Friday, August 19, 2016

Base2Space


11 months post transplant, I'm really beginning to realize that Cancer isn't a curse.  It's been a total reset to me and because of it, I've had the opportunity to meet, cherish and do things I would never have or could have done before.  I'll just share a thank you letter I wrote yesterday to David Mandapat who runs the Space Needle and Mark Grantor who works for Fred Hutch.

David and Mark,
I can’t thank you two enough for today.  Wow.  I’ve had some incredible opportunities in my life and today ranks right up there. 
The first photo is Haines Alaska on a run called Frosted Flutes.  It was on April 27th, 2007.  I’m 3/4 of the way down right above the Bergstrom.    This day, this run, is single handedly the best day ever I’ve had snowboarding and I’ve been standing sideways for 32 years now.
 Anyway…

This combined with climbing all them God damn stairs produced a similar feeling of elatedness that the above shot did.


For the snowboard run to happen, I only had to put in 75 days or so on the snow that season, swim 3 times a week, and be in the gym the other 3.  Then pay a couple of grand in travel and heli fee’s.  And then for the second photo, I didn’t have to do anything, but let nature take it’s course and then find Fred Hutch, the SCCA and meet you two. And have insurance dish out close to a million to keep my ass alive.
Both challenging in their own ways, and honestly, the reward afterword is very similar. 
Funny that last year at the same time I was walking around the Space Needle, I was getting 31 staples pulled out of my stomach because they had to yank my 12 pound spleen.  And by the way, that doesn’t rank up there with “incredible opportunities.”

Very grateful, thank you.

Johan

Tuesday, August 2, 2016

10 months post transplant


Ten months ago today I had already undergone 6 days of death serum and my body was prepared for the life that was being flown over from Germany.  10 months ago is a drop in the bucket, but that day, those weeks and months following seem like an eternity ago.

Before going into this thing, I kept reading the new you after transplant, it takes time to adjust, you wont be able to do what you once did, bla bla bla.  And when your about to go thru the biggest thing in your life, reading shit like this isn't encouraging.

Last week I got a pamphlet from Seattle Cancer Care saying "your coming up on your year anniversary."  There were articles in it suggesting that you talk to your employer about coming back to work and about starting an exercise routine but taking it slowly. 

There's really nothing I can't do now, besides get hammered, eat raw sushi, have a sun burn and smoke weed.  My life is pretty normal, except for the daily drugs I'm still on, and the monthly doctors visits.  Everything the pamphlet says I can start to introduce into my life, I began almost 7 months ago, very carefully.

So if your reading this because you found me on the internet searching out stem cell transplant, bone marrow transplant, or myleofibrosis, I'll offer you this...don't believe everything you hear or read.  I think they paint a picture that is pretty grim just to prepare you for the doom and gloom.   Believe in your doctors, treatment and yourself, be a participant in your recovery and you'll be better off than they make it out to be.

On the 18th of this month, I'm going to walk around the outer ring of the Space Needle for a cancer awareness thing.  John Logic did it a couple of month ago because he won the opportunity by being one of the dudes raising a ton of money for cancer thru Fred Hutch on a stair climb.  I went there to watch him and met the head dude of the Space Needle and he asked me back to scare the shit out of myself.

It's gonna be fun.