There is a road in Tennessee bikers refer to as “The Dragon”. It is an 11 mile stretch of road with 318 curves. There is a hotel called “Deals Gap” where a lot of bikers start the ride. At Deals Gap, they have a collection of photos of pieces of motorcycles that didn’t make it. The caption of the photos say “Sometimes the dragon wins.”
Why do I bring this up? In the past month, there have been two people in the cancer support group that Roni and I belong to that have lost their mothers to this terrible disease. With all of the good news that Roni and I received concerning my battle with cancer, and the many success stories we have heard, it is still important to remember that cancer is still a very deadly disease and not everybody makes it.
Please take a few moments to remember those who have lost their fight with cancer and their families that have to learn to go on without them.
Cancer, like the dragon, sometimes wins.
Kevin
Monday, June 21, 2004
Two Weeks To Go Until The Next Surgery
Well, I have two weeks until my next surgery. We’re praying that it will also be my last surgery as far as this cancer goes. Right now I don’t know if I am more excited about getting this over and done with or nervous about having to go through another surgery and another hospital stay.
People keep asking why I have to go through another surgery. The reason is two-fold. The first reason is it will be an exploratory surgery. There are two possibilities here. One, Dr. Sugerbaker will find no tumors. That means that the surgery will be relatively short, no chemo will be involved and I should only have to stay in the hospital for about a week or so. If tumor is found, it will have to be removed, and chemo will be used again during the surgery. That will mean another hospital stay of 3 weeks or so. We’re praying that nothing will be found.
The second reason for the surgery is to reverse the ileostomy, or as some like to say, “reconnect the plumbing.” This is what I am most excited about. I have had the ileostomy since my emergency surgery in Oct of 2003. While I have learned to live with it, and have found I can still live a somewhat normal live, I will still be glad to get rid of it.
The surgery will be done in Washington DC and will take place on July 6th. At first we were told we will need to be there on July 3rd for pre-admission testing. We were told the 3rd, because the hospital will be closed for testing on July 5th due to the July 4th weekend. When I called Ilsa (the office manager and Dr. Sugarbaker’s wife) she said that I could have the testing done here in NY, which meant that we won’t have to be there until July 5th.
So, on June 28th I will be going to my oncologist for an EKG and blood tests. Then on June 30th, I will be going to East River Imaging to have another CT scan.
For those praying, here are the requests:
1) The pre-admission testing will go well
2) No tumors will be found during the surgery
3) The ileostomy will be reversed with no problem
4) The hospital stay will be short and the recovery will go smoothly
We will try to update the blog before the surgery, and as often as possible during the hospital stay and recovery.
Thank you all for prayers and concerns.
Kevin
People keep asking why I have to go through another surgery. The reason is two-fold. The first reason is it will be an exploratory surgery. There are two possibilities here. One, Dr. Sugerbaker will find no tumors. That means that the surgery will be relatively short, no chemo will be involved and I should only have to stay in the hospital for about a week or so. If tumor is found, it will have to be removed, and chemo will be used again during the surgery. That will mean another hospital stay of 3 weeks or so. We’re praying that nothing will be found.
The second reason for the surgery is to reverse the ileostomy, or as some like to say, “reconnect the plumbing.” This is what I am most excited about. I have had the ileostomy since my emergency surgery in Oct of 2003. While I have learned to live with it, and have found I can still live a somewhat normal live, I will still be glad to get rid of it.
The surgery will be done in Washington DC and will take place on July 6th. At first we were told we will need to be there on July 3rd for pre-admission testing. We were told the 3rd, because the hospital will be closed for testing on July 5th due to the July 4th weekend. When I called Ilsa (the office manager and Dr. Sugarbaker’s wife) she said that I could have the testing done here in NY, which meant that we won’t have to be there until July 5th.
So, on June 28th I will be going to my oncologist for an EKG and blood tests. Then on June 30th, I will be going to East River Imaging to have another CT scan.
For those praying, here are the requests:
1) The pre-admission testing will go well
2) No tumors will be found during the surgery
3) The ileostomy will be reversed with no problem
4) The hospital stay will be short and the recovery will go smoothly
We will try to update the blog before the surgery, and as often as possible during the hospital stay and recovery.
Thank you all for prayers and concerns.
Kevin
Thursday, June 10, 2004
Rolling Thunder
During the Memorial Day weekend, Roni and I rode to Washington DC to take part in an annual event called Rolling Thunder. The last time we were in DC was for my Mother Of All Surgeries in Feb '04. This time was much better.
Rolling Thunder is an event to remember the POWs and MIAs from Viet Nam and other wars. It has also become a time to honor all military personnel, both active duty and vets.
We rode down on Friday with 6 others from my HOG (Harley Owners Group) chapter and had a great time. The riding was good and the company first rate.
Sunday was the Rolling Thunder parade. We assembled at the Pentagon parking lot. We arrive shortly before 7AM and there were already thousands of bikes there. By the time the parade started at 12 noon, there was an estimated 500,000 bikes. You read that right. Almost a half million motorcycles. For me, the parade is the highlight of the trip. Riding through DC with thousands of people waving, cheering and honoring the military is a great feeling. And to be part of it, is both humbling and an honor.
On Sunday, Roni and I also were able to meet up with my dad and brother who were there to see the WWII Memorial. My father is a WWII vet, serving in the South Pacific in the Navy. It was a very special time for him and I was glad to be able to share that time with him. Personally, I feel the WWII Memorial is way too late. It should have been built years ago. But that is one thing I admire about that generation, they never needed recognition, they just did what they had to and wanted to get back to their lives. I have the utmost respect for them all. And to have my father part of that great generation is an honor.
This reminds me of a bumper sticker I saw, "If you can read, thank a teacher. If you can read English, thank a vet."
So, to the Vets and Active Duty of the US Military, I salute you.
To view the pictures that were taken, visit these links:
Rolling Thunder
WWII Memorial
Rolling Thunder is an event to remember the POWs and MIAs from Viet Nam and other wars. It has also become a time to honor all military personnel, both active duty and vets.
We rode down on Friday with 6 others from my HOG (Harley Owners Group) chapter and had a great time. The riding was good and the company first rate.
Sunday was the Rolling Thunder parade. We assembled at the Pentagon parking lot. We arrive shortly before 7AM and there were already thousands of bikes there. By the time the parade started at 12 noon, there was an estimated 500,000 bikes. You read that right. Almost a half million motorcycles. For me, the parade is the highlight of the trip. Riding through DC with thousands of people waving, cheering and honoring the military is a great feeling. And to be part of it, is both humbling and an honor.
On Sunday, Roni and I also were able to meet up with my dad and brother who were there to see the WWII Memorial. My father is a WWII vet, serving in the South Pacific in the Navy. It was a very special time for him and I was glad to be able to share that time with him. Personally, I feel the WWII Memorial is way too late. It should have been built years ago. But that is one thing I admire about that generation, they never needed recognition, they just did what they had to and wanted to get back to their lives. I have the utmost respect for them all. And to have my father part of that great generation is an honor.
This reminds me of a bumper sticker I saw, "If you can read, thank a teacher. If you can read English, thank a vet."
So, to the Vets and Active Duty of the US Military, I salute you.
To view the pictures that were taken, visit these links:
Rolling Thunder
WWII Memorial
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