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Because when I'm out of money, I can still rely on my blessings to give me safe haven from the mounting debt that I and many others are having these days..... It's been a trying year for me in particular.
I was coasting along, working most days at my occupation of Handyman with only Diabetes to worry about as far as health is concerned, when a friend of mine was diagnosed with prostate cancer. He is the same age as me so, as he explained to me the symptoms that led to his diagnosis, I decided to pick a family doctor I knew and saw most days at Starbucks in Mt Vernon Wa.. I felt I'd be comfortable with him. He immediately suspected through blood tests and urine samples there could be a prostate problem and referred me to a Urologist for further tests. The tests proved positive for Prostate Cancer.
It happened just before Christmas in 2010 and pretty much wiped out our plans of going through the Holiday season with just the normal things in life to worry about. We made it though, although the enthusiasm certainly wasn't there. I usually would do what I thought was an appreciable job of lighting up my house with outside lights and lit decorations for the neighbors to enjoy as well as ourselves. I didn't do it that time.
I wasn't looking forward to the treatments that lay ahead but after reflecting back to several years before, my oldest daughter Kim aged 46, had been diagnosed with Leukemia and underwent a long 5 months of treatment in Vancouver General Hospital, I found myself travelling back and forth from Mt. Vernon, Wa. almost every day until they had it turned around to the point they could send her home to Vernon, B.C. She was very brave through all of it and always had faith she would be okay.
It kept us all on our toes, but she had been cured of the most curable kind and we were all thankful for that. She remains free of the disease today and hopefully forever in human terms. Remembering that caused me to reason, Why not me? It's my turn.
During the time that I was doing the drive to Vancouver to visit Kim, My son, Allan, 48,who had been diagnosed with an incurable brain tumor, suffered a paralyzing stroke and was hospitalized in Everett, Wa., which lays in the opposite direction from Mt. Vernon as Vancouver, B.C..
Putting on 250 to 300 miles per day and working during the day besides became a routine thing. But I don't regret it.
Allan passed away peacefully in a nursing home near where I live in the Spring of 2009. We held hands and I said the Lord's Prayer to him. He died in peace several hours later.
Back to the present. My radiation treatments were scheduled and since my condition was considered moderate, I would receive 44 treatments of the latest method of applying radiation. No chemotherapy was required with this method concerning me. Chemotherapy was administered as well to some.
I was delighted to find the technicians and Doctors were a pleasure to be treated by and they handled every patient with the greatest of care. They are definitely a special kind of folks with more than enough compassion to go around. The whole ward is that way.
The treatments were totally without major discomfort and I actually looked forward to each day.
I missed them when it was finished. I mean the atmosphere and the people, including the patients.
Confident I was on the mend, I was looking forward to getting back to work, but that wasn't to happen. Three weeks after that, I got up one morning and without testing my blood, took my usual shot of insulin. I became dizzy and unsteady on my feet. My wife had left to babysit our new Grandbaby in Bellingham and I became a little worried so I called 911. They were there in about 2 minutes and after checking my blood, discovered I had a reading of 36. "You should be out cold by now", remarked one of the medics.
They whisked me off to the hospital and wasted no time transferring me to E.R.
During the tests they discovered an enzyme in my blood indicating my heart was under stress. This is a warning of possible blood flow interruption. An Angiogram ensued and sure enough, there were a total of 3 complete blockages in the main aorta and a partial one near the top left portion of my heart.
So here we go again!!!
Eventually I was transferred to Providence Hospital where a very fine doctor performed 3 stent implants. I feel fine now and guess what? the Diabetes I've been treating for many years seems to have gone away. No one knows exactly why, but I can tell you It's been a modern day miracle in anyone's eyes who believe in modern technology and God. I do, and all the friends from Starbucks in Mount Vernon who prayed for me know it too. They come from all walks of life and all different Religions, But they prayed for me anyway, regardless and in intensity. I learned something there!
It proves one thing to me. You don't have to belong to one faith to believe someone's up there watching and listening. I'm living proof. Believe in one God, regardless of religion.
I'm not finished this story yet, unfortunately.
Three weeks after I had my stents inserted, my wife began feeling ill and dizzy much the way I had felt, so I didn't hesitate calling the Aid car once again. They whisked her off to the hospital and she showed signs of having a heart attack. I panicked inside for a short while because if there's anything I don't want her to do is pass away before me, having lost two sons already. She turned out to be fine after a battery of all kinds of tests. She's doing just fine now. The doctors think it was one of those things brought on by anxiety.
All I need now is work. It's great to be alive. Art Linkleiter said when he turned 93, "It's better to be over the hill than under it." Just sayin'.
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