As always, my friend NYC gave me the gift of renewed energy.
Mom and I hit the streets of Manhattan within an hour of arriving a week ago last Thursday and were not disappointed. We met up with several old friends at Elaine's, a restaurant that was like my second home when I lived in New York a few years ago. I call Elaine's "my portal to the world" for all the connections with people I have made there and the interesting paths that have emerged from there.
During our days in NYC, we met with a number of old friends from my Manhattan life - my Elaine's family, previous coworkers on the PwC project I worked on, and fellow actors from the theatre company I was in. It was energizing to see everyone, and all were amazed by how well I appeared. I was able to walk blocks and blocks of uneven pavement in Soho, the West Village, Greenwich Village, Midtown, Uptown and even Harlem (at Rao's restaurant!)without becoming short of breath. It was definitely as though no time had passed since my visit a year ago.
We treated ourselves to an amazing performance by John Lithgow, Diane Wiest and Katie Holmes in Arthur Miller's All My Sons on Broadway, as well as to an off-off-Broadway production featuring my prior theatre company member Lauren. We (window) shopped at Bloomindales, Saks Fifth Avenue and Barney's. And we rested often in our hotel!
Of course, the primary reason for heading to the Big Apple was to show the doctors at Sloan Kettering their "product". I met with Dr. Young last Monday and he was quite impressed with the results, as well as everything I was able to do while in New York. And while he realizes my results are exceptional, he wasn't terribly surprised with how I looked and felt - he even asked me if I was back to swimming yet. It was a humorous confirmation that he has confidence in my ability to be an exception to the statistics, and that in itself was worth the trip to NYC. While I had moments during the week of slight sadness for the New York life I once led and lost so suddenly, most of the time I celebrated the city that still manages to give me energy, and the city that led me to my most recent treatment option.
Returning late Wednesday, I was back to physio Thursday and in for Day +120 bloodwork yesterday. Later today I'll visit with some aunts, uncles and cousins and tomorrow have a Thanksgiving dinner. My list of things to be thankful for is very long and includes thousands of names. It is perfect timing to reflect on the past 11+ years, be so appreciative, and move on to a totally different chapter of life.
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving. Cheers.
