This week (October 15th) marks week number eight (8) of my cancer treatment.  As you know from the prior post, I had an excellent report from my oncologist last Wednesday (October 9th).  Many folks will say that miracles do happen…I’ll just say that I believe in the power that’s all around us.  And I’ll continue to believe that there’s a reason and a purpose for the good and – unfortunately – the bad in our lives.  If my bad situation – with a great upswing – helps me, my family, and others around us better appreciate our world…then so be it!  As I’ve said many times before, my situation, my life (our lives), and this world are simply part of a journey.  If it makes me a stronger, more focused, more compassionate person – I’ll take it.  It is what it is…I don’t know who said that, but it makes perfect sense.

Right after my terrific news on October 9th, I drove my son, Zach, and several classmates to Hoover, Alabama for a one-day quiz bowl tournament at the local high school.  Zach is in charge of the quiz bowl teams this year, and he, along with the teacher sponsor, coordinates all of the matches for his high school.  Prior to his junior year, Zach had never been highly motivated to be a leader in any activity he participated in: school, clubs, or sports.  He enjoyed participating, and he actively participated, but he never “rose above the tree tops” to lead in any activity.  And there’s nothing wrong with that, either.  We’ve never focused on you have to be a leader like many parents do.  As long as he enjoyed what he was doing, we let Zach be his own kind of participant.

Something changed, however, during the second half of Zach’s junior year.  He became much more involved in the nuisances of the quiz bowl group and became, at the end of the school year, the leader-elect for his senior year.  Note: Zach allowed Vicki and I to read his college essays.  One of them was an excellent piece about how a perceived failure during a quiz bowl match became Zach’s motivation to not only be a better player but to also motivate others around him to improve their play as well.  I think that essay gave me an insight into how Zach “evolved” from a participant to a leader.

For those of you who are not familiar with quiz bowl, it is essentially a competition among four-person teams who try to correctly answer questions about a myriad of subjects within a specified amount of time.  Think Jeopardy or Knowledge Quest, and you have a pretty good idea of how the competition works.  Student teams compete all around the country at the high school and collegiate levels.

The tournament in Hoover, Alabama was on Saturday, October 12th, so my spirits were flying sky high.  I had my great scan results on Wednesday plus I started my new job on Monday, October 14th.  I think having my eyes “wide open” from all that positive energy helped me to see my son in a new light.

The champs…almost.

Zach was not only responsible for coordinating entry into this tournament, he also selected teams – there were three teams representing his school – and he made sure everyone was focused on their role as a team member.  In addition, he was captain of the varsity A team, which would compete against other seasoned teams in the morning rounds.

I didn’t know it prior to our arrival at Hoover High School Saturday morning, but I would also act as unofficial score keeper for Zach’s group.  I had never been to one of these tournaments, and I had no idea what to expect.  I really had my eyes opened when I watched my son in action for the first time.  He was poised, focused, confident, encouraging, relentless, and competitive – highly competitive!  I didn’t recognize him as my own son…at least not the one I see at home every day after school.  Zach was in his element.  And – yes, I’m a very proud parent – he was awesome!  Not only was he the team’s captain, but he answered a majority of the questions in almost every match.  Incredible!  At one point, members of the opposing team came over to tell Zach that he did a great job.  As it turned out, he got an individual award for correctly answering a huge percentage of questions.

All in all, it was not a bad day.  Zach’s varsity team got eliminated in the semi-finals and wound up in third place (out of more than 50 teams).  Zach and his teammates were initially disappointed, but, as kids do, they quickly rebounded and enjoyed the long, monotonous (for me, the driver) trip back to Memphis.  I was exhausted when we finally got home, but I had a whole new appreciation and respect for my son.  He is truly a terrific young man.

Note:  As you’ll see in the picture below, the quiz bowl team is a very diverse group.  That was also what made my day with these young people – including my son – so special.  It was wonderful to see these kids interact with each other (and with students from the other schools).  They could of cared less what someone looked like, or where they came from.  They just wanted to compete and have fun doing it.  Yes, Zach’s school has a lot of diversity – I’ll talk about that in another post – and I’m glad it does.  As a country we need to come to a realization that our society is much more diverse than even a generation ago.  It was refreshing to be around so many faces that didn’t look like me.

We could all learn a lesson on getting along and being ourselves.

I’ve been out of town the past couple of days, so I have not had a chance to post my latest news on this blog.  My October 9th scan results were great!  My tumors actually have reduced in size according to my oncologist.  As I mentioned on Facebook, my doctor does not smile very often, but he did on Wednesday.

This is awesome news, and we could not be happier.  It does not mean, however, that the tumors will completely go away – at least under the current treatment regimen.  But if I am able to continue taking the Gleevec, and the results stay consistent, then we can live with the status quo.  In other words, if I can lead a normal (whatever that is?), productive life, it’s fine by me.  I think Vicki said it best when someone began a “What if?” thread with me regarding Gleevec and my cancer.  She said we’re just happy for what we have right now, and we are simply living from day-to-day.  We’re not going to worry about the long-term forecast.

As I said at the beginning of this blog, my cancer diagnosis is a journey.  It will take twists and turns.  We just hope and pray that it doesn’t take too many.

So, I stay on the current meds, and I get re-scanned in early December. 

More to come……….

Today (October 8, 2013) is the end of week seven since I began drug treatment for my cancer.  Not much new to report.  As I stated in last week’s post, tomorrow – October 9th – I undergo a CT scan to see if the tumors in my right lung have responded to the Gleevec.  It has been difficult anticipating tomorrow’s tests, but I have been in a pretty fair mood, and compared to last month, that’s a big improvement.

Still, I don’t know what to expect, so I try to think of other things.  That strategy, however, has been tough because I’m not as motivated as I once was to exercise and to write. Tomorrow, as they say, is another day.

It has been an absolute gorgeous day today (and yesterday) here in Memphis.  The temperature is around 71 degrees, and the sky is that color of blue that seems unreal.  There are absolutely no clouds in the sky!  I spent most of yesterday and this morning outside with Nixie enjoying the weather.  When you see the sky like it is, feel the wind blowing, hear it rustling the leaves that still hang in the trees, you realize there is a God.  Our natural world and all its beauty are just too perfect…too incredible…to be left to chance.  I can’t even begin to explain how at peace I am when I simply sit and absorb the world around me.

When the weather is like this, there seems to be nothing else around me – except Nixie, of course. Not the workmen across the street, not the obnoxious kid playing hoops on the driveway behind our house (he talks to himself, it’s very annoying).  Not the general hum and strum of suburban life.  Nothing.  Just me, the wind, and the sky above.  Gorgeous…and peaceful.

I had to rewrite this post because I originally wanted to title it Beautiful Dreamer.  But last night another song came into my head.  One that I think captured my mood today – Good Day Sunshine by The Beatles.

Faith will see me through…I now know that.

We’ll talk soon.

Yesterday (October 1st) was the end of week six of my cancer treatment.  Not much new to report…I still feel pretty good, although I’ve aggravated my upper back again, which is a real bummer.  This has gotten annoying because I want to be able to feel “normal” physically…to be able to exercise and do yard work without worrying about straining my back.  I realize, of course, that my back will never be the same (see page titled My Back) after my November 2011 surgery, but the physical uncertainty just makes the mental strain all the more difficult.  Note: I also have other aches and pains, along with mild fatigue, that I’m certain are side effects from the Gleevec and the cancer.

So, as I’ve stated in prior posts, October 9th (next Wednesday) is “D-Day” for me.  I’ll have a CT scan performed in the early afternoon then meet with my doctor later that day to review the results and discuss next steps.  What we hope to see is that my tumors have stopped progressing, which means the Gleevec is working and I can continue on it.

Please note that several of the Pages are “under construction” and should be updated shortly.

Thanks, as always, for listening.