day is long, warm, bright and perfect!

Here are two pictures from an Irish ditch! A superb place to party!

 

Ireland

An idyllic country scene close to my home

On May 13, I arrived in Dublin by air from Toronto. I rented a car and headed for the beautiful city of Birr in the middle of the country. I stayed with my brother and sister-in-law in their very old and beautiful townhouse, three floors of elegance and style. A young nephew was also kind enough to accompany me to Birr and the four of us had a good time together, walking, reminiscing and relaxing.

Two days later I drove to Co. Wexford, where I was born, and stayed with a beautiful cousin and her family. From there I was able to visit with many more relatives and catch up with their stories. The weather was unusually kind to me and we enjoyed lots of sunshine and very little rain.

I had a chance to review some family history documents and gather some information that was new to me. For a long time now I have been gathering information about our family history.


During my visit I was struck anew by the heart-aching beauty of Ireland, the fascination of its complex human history and the natural friendliness of its people. I feel very lucky to have been born in such a wholesome, safe and healthy environment. I give thanks frequently for the loving care of my parents.


I returned to Victoria on May 28. Summer appears to be well under way! Hooray!

Health Update

The results of my PET scan on May 5 show stable disease - no growth of tumours and no new tumours. My immune system continues managing to contain the cancer. How perfect is that?! For 16 months now I have been enjoying this respite. Every good day is a bonus. I feel on top of the world and fully in it. On Tuesday I travel to Ireland, land of my birth. This will be such a happy visit! Peace and love, Nigel

Beautiful Bonaire!

After the rigours of the Boston Marathon, I headed straight for Bonaire, a small island in the Southern Caribbean and a diving Mecca, to recover from the excesses of marathon running. I have family there, with a beautiful, welcoming and comfortable home. I spent the week relaxing, walking, doing yoga, swimming, eating and drinking like a king and diving every day.

The extraordinary thing about Bonaire diving is that the entire shore is a reef so one just walks or jumps in, and the dive begins immediately. There is no need for unpleasant engines or boats. The pleasure begins as soon as one is in the beautiful clear and warm water. 

In addition the reef is one of the healthiest and best protected in the world. Coral, fish and all kinds of sea creatures are abundant. It is a veritable wonderland, filled with colour, intriguing shapes, varying light, endless variety and some of the strangest creatures that exist on the planet! Just as we exited from my final dive, we saw a large octopus, slithering about on the rocks in the shallows, almost too close to us, in search of its favourite molluscs. It is able to change colour to hide almost anywhere. It is definitely one of the stranger creatures on earth!

On the edge of the reef, where the deep water begins, one often sees very large fish hunting for prey. All over the reef live a cornucopia of fish and other creatures that co-exist in relative peace. Of course, all creatures eat other creatures or plants in order to survive, just as we do. Sometimes one can even glimpse these violent moments actually transpire, the chase and the swallow. Some fish merely graze on the algae that grows on the reef. The more one learns about underwater life, the more enjoyable diving becomes. 

Learning to become relaxed and comfortable underwater is a lengthy process and it helps to have expert guides as I do. I certainly reached new heights, (or depths!) this time and I spent several hours in bliss in this alternate world. I have now done 40 dives and spent more than 30 hours underwater. It takes that long to learn how to be competent, to control buoyancy and be able to move at will up and down and side to side, in and out, using just one's breath and legs.

On top of Brandaris, Bonaire's highest point......

There are many more levels of expertise available to the diver and if I am lucky, I may be able to enjoy more training in the future. For now, I am happy that this week was just perfect! And now, I am homeward bound. Victoria, and serious matters,  await! On May 5 I have my next PET scan in Vancouver to see what the monster inside is doing. I promise to let you know. Peace and love, Nigel

On friends

We are blessed to have friends. When I decided to run Boston one more time, I mentioned it to friends. Slowly, the group going to Boston swelled. Some were already qualified to enter while others had to struggle to run a good marathon in time to enter Boston. Some tried but did not make it. 

While I lived in South Surrey I joined a running group called Peninsula Runners. There I met an extraordinary group of people from all walks of life, drawn together in pursuit of fitness and wellness. Some came and some left over time but a core group remained, even as they went through major transitions in their personal and professional lives. Running was the thread that held us together, the glue that bound us together.

In tribute to those friends who travelled to Boston together, and to those we met there, here is a ridulous picture taken as we finally reached the start line! All the suffering lay ahead!

Thank you to all of my friends. I owe you an endless debt of gratitude. Thank you for the support and inspiration. Thank you for adjusting your speed so we could be together!  Peace and love, Nigel