And Lest I Not Forget

I want to make an addition to my last post. I listed a number of family members that I wanted to thank for their assistance that I received this past year in helping me to make it through to where I am today. One important omission that I made was that of my daughter Marcia. It was due to her that I even have this blog, as she set it up shortly after I was diagnosed as a way for me to communicate with people who were interested about how things were going for me without having to repeat everything numerous times to each one. This blog has been an important aspect of my recovery, as it gave me a chance to write down and share my opinions and feelings with those who cared the most about me. I even received some support from total strangers who may have stumbled upon the blog on the Internet, read something, and commented on it to wish me well.

In addition, Marcia has shown her love and concern for me throughout this entire year, calling me to see how I am, and being on the receiving end when I would call her. In fact on that fateful March 24 right after I first was diagnosed. Cyndy and I were in a Denny's restaurant having a late breakfast and making phone calls to break this news to family members. I had a long conversation with Marcia, sharing my initial thoughts and concerns. I was trying to be positive even from the outset and I remember Marcia being impressed that I was so upbeat in the face of such news. She was always very encouraging to me and greatly supported my positive attitude and I want to make sure she is acknowledged for her assistance and support of me this past year.

I also want to remember my son Brian in Florida. Perhaps because he was a distance away, he may have felt somewhat removed from everything, but I know he read these blogs and made frequent comments in support of me. And when I had a slight break between my pre-op treatment and the operation itself, we chose to go down to Florida to visit Brian, his wife Lauren, and our grandson Tyler (who lives with his other grandmother nearby). We stayed with Brian and Lauren, who were gracious hosts, and hopefully by our visit, gave them a chance to feel a little "closer to the action" of what was going on with me. We also went down again in October for the first use of our time share that we purchased through a hotel on Fort Myers Beach and had a chance to visit with them again, post-op this time. During that visit, I swam in the ocean every day I could and even spent 90 minutes on a Waverunner, experiences I wanted to undertake to prove to myself that, colostomy bag or not, I was still able to involve myself in those types of activities. And except for my little accident on the Waverunner when I U-turned too short and threw both Cyndy and me into the Gulf of Mexico, all went well. Cyndy might not ride on the back of a Waverunner with me again, but we'll deal with that later.

A co-worker of mine endured three different cancers a few years ago and thankfully is doing well now healthwise. But she shared with me that she had little family or other support at the time, which made her experience all the worse. I can still sense her bitterness. Unfortuately I wasn't aware of the extent of what she was going through at the time, as much was kept from people at work, or I certainly would have been more involved. What her experience told me was how important it was to (1) have the support of friends and family, and (2) be willing to share what was going on with others. You never know who might not otherwise know what is going with you and who might be able to lend their support. That's a main reason I have been very open about my experience with others. I haven't tried to cram it down peoples' throats but if the opportunity arose, I was certainly willing to share. A number of vendors I deal with know about my case and all have been very supportive of me and ask me how I'm doing every time I talk to them. That means a lot.

That's why I'm thankful for this blog and again appreciative to Marcia for setting it up for me. At this point, I don't know how many people are still checking to see if there are new posts, as I know I have gone longer times between posts in recent times. But if you're reading this, then at least you checked and I thank you for it. I certainly have tried to be as supportive to others I know in similar situations to mine. I have learned through my experience how important that support is. Thank you again to each of you.