Dear everyone: Thank You!
I wanted to create a separate blog entry to thank all of those involved in the "Healing Prayer Vigil for Tommy Sontag" on (and off) of Facebook. I'd especially like to thank Brenda Balinski, all of the other Balinski's, and anyone else who helped to set it up, spread the word, and/or promoted it. To say it meant a lot would be an understatement of the grandest proportions. The event had 352 people listed as attending, and I'm sure there were many that took part outside of that number as well. On July 31st (the date of the Facebook event) Nicole and I were seated in a restaurant called The Sandbar (where the food was amazing). We were had the comfiest chairs I've experienced in a restaurant lounge before and The TVs (of which there were about 4 surrounding us) all had the weekend's Formula One race on. Live piano music was played a few feet away from our table. It was what I would describe as a perfect moment. Nicole and I talked about our lives, our fears, and many other things. At around the 8:00 mark local time (10:00 pm Winnipeg time... the time of the Facebook event) we said a few prayers ourselves to join in the many of you who were doing the same. It felt good and special and so many other things I cannot describe. To have other people care about you is one thing. To have friends, family, and complete strangers stop and pray for you is completely another. Thank you is not enough, but nonetheless I thank you all. I also know many have set up or included me in other prayer groups outside of this particular event. I thank all of you as well.
I was diagnosed in late November of 2010 and given a prognosis of 'about a year to live'. Most of what I have read into give a median survival time of "approximately 14 months". I am still doing well myself. I began my latest round of chemo last week and haven't had any ill effects (other than the usual dry lips/skin from the Accutane). My next MRI is on September 25th but results won't come until early October.
Please also keep Nicole in your prayers. She needs and deserves them at least as much as I do. To say this is hard for her would be an understatement even greater than that of my words of thanks to all of you above. Pray for her to be able to cope with all that we are currently facing. Pray for her to be able to get some sleep by choosing to instead of simply entering "sleep" as a result of exhaustion and an inability to do anything but crash around 4am every single night. Pray for her to have the ability to enjoy all of the great times life has brought us as of late without the follow up thought "...what if this is the last time we get to do this?" Pray for her to be without the pain and the fear if only for a short while every day. She has told me that going through the torment of constantly living in fear and stress but still getting to be with me is worth more than simply losing me and getting what is really an "Every single day pre-mourning the loss of me" over and done with. Show her your love and support. If you can do only one thing for me, let it be that. No one knows how hard this is for her. I certainly don't, and if anyone would it would be me (I spend literally every day with her, and though I'm temped to throw in some sort of jokes here... I truly would not have it any other way). Nicole is my love, my life, and my soul mate. I can only help her by getting through all of this terrible situation myself. Even though today "beating" this cancer is not possible, that does not mean that tomorrow it will not be. Most people only make it a year or so. I am not most people. I am Thomas Daniel Sontag, aka: Tommy, aka: T-Bone, aka: Tom, aka: the guy who says "Cheers!" all of the time, aka: Nicole's husband, aka: a lot of other things to a lot of other people. My point is that there has never been someone who has been all of those things before who has also had a Stage 4 Glioblastoma Multiforme Malignant Primary Brain Tumour stuck in his head (that I know of). Stats and averages and medians (and even means to open the door to some sort of pun) mean nothing to me.
I wanted to make sure I threw in the post thanking those who have kept me in their thoughts and prayers. I'm thinking writing about the whole trip in the many chapters as I proposed would be stupid as I'd never get around to it and I'm sure most of it would equal "blah blah blah blah blah" to most of you. Instead I'm going to promise nothing and feel blog-related-guilt-free for the next while and if I post I post, and if I don't I don't. I like that.
HAPPY ALMOST WEDDING DAY JOHN & SHARON!!! WE LOOK FORWARD TO YOUR BIG DAY :)
I must now tell Nicole to go to bed, which she won't. Maybe there is something I can start slipping in her milk before bed? This will be difficult because she will read this post and know of my actions in advance. Also, she does not drink milk before bed.
Cheers!
--
Tom
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Chapter 4) THE TRIP: adventures on a train & train people scare me
You didn't think I was going to write these things in order did you? Silly you. Here is chapter 4 of my promised many chapters (was it 10 chapters? Seriously?) I'm sure chapters 1-3 will be written at some point prior to chapter 10. I must now ready myself for Church where Mr. Tory Toews will be my guide. Perhaps I will be inspired to write chapter 1 (about the prayer vigil) upon my return? I just hope I dress appropriately. I'm thinking button up shirt with some crisp slacks? Certainly not the tie-dye shirt (keep reading for more on hippies).
I was told by my wife that my last blog entry was a tad bit confusing and all over the place. Thus I shall try to keep this entry "on track". Get it? It's about being on a train and I'm going to keep it on track? Anyways…
Indeed Nicole and I decided to take a train out to BC. It came about because Nicole still has this thing about "keeping me alive". Turns out air travel involves just a little bit more natural radiation than being on a train does, and since I've been given a 'maximum lifetime dose' of the stuff Nicole tries to keep me away from sources of it, like the sun. In all honesty the amount of extra radiation I (or anyone) would be exposed to by taking a plane (being 40,000 feet closer to that flaming ball of gas in the sky that makes me sneeze when I look directly at it) is incredibly small. But "incredibly small ≠ the same", so on the train we go! Plus this was supposed to be a fantastic getaway for us both so as I like to say "What the heck!?!"
We boarded the train on a Thursday morning. Turns out that giant building I pass on Main St. on the way to the HSC so often does serve some sort of purpose. Go figure? Steve & Pat were kind enough to drop off Nicole & I, along with a heck of a lot of luggage at the station. I have to say that taking the train was a fantastic experience that I would encourage anyone to do (provided of course, they had a few days to get to their destination). Also… make sure you get a cabin (place to sleep on the train), as I can't imagine doing what we did without one.
The highlights of taking the train has to start with the hippies. I've been asked by people since our return "Is everyone on the train a hippie?" The answer is a clear "yes". This included Nicole and I who feared the hippies would recognize us as outsiders if we didn't blend in, hence the CCR, Doors, and Bob Dylan music we kept on in our cabin at all times while discussing the global economic crisis at a low murmur. The mountains in the background were amazing to look at! So were the unicorns flying over them pulling their multicoloured chariots of peace and love (though in hindsight this may have been a result of the many hallucinogenic drugs we took to blend in with the hippies, as I cannot seem to see them in any of the pictures we took).
As the train had stopped in Winnipeg having started out East (Toronto… who like to think of themselves as "out Centre"), there were a lot of people from Toronto, Montreal, and the East Coast. The interesting thing about the Torontonians is that none of them liked Mike Harris. By that I mean they all hated Mike Harris with a passion. One guy (who had once owned a cockatoo… you learn interesting things about people when you are stuck on a train with them) seemed to me to believe that Mike himself had a hand in introducing E. coli into the Walkerton water system. I found a good strategy for dealing with people on the train was to nod in agreement with whatever they said. It is the same strategy you might find yourself using with "the elderly"*. This way the speaker assumes you agree with their point of view and in having their political opinions validated will have no issues with you whilst on the train. NOTE: You do not have to agree with them! Just don't make the mistake of trying to introduce your own political views into the mix. People on the train don't use the same approach I did. They will interrupt you and challenge your 'wayward beliefs', perhaps even believing you are secretly are or were a Mike Harris supporter.
*NOTE ABOUT THE TRAIN & ELDERLY PEOPLE: I just realized my comparison of people on the train vs. the elderly expands much beyond my initial thought of "nodding & smiling" while engaged in polite conversation with them. No one on a train seems to be able to walk straight on a train. Watch anyone on a train try to put that piece of broccoli into their mouth. Adding milk to your coffee? More like to your entire plate of food you mean! (In other words… the train shakes a lot causing the people on the train to shake. Elderly people also tend to shake a lot, hence my inappropriate comparison).
At one point, Nicole and I met a young MP from Quebec who had recently been elected as a member of the NDP. She had no idea she even stood a chance at winning and now was representing her country (or at least local riding). Turns out MP's can ride the train for free, hence our chance meeting. We had some good conversation with her and I was impressed with everything but her teeth (Therressa: you would not have wanted to meet her), but again she was likely a hippie so we shall not judge her for her hygiene or her general appearance. Later on while conversing with the cockatoo guy I got to hear a rant about how ridiculous it was that all of these "young clueless students got elected as Quebec NDP members to Parliament" and how we'll have to pay them a full pension in only a few short years in office. I used my tried and true "nod & smile" technique and avoided pointing out to the gentleman that such a person was indeed on the train (I think he would have gone into a mini movie trailer where Sam Jackson shouts out "I have had it with these mother-fudging NDP on this mother-fudging train!"). But I digress…
For an idea of what the train ride was like there is a video on the Via Rail website that gives a close representation of the trip (http://www.viarail.ca/en/trains/rockies-and-pacific/toronto-vancouver-canadian) Keep in mind everyone on our trip was wearing Tie-dye and humming Janis Joplin songs. So how was the food Tom? Glad you asked! None too shabby actually. I was expecting carp (with the "a" and the "r" reversed) as anytime you are stuck in a confined space doubling as a method of transportation, the food cannot be expected to be 'amazing'. I found the food ranged from acceptable to actually quite good. They have a good system of feeding you on the train. Everyone is given a choice of time (A, B, or C) with "A" being the early sitting, "C" the late, and I'll let you guess where "B" falls into line. The train we were on had two dining cars, so about half the train ate in the front car, while half ate in the back. Between Jasper and Vancouver breakfast was simply a "show up and eat" sort of system, so I went for an early breakfast prior to Nicole waking up (which is when I got to talk to the Cockatoo guy… he had to get rid of the things because his wife was developing breathing problems due to the microfibres coming off the bird's feathers) and later returned for a second breakfast once Nicole woke up (for which I has given the same breakfast options as before, one of which was Ravioli, which was more like a brunch type of food anyways, so I was happy)!
In trying to fit in with the hippies on the train, Nicole and I did not shower while on the train, despite one being available to us. I figured using the washroom was hard enough, I did not want to add a wet soapy floor to the mix.
Another great part (as previously mentioned) was that I did not get sick at all on the train. I found it to be very comfortable and despite being on my Chemo meds the entire time, I did not even get slightly nauseous.
Well, I must be off now. Hope you all have a good day! Today is my last day of chemo on this cycle, and so far so good I must say! A little tired, but not "exhausted" as I have found some times prior. CHEERS ALL!
--
Tom
I was told by my wife that my last blog entry was a tad bit confusing and all over the place. Thus I shall try to keep this entry "on track". Get it? It's about being on a train and I'm going to keep it on track? Anyways…
Indeed Nicole and I decided to take a train out to BC. It came about because Nicole still has this thing about "keeping me alive". Turns out air travel involves just a little bit more natural radiation than being on a train does, and since I've been given a 'maximum lifetime dose' of the stuff Nicole tries to keep me away from sources of it, like the sun. In all honesty the amount of extra radiation I (or anyone) would be exposed to by taking a plane (being 40,000 feet closer to that flaming ball of gas in the sky that makes me sneeze when I look directly at it) is incredibly small. But "incredibly small ≠ the same", so on the train we go! Plus this was supposed to be a fantastic getaway for us both so as I like to say "What the heck!?!"
We boarded the train on a Thursday morning. Turns out that giant building I pass on Main St. on the way to the HSC so often does serve some sort of purpose. Go figure? Steve & Pat were kind enough to drop off Nicole & I, along with a heck of a lot of luggage at the station. I have to say that taking the train was a fantastic experience that I would encourage anyone to do (provided of course, they had a few days to get to their destination). Also… make sure you get a cabin (place to sleep on the train), as I can't imagine doing what we did without one.
The highlights of taking the train has to start with the hippies. I've been asked by people since our return "Is everyone on the train a hippie?" The answer is a clear "yes". This included Nicole and I who feared the hippies would recognize us as outsiders if we didn't blend in, hence the CCR, Doors, and Bob Dylan music we kept on in our cabin at all times while discussing the global economic crisis at a low murmur. The mountains in the background were amazing to look at! So were the unicorns flying over them pulling their multicoloured chariots of peace and love (though in hindsight this may have been a result of the many hallucinogenic drugs we took to blend in with the hippies, as I cannot seem to see them in any of the pictures we took).
As the train had stopped in Winnipeg having started out East (Toronto… who like to think of themselves as "out Centre"), there were a lot of people from Toronto, Montreal, and the East Coast. The interesting thing about the Torontonians is that none of them liked Mike Harris. By that I mean they all hated Mike Harris with a passion. One guy (who had once owned a cockatoo… you learn interesting things about people when you are stuck on a train with them) seemed to me to believe that Mike himself had a hand in introducing E. coli into the Walkerton water system. I found a good strategy for dealing with people on the train was to nod in agreement with whatever they said. It is the same strategy you might find yourself using with "the elderly"*. This way the speaker assumes you agree with their point of view and in having their political opinions validated will have no issues with you whilst on the train. NOTE: You do not have to agree with them! Just don't make the mistake of trying to introduce your own political views into the mix. People on the train don't use the same approach I did. They will interrupt you and challenge your 'wayward beliefs', perhaps even believing you are secretly are or were a Mike Harris supporter.
*NOTE ABOUT THE TRAIN & ELDERLY PEOPLE: I just realized my comparison of people on the train vs. the elderly expands much beyond my initial thought of "nodding & smiling" while engaged in polite conversation with them. No one on a train seems to be able to walk straight on a train. Watch anyone on a train try to put that piece of broccoli into their mouth. Adding milk to your coffee? More like to your entire plate of food you mean! (In other words… the train shakes a lot causing the people on the train to shake. Elderly people also tend to shake a lot, hence my inappropriate comparison).
At one point, Nicole and I met a young MP from Quebec who had recently been elected as a member of the NDP. She had no idea she even stood a chance at winning and now was representing her country (or at least local riding). Turns out MP's can ride the train for free, hence our chance meeting. We had some good conversation with her and I was impressed with everything but her teeth (Therressa: you would not have wanted to meet her), but again she was likely a hippie so we shall not judge her for her hygiene or her general appearance. Later on while conversing with the cockatoo guy I got to hear a rant about how ridiculous it was that all of these "young clueless students got elected as Quebec NDP members to Parliament" and how we'll have to pay them a full pension in only a few short years in office. I used my tried and true "nod & smile" technique and avoided pointing out to the gentleman that such a person was indeed on the train (I think he would have gone into a mini movie trailer where Sam Jackson shouts out "I have had it with these mother-fudging NDP on this mother-fudging train!"). But I digress…
For an idea of what the train ride was like there is a video on the Via Rail website that gives a close representation of the trip (http://www.viarail.ca/en/trains/rockies-and-pacific/toronto-vancouver-canadian) Keep in mind everyone on our trip was wearing Tie-dye and humming Janis Joplin songs. So how was the food Tom? Glad you asked! None too shabby actually. I was expecting carp (with the "a" and the "r" reversed) as anytime you are stuck in a confined space doubling as a method of transportation, the food cannot be expected to be 'amazing'. I found the food ranged from acceptable to actually quite good. They have a good system of feeding you on the train. Everyone is given a choice of time (A, B, or C) with "A" being the early sitting, "C" the late, and I'll let you guess where "B" falls into line. The train we were on had two dining cars, so about half the train ate in the front car, while half ate in the back. Between Jasper and Vancouver breakfast was simply a "show up and eat" sort of system, so I went for an early breakfast prior to Nicole waking up (which is when I got to talk to the Cockatoo guy… he had to get rid of the things because his wife was developing breathing problems due to the microfibres coming off the bird's feathers) and later returned for a second breakfast once Nicole woke up (for which I has given the same breakfast options as before, one of which was Ravioli, which was more like a brunch type of food anyways, so I was happy)!
In trying to fit in with the hippies on the train, Nicole and I did not shower while on the train, despite one being available to us. I figured using the washroom was hard enough, I did not want to add a wet soapy floor to the mix.
Another great part (as previously mentioned) was that I did not get sick at all on the train. I found it to be very comfortable and despite being on my Chemo meds the entire time, I did not even get slightly nauseous.
Well, I must be off now. Hope you all have a good day! Today is my last day of chemo on this cycle, and so far so good I must say! A little tired, but not "exhausted" as I have found some times prior. CHEERS ALL!
--
Tom
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
I went on a trip and it was fun!
Hello readers of my blog and other people who don't read it (but mostly the former). You might have heard (read?) that my lovely wife and I headed out west for a bit of a vacation/honeymoon/trip. The factual statements & rumours are true. We both headed off for British Columbia on a train, or "via train" as I like to say. This turns it into a horrible pun as it was a "Via" rail train... ha ha ha ha ha). The train was a good time. It was full of hippies and no one on it liked Mike Harris. Also, everyone on a train has their own (extreme) political opinions. More on that later. Nicole's Mom & Dad (the always awesome Steve & Pat) joined us for part of our trip and we had a great time with them. So when we got off the train in Vancouver they were waiting for us there (having taken a plane out to YVR) the Saturday morning we arrived.
Side note: For those of you who don't know I had another "medical adventure" prior to our planned trip. Regular readers (followers/stalkers) know I'm on 28 day cycles for my chemo meds etc. For a lark, do a google search for "28 day cycle" and see what else comes up (I don't have any problems with that thankfully). Anywho, I always start my chemo meds on a Wednesday meaning I finish the 5th chemo day on a Sunday. I then continue to take my Accutane/Isotretinoin/Clarus for the first 21 days of my cycle. To repeat once again, the Chemo meds can be rough but sometimes don't cause me much trouble at all. The Accutane makes my skin dry and irritated by doesn't do much else but make me prone to sunburns. The "regulars/others" I take every single day, but don't seem to cause me any side effects other than possibly a dry sarcastic wit, but Nicole says I had that condition prior to taking any of these meds.
Middle note (which is really just a continuation of the above side note): Nicole and I had worked with our medical team to make sure that taking a trip was even a possibility given everything I am going through. Some concerns included: "What happens if I have a seizure while on the trip?", "Are there any concerns with taking an airplane or going through security in terms of radiation exposure?", and of course "What happens in general if I wind up in a B.C. hospital?". I was given the all clear to head out on the trip stocked up with some extra meds and all seemed well. I was asked to come in for one last blood test prior to leaving to ensure all of my levels were on track. It was discussed that if my white blood cell counts were low I should not begin my next round of chemo (scheduled to begin on July 20th). I assumed (falsely as it turned out) that if there was a problem with my results that they would contact me ASAP. I did receive a call on Wednesday the 13th around noon (the week before we were set to leave, aka: "day 1 of chemo"). A little note about my chemo days. On a chemo day I have to take two anti-nausea pills 30 minutes prior to taking my actual chemo meds, which I must take 30 minutes prior to eating. This means if I want to eat breakfast at 10am I have to wake up at 9am, immediately take the anti-nausea pills, set a 30-minute timer, take my chemo pills, restart the 30 minute timer, take more pills & eat. I would have assumed that the hospital, knowing I start chemo on the Wednesday, would have called me PRIOR to Wednesday (like say Tuesday?) to say "Hey, don't take those chemo pills eh?" Instead I got a call around noon on Wednesday (several hours after downing the chemo pills) from my oncologist's head nurse (who is very kind and helpful with everything) informing me that my white blood cell count was low and asked if I had started my chemo pills. I said I had, to which she said something along the lines of "Oh, that's not good. Taking the chemo pills will lower your white blood cell counts further. We were supposed to talk about your blood cell counts before you took your chemo pills remember?" Which I found odd, given that I had not felt it was my job to call in to get my results prior to taking the chemo meds myself. To keep this already long rambling story short(ish), I did not take my chemo meds the next day and was told to come in for another blood test the next week (the week we were set to leave). I was told on Wednesday the 20th of July the results came back "all good". This meant I could resume my chemo meds the next day (Thursday the 21st of July, which though a week later, managed to fall on a Thursday as per usual... which helped keep my brain on track). This was a good thing, as all of our accommodations and transportation for our trip had been booked. Had the news been "NO TRIP FOR YOU!" (À la Soup Nazi) we would have lost a few pennies in the process. Oh, hey did I mention my whole 2nd seizure / being in a coma / Victoria Hospital visit thing? I might have hinted at it, but it deserves a whole post one day before the London Olympics get started.
Confused yet? I am so I think this makes a good time to take a pause. It being only 13 days after I started writing this post I can't even remember all the many directions I intended to take this post. As a reminder to myself (and "sneak peek" for all of you) I still plan to write about the following:
1) The Prayer Vigil
2) You're in-laws joined you for your trip with your wife... WTF?
3) So I was in a medically induced coma for a day and don't remember much about it
4) THE TRIP: adventures on a train & train people scare me
5) THE TRIP: Vancouver island is cool! In Nanaimo most things don't taste like their eponym
6) THE TRIP: I went shopping with Nicole and bought more than she did (AKA: Seattle is cool)
7) THE TRIP: Don't book downtown condos from just anyone.
7b) THE TRIP: Vancouver is scary just like the people on crack that chase busses while shirtless in the city.
8) THE TRIP: I go on a suspension bridge. There were no bees, so I only conquored one of my fears.
9) THE TRIP: We come home on a plane with two working engines / Jen is an arrival time psychic
10) Seriously? 10 chapters?
I also plan to write about the current economic crisis taking place across the world. That last sentence is a joke.
Why am I still writing? It's 12:30 am and I'm tired. Ok. I sleep now. More to come but first I must procrastinate. It is what I do best. CHEERS to my PEERS! (I chose that over "CHEEPS to my PEEPS!"). You can decide if I made the correct choice on that one.
--
Tom
PS: I'm trying to focus on researching the friend I have living in my head who goest by the street name GBM these days, so my Facebook presence will be much less than its usual over-the-top like/comment/status update crazy norm. Time for another CHEERS!!!! :)
Side note: For those of you who don't know I had another "medical adventure" prior to our planned trip. Regular readers (followers/stalkers) know I'm on 28 day cycles for my chemo meds etc. For a lark, do a google search for "28 day cycle" and see what else comes up (I don't have any problems with that thankfully). Anywho, I always start my chemo meds on a Wednesday meaning I finish the 5th chemo day on a Sunday. I then continue to take my Accutane/Isotretinoin/Clarus for the first 21 days of my cycle. To repeat once again, the Chemo meds can be rough but sometimes don't cause me much trouble at all. The Accutane makes my skin dry and irritated by doesn't do much else but make me prone to sunburns. The "regulars/others" I take every single day, but don't seem to cause me any side effects other than possibly a dry sarcastic wit, but Nicole says I had that condition prior to taking any of these meds.
Middle note (which is really just a continuation of the above side note): Nicole and I had worked with our medical team to make sure that taking a trip was even a possibility given everything I am going through. Some concerns included: "What happens if I have a seizure while on the trip?", "Are there any concerns with taking an airplane or going through security in terms of radiation exposure?", and of course "What happens in general if I wind up in a B.C. hospital?". I was given the all clear to head out on the trip stocked up with some extra meds and all seemed well. I was asked to come in for one last blood test prior to leaving to ensure all of my levels were on track. It was discussed that if my white blood cell counts were low I should not begin my next round of chemo (scheduled to begin on July 20th). I assumed (falsely as it turned out) that if there was a problem with my results that they would contact me ASAP. I did receive a call on Wednesday the 13th around noon (the week before we were set to leave, aka: "day 1 of chemo"). A little note about my chemo days. On a chemo day I have to take two anti-nausea pills 30 minutes prior to taking my actual chemo meds, which I must take 30 minutes prior to eating. This means if I want to eat breakfast at 10am I have to wake up at 9am, immediately take the anti-nausea pills, set a 30-minute timer, take my chemo pills, restart the 30 minute timer, take more pills & eat. I would have assumed that the hospital, knowing I start chemo on the Wednesday, would have called me PRIOR to Wednesday (like say Tuesday?) to say "Hey, don't take those chemo pills eh?" Instead I got a call around noon on Wednesday (several hours after downing the chemo pills) from my oncologist's head nurse (who is very kind and helpful with everything) informing me that my white blood cell count was low and asked if I had started my chemo pills. I said I had, to which she said something along the lines of "Oh, that's not good. Taking the chemo pills will lower your white blood cell counts further. We were supposed to talk about your blood cell counts before you took your chemo pills remember?" Which I found odd, given that I had not felt it was my job to call in to get my results prior to taking the chemo meds myself. To keep this already long rambling story short(ish), I did not take my chemo meds the next day and was told to come in for another blood test the next week (the week we were set to leave). I was told on Wednesday the 20th of July the results came back "all good". This meant I could resume my chemo meds the next day (Thursday the 21st of July, which though a week later, managed to fall on a Thursday as per usual... which helped keep my brain on track). This was a good thing, as all of our accommodations and transportation for our trip had been booked. Had the news been "NO TRIP FOR YOU!" (À la Soup Nazi) we would have lost a few pennies in the process. Oh, hey did I mention my whole 2nd seizure / being in a coma / Victoria Hospital visit thing? I might have hinted at it, but it deserves a whole post one day before the London Olympics get started.
Confused yet? I am so I think this makes a good time to take a pause. It being only 13 days after I started writing this post I can't even remember all the many directions I intended to take this post. As a reminder to myself (and "sneak peek" for all of you) I still plan to write about the following:
1) The Prayer Vigil
2) You're in-laws joined you for your trip with your wife... WTF?
3) So I was in a medically induced coma for a day and don't remember much about it
4) THE TRIP: adventures on a train & train people scare me
5) THE TRIP: Vancouver island is cool! In Nanaimo most things don't taste like their eponym
6) THE TRIP: I went shopping with Nicole and bought more than she did (AKA: Seattle is cool)
7) THE TRIP: Don't book downtown condos from just anyone.
7b) THE TRIP: Vancouver is scary just like the people on crack that chase busses while shirtless in the city.
8) THE TRIP: I go on a suspension bridge. There were no bees, so I only conquored one of my fears.
9) THE TRIP: We come home on a plane with two working engines / Jen is an arrival time psychic
10) Seriously? 10 chapters?
I also plan to write about the current economic crisis taking place across the world. That last sentence is a joke.
Why am I still writing? It's 12:30 am and I'm tired. Ok. I sleep now. More to come but first I must procrastinate. It is what I do best. CHEERS to my PEERS! (I chose that over "CHEEPS to my PEEPS!"). You can decide if I made the correct choice on that one.
--
Tom
PS: I'm trying to focus on researching the friend I have living in my head who goest by the street name GBM these days, so my Facebook presence will be much less than its usual over-the-top like/comment/status update crazy norm. Time for another CHEERS!!!! :)
Time to post something
Dear world,
I was kept honest by my uncle Kenny today who reminded me I was lacking in my blog writing as of late. I have a problem. Aside from the tumour. I am a perfectionist. You all know this about me. I have a million things to say about the trip. Posting a blog entry about the trip that does not include all of the trip details seems "unfinished". Unfinished = imperfect. This is not good. So what I did was start writing an epic blog entry that started to branch off in 20 directions while crossing over itself and confusing even me in the process. This is not good. Following this path will mean such a post will never see the light of day and I will spend each day with that "unfinished blog post guilt" I'm sure you've all experienced at some point in your lives (you all write blogs don't you?) What I've decided to do is scrap perfection and go with "it'll do eh?" So I'll start by posting what I started on August 5th (with spelling & grammatical corrections now completed). I will then post the details of the trip in chapters over the course of the next month or so. This makes sense as by then you'll all have forgotten I even went on a trip and/or won't give a darn. Better late than never? Thanks Kenny (and all of the rest of you). Oh, I also owe a proper blog post to all of those involved in the Facebook group / real life event "A Healing Prayer Vigil for Tommy Sontag". My thanks to all of you, especially The Balinski's (with Brenda at the top of that list). Again, more writing on that to come. By Christmas!!! It'll be like a present gift wrapped in tardiness?
Before I forget the issue of "Health Update #Idon'tcountthem" I am feeling fantastic. Started my latest chemo round today and don't feel any ill effects once again. Last blood tests showed good results with all of my levels. Next MRI is late September which means I won't have substantial news until early October. CHEERS ALL!!!!! :)
--
TOM
I was kept honest by my uncle Kenny today who reminded me I was lacking in my blog writing as of late. I have a problem. Aside from the tumour. I am a perfectionist. You all know this about me. I have a million things to say about the trip. Posting a blog entry about the trip that does not include all of the trip details seems "unfinished". Unfinished = imperfect. This is not good. So what I did was start writing an epic blog entry that started to branch off in 20 directions while crossing over itself and confusing even me in the process. This is not good. Following this path will mean such a post will never see the light of day and I will spend each day with that "unfinished blog post guilt" I'm sure you've all experienced at some point in your lives (you all write blogs don't you?) What I've decided to do is scrap perfection and go with "it'll do eh?" So I'll start by posting what I started on August 5th (with spelling & grammatical corrections now completed). I will then post the details of the trip in chapters over the course of the next month or so. This makes sense as by then you'll all have forgotten I even went on a trip and/or won't give a darn. Better late than never? Thanks Kenny (and all of the rest of you). Oh, I also owe a proper blog post to all of those involved in the Facebook group / real life event "A Healing Prayer Vigil for Tommy Sontag". My thanks to all of you, especially The Balinski's (with Brenda at the top of that list). Again, more writing on that to come. By Christmas!!! It'll be like a present gift wrapped in tardiness?
Before I forget the issue of "Health Update #Idon'tcountthem" I am feeling fantastic. Started my latest chemo round today and don't feel any ill effects once again. Last blood tests showed good results with all of my levels. Next MRI is late September which means I won't have substantial news until early October. CHEERS ALL!!!!! :)
--
TOM
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Home Safe :)
Hello All!
Just wanted to post a quick "we're home safe" message to let you know Nicole and I made it back to Winnipeg, albeit delayed slightly by their noting the plane had a faulty engine or some such thing (prior to takeoff thankfully) thus we had to wait for one with two fully working engines to take us home. After getting in after midnight last night, I am now officially "off vacation" and back into "life". After paying some credit card bills and such I will attempt to write at least a summary of our trip (the slimmed down version is: AWESOME!!!) and some other words. Thanks & Cheers to you all!
--
Tom
Just wanted to post a quick "we're home safe" message to let you know Nicole and I made it back to Winnipeg, albeit delayed slightly by their noting the plane had a faulty engine or some such thing (prior to takeoff thankfully) thus we had to wait for one with two fully working engines to take us home. After getting in after midnight last night, I am now officially "off vacation" and back into "life". After paying some credit card bills and such I will attempt to write at least a summary of our trip (the slimmed down version is: AWESOME!!!) and some other words. Thanks & Cheers to you all!
--
Tom
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