It’s been 4 years since my cancer diagnosis and six months since my daughter’s wedding. Several significant events have happened since then. First up in July was my Father in laws 80th birthday.
Father in Law’s 80th Birthday
He’s the last living brother of three. Interestingly enough it’s the same with my father who just turned 90 this year. Bob’s party was at our house and it was luau themed as you can tell from the picture and the leis. It’s always fun getting together with my wife’s extended family. They have a strong family bond and we’ve had several deaths in recent years which has been unfortunate but has allowed us to become closer. As well it was nice seeing my father-in-laws old buddies again. Unfortunately, he ended up having a scare in August when they located several blood clots in his lungs. Thankfully he’s on the road to recovery.
Wedding in Spokane
Next to close out July my wife, I, Charles, Becca and Abi went to Spokane Washington for David’s wedding, one of my daughter’s childhood friends. We were able to get away for the week. It was a very memorable trip, and since it was really everyone’s first time to the state of Washington we really tried to take advantage of the time there. Chris, Charles and myself flew into Seattle and drove the scenic route which took about 7.5 hours to Spokane where the wedding was taking place. Washington state is beautiful in July. I’ve attached pictures and posted some on Facebook from Flickr. When travelling from Seattle to Spokane it was amazing how the terrain changed from a mountainous evergreen landscape to rolling hills and farmland as far as the eye could see.
Trip to Spokane
We stopped at several areas along the way. First stop was at Wallace Falls State Park. We took an amazing hike through the wooded trail to the lower and mid falls vantage points. It was a great afternoon for hiking. Next we stopped along the way and bought some Salmon jerky (not so good), Rainier cherries, and peaches. We then drove through the mountains up to Leavenworth. There we had an ok Bavarian lunch and enjoyed the tourist shops. Lastly we headed to Spokane to our Airbnb. Images of our trip to Spokane can be found here on Flickr.
The Wedding
The wedding was beautiful and amazing. The time and occasion was unforgettable. I wish I had more pictures of the wedding. But they had real photographers for that so I got to enjoy the magical experience. After we traveled back to Seattle.
The Trip Back to Seattle
For the trip back we made several stops. The first was to Lenore Caves. These caves are on the side of deep cut ridges that were formed during the thawing of the ice ages. We learned of the history of the land from stopping at the Ginkgo Petrified Forest State Park and watching the 20 min film of the region and how the land was formed.
We then stayed in a small town for the night and got up early to drive to Paradise – Mount Rainier State Park. I can’t tell you how beautiful this place is. It was packed with people. We got there around 7:30 in the morning and the parking lot was already full. There were so many people walking these trails and for good reason. It was amazing. We ended up doing the skyline trail which is about 6.5 miles long. The views, the variation in terrain, the wildlife was unbelievable. Truly one of many highlights of the trip. Here are links to the albums on Flicker Ginkgo Park and Mount Rainier.
Mom & Dad
Mom and Dad have had a busy year since Rebecca’s wedding too. Unfortunately, earlier in the year, my parents both ended up getting sick. We all picked up a cold from my sister, but they also contracted Covid and the flu from a different relative at the same time. It was a crazy and overwhelming period; as a result of the illness, my parents—mom 84 and dad 90—had to work incredibly hard to recuperate.
While my father faired well, my mother has been dealing with ongoing heart issues ever since. In the months following, she was admitted to the ER twice, underwent a cardiac catheterization procedure, required two cardioversions, and had a pacemaker put in. Furthermore, she is scheduled for an ablation procedure next month. Needless to say, it has been a rollercoaster of a ride for my mother this year. Ultimately, I’m hoping the worst is finally past her and that she is steadily working towards recovery.
Four Years
So now I’m coming up on my four years since diagnosis. I have scheduled my PSA for this Friday. They say that if you get to your four year mark without your PSA increasing you’re “practically” cured. I’ve been lucky to say that finally, I’m on the cusp of this day. I’m probably giving this moment more weight than it deserves, but I’m hoping and praying I get that passing grade.
Will I ever feel safe about my health moving forward? Ask me 10 years from now… I’ll let you know :). If I’m not here, I guess that’s my answer, but I’m hoping it’s a yes.
The past four years I have gotten into the rhythm of my life again. It’s been great, beautiful and meaningful, but have I done enough? Do I feel like the experience has made me a better person? What have I learned from this?
Who Am I?
Have I done enough? Who is this question for? God? Me? Am I living a more spiritual life? Am I living a healthier life? I’d say yes. Has it been earth shatteringly significant… No. Can I do more? Yes. Why in four years has this been all I’ve learned? This experience has put this silly little nagging sentence always in my head. “Be better”. Be better in the things you do… keep trying to be better. Be a better husband. Be a better father. Be a better friend and neighbor. Just be a better person. Live a better life. Always try to be better and that’s what I’ve been trying to do.
Updates
6 am on Saturday now. I sit here closing this post out with my phone by my side. Quest has sent me my results. I’ll wait until my wife is up and I’ll read my results…. keeping my fingers crossed.
I10 am now. I read my results… It was .04. This is good, right? I had a scare in the beginning of the year the same as this result where the value didn’t include the less than sign. You can read that post here. I guess they did it again (fingers crossed) and it should be recognized that it being .04 is an awesome score regardless. I’m definitely taking it better than I did back then. If I had a bell to ring should I ring it? It’s been 4 years. I can “Be Better”.
