May you have a blessed New Year filled with safe, healthy, memorable, prosperous and great times.
Latest News for the Month of
January 2009
I realized I haven't provided an update lately so thought I better Get Er Dun.
There hasn't been a whole lot going on here except a lot of cold weather. Well, its been cold for us anyways. 50's and 60's is not my idea of warm Florida weather. It is pretty amazing how your body becomes acclimated and how temperatures can effect people differently in certain parts of the States. You see people here in Florida bundled up and wearing jackets in 50 degree weather yet the people up North are wearing short sleeved shirts. :) They are used to the cold weather I reckon.
Ally got some good / bad news lately on her back. For those of you who did not know she has been in horrible lower back pain for the last couple months. I thought it may be a disk problem and Dr. Brockmyre wanted to rule that out so she had an MRI done while we were in Bristol during Christmas. The report showed her back is in good shape so her pain is all muscle related. We are going to talk to our friend Jim who lives next door and see what he advises for healing and then strengthening it. He is an awesome Doctor who I know will have some good answers. :)
We recently attended the Florida RV show in Tampa and can gladly report we didn't buy a new bus. While we were attending the RV show in Tampa, Lindy was attending one in Washington DC. We later compared notes and both of us agreed that it seems they get cheaper looking every year. I just couldn't find the quality in the new coaches like we currently have in ours. Obviously you can get better quality in the 1/2 million sector but in our 1/4 million dollar range it seems to be lacking.
It's been so cold recently that I haven't had the chance to ride the motorcycle. I did take it out for a spin the other day but other then that its been parked. :( Ally hasn't ridden in a long time because of her back. I didn't want lifting her 700 lb bike and screw her back up worse so she has been grounded from her motorcycle. :) It supposed to get warmer in a weeks time and I cannot wait. I want to get some riding in and both bikes need a workout.
On the health front I am getting by. I have my good days and bad days but typically I just get on with life. There is little else to do but grin and bare it and live life to the max. I have been down on energy lately as my red blood cells are poor and my counts low. I scheduled an appointment in Seattle with my lead oncologist Dr. Deeg and will be flying out there March 11th for another consultation and a bone marrow biopsy. I am very curious about where I am at and how close I maybe to a stem cell transplant. They have made great strides in the last couple years and the mortality rates are getting better. I am now to the point where I am seriously considering having one done. I am getting tired of the constant fight with this disease and a cure would be awesome. But the stakes are high and death from infections during the transplant process is still a possibility. We shall see what Dr. Deegs says.
I haven't been talking much to people as something happened to the brain and I am stuttering more. I am self conscious of this so I typically talk to family and close friends. I really do not know what happened unless I threw a blood clot to the brain. I know my cognitive abilities have been way off lately and doing simple tasks take a lot of concentration. It is damn frustrating to say the least.
I haven't heard much from anyone lately so if you get the chance, drop me a line and let me know the latest in your life. I like to keep tabs on you. :) I hope this finds you healthy and happy and enjoying life, even if its cold where you are at. Do take care, drop me a line and be safe out there while driving or riding.
My best wishes to all of you,
Chris
WOW......Amazing, its a brand New Year and I knocked off an old year in grand style. Actually any new year I get to see I consider living in grand style. Which brings me to the topic of this update. It's going to be a bit different then most as it isn't about me, its about YOU. So read on.
This has been one of the most trying times in the history of America. Record numbers of people lost their homes, more lost their jobs and our economy ended up being a major train wreck. I have seen scores of casual friends and acquaintances lose jobs and fall on very hard times. Every time I've seen it, it would crush me. I hate seeing good people fall down and have to endure tough times. But there is a saying that says " what doesn't kill you will make you stronger ". And so it goes. But if you stop to think about that old saying, it is true. I have suffered hardships in my life like everyone else. I have been broke, down to a few cans of food in the cupboard, lost a home once, a truck, business and many other possessions. I have lost jobs and also lost a marriage. But I never gave up. I believed in myself, God and the dream that I can make life work. Maybe it was my drive, maybe some of my Marine Corp training came back to me, but whatever it was, I never gave up or spent much time worrying and crying over the hardships in my adult life. I did what I was taught by my father - I dusted myself off and kept moving forward. I learned at an early age that quitting can become a bad habit. You quit something once when the going gets tough and then you find that it is an easy thing to do. So you quit again and then a third time and fourth, refusing to take the hard road to a better life. I had a helluva time breaking that cycle, but the one time I fought back and won I found out just how great it feels to overcome a mountain. After that one episode, quitting became a thing of the past. I now have the engrained habit of fighting for everything I need or want. I go after everything with gusto and it has provided me with something I couldn't buy with all the money in the world. It gave me self pride and LIFE itself.
You're well aware of the fierce battle I have had battling my disease. It hasn't been a battle for a few nicer things in life. It's been an all out war to survive for that greatest gift that God could give us. Life itself. I would have never survived if I quit. I would have never lived to see my kids and Granddaughter grow up. I would have never experienced the pleasures in life such as traveling to other countries to experience their cultures as well as seeing vast amounts of America. I would have never been able to provide love, guidance and support to my family and friends.
I guess what I am trying to say is - NEVER GIVE UP...... Do not give up on your dreams. Do not give up on life. Do not get dragged down with negative thoughts and feelings. And the most important thing is to never give up on yourself. If your life is not where you want it to be, then set new goals and get after the task of making those dreams and goals reality.
Always remember that deep inside you have hidden talents and energy to create and live out the dreams you deserve. You just need to reach down inside you, find them and start moving forward. Along the path to success you will run into obstacles, fight on and find ways around them. But never give up on what you set out to do.
So why am I happy today to see a New Year approach ? Because it means I am winning another war by surviving another year. I hit obstacles everyday of my life now but I have become a Master at getting around them. I have fought enough of them to know how to use them to my advantage to reach the goals in life that I need to obtain. I have learned to survive this disease for the time being and until a new and major obstacle is placed before me, I plan on moving on and enjoying life.
For 2009, I wish all of you a blessed and prosperous New Year. I hope that if your life becomes filled with obstacles you will find your inner strength to beat them. I hope that all of your rainbows have a pot of gold at the end. And more importantly I hope that your life provides you with happiness, good health and great times.
Now get out there and get after it.
God Bless you all,
Chris
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