Monday, June 29, 2009

Graduation Day!

Woo Hoo, I've graduated! Today was the last radiation treatment, 30 of 30 done. It's pretty cool, the entire staff treats it great, hugs all around. My thanks go out to Brenda my nurse, Sherita, Amber, Beverly and Rob my technicians, Brenda the receptionist who flirted with me on my very first visit (haven't had that happen in a long time :)) and of course Dr. Haake. I couldn't have been in better care.

Now that my treatments are done, I can get on the road again helping my team. I think Kathy is ready for a break from me too, there is a huge suitcase by the back door with a plane ticket on top with my name on it. (looks like a one way ticket too) LOL

Next step is pre-op appointment on 7/30 and surgery on monday August 3rd.
Many thanks to everyone who's prayers are paying off. I feel great (still need to lose about 12 lbs) and am looking forward to getting this gunk out of my bod.

How about the celebrity passings lately?
Ed McMahon, Farah Fawcett, Michael Jackson, Billy Mays...all I can say is man o man.

That's it for now, maybe another post during my travels in July

have fun, make it a great day!

Bob

Monday, June 22, 2009

Down to 5

Well, 25 done, 5 more to go. The home stretch as they say. The last 5 will be a 'boost' which actually is a slight misnomer. What happens during the last 5 'nukes' is they just narrow the field with which they radiate so the 'boost' is basically same dosage to a smaller area.

to all the dads following this post, I hope you had a great father's day weekend.

What a great US Open golf Championship, great tournament but what a heart breaker for Phil Mickelson....this was the 5th time he's finished second, so close. How about David Duval, 882 ranked player in the world and finishes in the top 10, hell, he tied for second with Phil! He fought back today after a triple bogey on his first hole today and toughed out a great round.

So far fighting cancer for me has remained positive. Attitude right now is my biggest ally...and I'm guessing the 'nuke' sessions are working. All of the support and prayers from eveyrone is paying off as well and on behalf of the entire Evans family, we thank you.

Next update will come after the last treatment

Make it a great week.

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Hmmm, just when I thought it was easy...

this weekend a couple of side effects kicked in, nothing major but it's now evident to me the radiation is working, so that's a good thing. Just 8 more treatments and then done with radiation.

Did I tell you my kids are Wahoos? Really, for a couple of years now. Wahoos as in Weddington Wahoos swim team. Crazy schedule for 7 weeks, practice every day and 2-3 swim meets per week.
Speaking of swim meets, on monday it started at 6pm and ended at 10:10pm, almost 150 kids from each of 2 teams, only 6 lanes and every child can swim 4 events.....note to self, bring a book next time. seriously, it's great to see the kids compete and have a great time.

Well, we're working our way up to father's day and here's a shout out to all the dads who've had a positive influence in the lives of their kids. Thanks dad.

Make it a great day!

Friday, June 12, 2009

Let the countdown begin

Another week done, only 11 more treatments to go. Heck, sounds like the countdown to the end of my sales quarter! These radiation treatments are a piece of cake and so far, no side effects. It's a beautiful thing.

I'll be focused the next 12 business days on helping my team close new business where we can launch partnerships with more nonprofits and help them be successful.

One of the organizations I'm excited about is Gateway for Cancer Research, check them out
www.gatewayforcancerresearch.org

Exciting weekend here at the Evans household, Bradley took off to Atlanta for a weekend children's choir trip, his first 'long' time away from home. While he was a little nervous, he was excited too. It will be great to hear about all the details on sunday night.

Gearing up for the US Open golf championship...it's our National Championship and always falls on fathers day weekend. I can't wait because it is a true test of golf and many of the players end up looking like me, a hack. Ha!

comments are always welcome on this blog, any suggestion to make this more enjoyable, let me know.

Make it a great weekend.

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

A million bucks

Well, more than half way done, 16 of 30 treaments done and I feel AWESOME. Seriously, feeling better than I did 4 months ago before I found out about the PC (that's prostate cancer for those of you joining late to this mind numbing blog).

Geez, about the only thing I've notice of the past few weeks is that my golf game stinks. A neighbor of mine has been kind enough to take me to his club and while it's not an easy course, you can score on it but in my case, I've required them to change the scorecard so it can accomodate triple digets for a total. All I can say is I must be spending waaaaaay too much time working.

go Penguins! for those of you paying attention to the NHL Stanley Cup, tonight is game 6 and Pittsburgh needs to win to extend the series. There is some great hockey being played, it's worth watching the talent of guys who sprint for 50 seconds at a time, 40 times a game....on ice, being body-checked by dudes 6'4" 240 lbs...amazing.

HIFU - did you hear about the newest treatment to attack PC? High Intensity Focused Ultrasound. Virtually no side effects and being done in the UK...not sure when it might become widely available or for that matter, if it even would apply to the 'aggressive' cancer I have.
Something to watch.

Okay, check in again soon, June if flying by and before you know it my bags will be packed and I'll be able to travel again to help my team. Actually, Kathy already has my bags packed and sitting by the door...she's sick of me being home, I cramp her style :)

now, go Make it a Great Day! (I plan on it)

Bob

Thursday, June 4, 2009

setting a speed record

Today's session was the quickest by far. I walked in, registered via the touchscreen computer and didn't even sit down and they called me in. Walked in laid down on the table and 6 minutes later I was walking out the door. Heck, my coffee didn't even get cold in the car. Call me a speed demon.

Almost half way done, 13 of 30 sessions behind me and still feeling great.
Yesterday I had two conversations with former colleagues I used to work with and it has been a while since we last talked. Needless to say they were as surprised and anyone to hear the news of my cancer. I find it comforting to talk about it while at the same time, it's still surreal.

Oh, the other thing that happened was the mail came....with a gift certificate from my extended team at Convio. Unbelievable, I was floored with the kindness and their thoughfulness.

That's it for today...

Later,

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

give up?

Okay, the last couple of blogs posts I gave some hints as to what movie the line "easy, peasy, japaneesy" came from and one hint I was incorrect. The time period was the late 40's not the 50's.

give up? It's the Shawshank Redemption...it's where Birdie (the librarian in the prison) shows Andy (Tim Robbins) how to sort and put away the books on the shelves.

And where did Andy and Red end up?
Zihuatanejo....and if you've never been there, you have to go. It's awesome.

Week 3 of treatments, off to another smooth start. I'm getting pretty good at jumping on the table and almost getting myself all lined up without too many adjustments. Practice makes perfect.
Surgery is set, 31 days away. Can't wait to get in, get it out and move on.

Friends, thanks for all the support, it helps.
A Point to Ponder: Why do we label underwear as a 'pair'?