Mission Possible -- Badwater

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving:
it's so much more than turkey and stuffing and pumpkin pie.
it's so much more than parades and football and beer.
it's so much more than shopping all day Friday for Christmas.
 
it's all about friends and family.
these are difficult times, but we all have so very much to be thankful for.
how easy we forget and take for granted what we have.
we all need to be more grateful.
 
this Thanksgiving I am most grateful that Don is healing and getting stronger every day.
he has been an inspiration to everyone of us, and a true example of a hero and a champion.
he is certainly mine.
he has managed to push thru every day,,,every week,,,mile by mile of this adventure.
always strong, never a complaint, even tho there certainly were some very tough days.
more interested in how all our training and races were going than his own race against cancer.
 
I chat with Don almost every day,,,it's part of my day.  I get much of my strength from him.
he just makes it better.  Funny, we are call him  to give him our strength, our encouragement, but what we really want is to know he is better,,,and we go away from a conversation with Don pumped up and ready to run another 100m.
 
So, we all have Don to thank this Thanksgiving, for teaching us so many lessons, and for his amazing strength and love of life.  And for his love for all of us.
 
Happy Thanksgiving All, hug your best friend, they are rare.
 
c

ROCKY 10

Aloha Sports Fans,

For those of you that have faithfully (or unfaithfully) followed the "Rocky" movie series, you may be able to appreciate what the past 10 days or so has been like to me. Think back to the many times in the movies, during the fight scenes, where Rocky keeps getting knocked down and immediately pops back up, only to get knocked back down again. Okay, that's what I felt like. "Bam ! Hit me again !" "Bam ! Hit me again !"  It's funny. You read all this stuff about chemo...the vomiting, diarrhea, losing your hair, and fatigue but I've failed to read anything about Angelina Jolie Lips or Chemo Mouth. At least I will own-up to my own stupidity or maybe it's more hardheadedness than stupidity. Okay, I'm both stupid and hardheaded...what a combination ! After going through several days as our hero Rocky, getting my butt kicked every day, I woke last Tuesday morning with my mouth totally on FIRE ! It had been on fire but this was another level of pain. I could tell that my blood pressure was elevated and my breathing was fast. It subsided after a bit, but returned every hour or two, which made sleeping a challenge. After another 2 1/2 days of this, I finally wised-up and got some pain-killers. I couldn't believe that I had waited so long and suffered so much...needlessly. What a lolo-head ! The pain pills really took the edge off. No more Rocky for me. I'm done.

So, here it is Monday November 24 and I just ate my first solid-food meal. 10 days of drinking only Ensure and EAS and I can finally eat REAL food. Yippee ! Things are looking up ! How much Ensure can one man take?

Another exciting happening is on next Monday December 1...the removal of Neo the Port, which will be the last real visable sign of my cancer experience (other than a few very small scars left over from surgery). This is a big deal for me as a runner, as the Port has been a concern should I have fallen while running. Neo has been my constant companion for the past 6 months or so, but I'll still be glad to be back on my own. Sorry Neo.

The "Old Guy" Alec Brownlow, who recently had colon cancer surgery will be embarking on the 2nd phase of his treatment, which will be a chemo treatment every two weeks for the next six months. Alec is a tough guy and I'm confident that he will be fine, especially with all our support, but I certainly don't envy him. They will be hitting him with a combination of 3 kinds of chemo. Please add him to your prayer list. He's a cool guy.

The wonderful support just keeps rolling in ! I still have more pics to post but not quite enough stamina to get everything done. Thanks so very much for all that you do.  More to come, soon ! Aloha !!  Don

Still on Dons team ,and Haleakala is too ! :)

All 10,023ft of it .
Happy thoughts and alohas to you from Maui .
- Hoppy

 

Jamie & David at Javelina Jundred 100

  Here's Jamie and David Donaldson decked out in their Hawaii's finest for the Javelina Jundred. Thanks kids. Hope to see you soon.  Aloha !  Don

Don's Team at Corsica Coast Race

I Here's a cool photo just received from my Canadian friends Joany Verschuuren & Mark Tamminga at the Corsica Coast Race in Corsica, France. This race was just held earlier this month. Look at that scenery ! Don's Team is showing up everywhere ! Thanks Joany and Mark. You guys are great ! Aloha !  Don

Don's Team Finishes Another Mother of a Race

    It seems that Eberhard Frixe and the lovely Nina are circling the globe in support of Don's Team. Here they are in Oklahoma at the Mother Road 100. It won't be long before Don will be out there running with you crazy and amazing people. Thanks for all your care ! Aloha H.

Foods and Cancer

Hi Gang !  It was interesting...I mentioned a topic that I know absolutely nothing about and I got more responses than I normally get. Bob McAllaster seemed very interested in learning which foods are important and I also received a phone call and an e-mail on the subject. Maybe people are interested in what to eat to possibly avoid cancer. Cool !

So, here goes. Please remember that the information I'm providing is from outside sources, primarily from the internet, and there's no guarantee as to it's accuracy. However, generally the info is from more than one source. It's also interesting that most of the foods recommended are the same or similiar to the foods recommended for diabetics. As with foods in general, people have their own particular beliefs, so I'm confident that most of you will disagree with some items, and that's perfectly okay.

FOODS TO EAT MORE OFTEN...possibly

Avocados, beans of all kinds, brown & wild rice, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, cilantro, berries, kale, sweet potatoes, garlic, onions, spinich, tofu, turnip greens, tomatoes, mustard greens, collards, dark grapes, apples, papaya, pineapple, pumpkin, nuts and seeds, soybeans, raw beet juice, oatmeal, dark green veges, squash, broccoli sprouts, chick peas, kidney beans, lentils, walnuts, blueberries, apricots, dates, prunes, and green tea are on the "good" list.  I'm sure there are others. Please consult a physician or a nutritionist before making drastic changes in your diet.

FOODS TO AVOID...possibly...

Foods containing acrylamide: cookies, chips, most cereals, crackers, french fries, pretzels; Trans fats; soda; processed meats; fried foods; foods containing the preservatives BHT and BHA; and refined sugar. Another source says to avoid: Alcohol most of the time; Anything high in fat most of the time; Trans fatty acids (used as a preservative); Deep fried food; Charred meats; and high-sodium foods. the wording "most of the time" made me curious. 

Well, that's a start. It will be interesting to hear from all of you on such a controversial subject.

By the way, I hooked-up to Mr. Chemo yesterday afternoon. It was like a reunion of two old friends. We went from the hospital back to the office. Heather didn't seem at all excited to see him. He will be my constant companion until late Saturday afternoon. Will I shed any tears when he leaves? Absolutely not !  Aloha sucker !  Don 

Cancer- What to Eat / What to Avoid

With next Monday being the kick-off of the final 5-day chemo blast, I've started thinking ahead to what's next. What can a person do to keep from going through what I, and millions like me, have had to go through, dealing with cancer? Although I have to admit that much of what I've experienced has been interesting, even in many ways an adventure, I would definitely pass if given the chance to go through it again.

So what do we do?  What can we do? If you surf the internet for info on cancer, especially how to avoid it, the info is overwhelming. I was just reading an article that Heather gave to me from John Hopkins Hospital which stated things like: 1. Every person has cancer cells in the body. These cancer cells do not show up in the standard tests until they have multiplied to a few billion. When doctors tell cancer patients that there are no more cancer cells in their bodies after treatment, it just means the tests are unable to detect cancer cells because they have not reached the detectable size. 2. Cancer cells occur between 6 to more than 10 times in a person's lifetime. 3. When the person's immune system is strong the cancer cells will be destroyed and prevented from multiplying and forming tumors.

The article went on to talk about what "Cancer Cells Feed On". The list of things included many of the things that I love to eat and foods that have made-up the bulk of my diet for the past 60+ years. Wahoo !! NOT !! Fortunately for me, exercise and being positive, with a fantastic, loving support group are a big help in fighting cancer. However, it was painfully obvious, after very little research, that I'm going to need to change the way I eat. This concept isn't new to me, as I've dealt with it somewhat with my type 2 diabetes, although I've fallen off the wagon more than I'd like to admit. My level of exercise has afforded me an excuse to indulge in a multitude of eating sins, I'm ashamed to say. I must change that...immediately. Interestingly enough, the things that are on the cancer list to avoid, are pretty much the same things that are on the diabetes list to avoid. In my case, it's the ol' double whammy ! Two for the price of one !

More on what we should and shouldn't be eating to avoid cancer next week. The list will require some work, but should be well worth the effort. We'll just take it in segments. Have a fun weekend !  Thanks to all of you for your continued support. I'm one lucky guy to have friends like you. Hey, we're nearly through with this adventure. Yippee !!  Don