Lights and Thanks

The past few weeks have been very potent - the Light the Night events went incredibly well with even the weather cooperating. Saskatoon was an amazing chance to catch up with family and friends who I see not as often as I'd like, and that alone was a gift. The event itself was excellent, with over 300 walkers and over $85,000 raised in the first year it was ever held - quite remarkable. Our team raised over $3,500! And the pasta party at Vic and Don's after was really a bonus...feasting on delicious spaghetti and meatsauce while hanging out with family and friends. It was also fun for me to have my family and friends hear me tell the "drive by version" of my story, and more importantly recognize them for the important role they play in keeping me alive.

Calgary warmed up just in time for the walk a week later and again we had a great showing at the 6th annual event – over a 1,000 walkers raising over $500,000. The PwC Tricia’s Trotters raised over $11,000 and PwC sponsored at $5,000 so between all the Trotters we came close to $20,000 for research and patient services. Quite remarkable. Again there were a large number of `out of towners` making trips from Regina, Edmonton and Vancouver. Jack, Davis and Talyn were front and centre for the warm up. There was also a fantastic group of coworkers from PwC - a continued demonstration of support I receive from work. As small tokens of appreciation, mom, Mary Ellen (thanks!) and I made chocolate chip cookies as "thank yous" for all the Trotters – when Joelle, Colleen, Mom and I were bagging the goodies with tags and ribbons, I remarked how the last two weeks had seemed like a wedding! Without a groom! We continued the pasta theme after the Calgary walk with a few of us heading to the Old Spaghetti Factory for some well-earned dinner.

The youngest Trotter was 4-month old Mireya, the daughter of Amy and Ryland, and soon to be my goddaughter! Later this month I will travel to Regina to be a part of her baptism, so my meeting with her during the Light the Night festivities was very special – she is a beautiful little girl and I think she will be quite a character as her personality continues to emerge. I was so pleased to share May 21st as our birthday and I will be honoured to be her godmother as well!

The Light the Night weeks were definitely a chance to reflect on life and especially on the past 13 years. I spoke at 5 different events during the last few weeks, and in each case several unique moments and connections, paint splatters, were received and given. I realized repeatedly how crazy my health story is and how more crazy it is that I feel so well despite the story. I met nursing students, patients, survivors and people impacted by blood cancers. One event included meeting Anne Robillard whose 7-year old son Noel who desperately needs a bone marrow transplant. http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/noelyoung

I have posted a link to OneMatch http://www.onematch.ca/, with Canadian Blood Services. Registering as a possible donor of bone marrow is the easiest it has ever been – you go online and you are sent a kit to swab your cheek and send it back in for processing. From that they are able to test if you are a partial match for someone (1 in 20,000 chance) and should you ever come up as a match, they will call you and you are still able to agree or decline. The donation process is a lot less invasive these days as well, with donors receiving a growth shot (similar to an immunization) 4 days prior to collection. The collection is actually of stem cells through the blood, so you are hooked up to a machine that spins the blood and separates the stem cells over a period of a few hours – almost like a really long blood donation. You go home that day, and do not really lose anything as the stem cells they collect are essentially extras due to the growth factor. When Oliver donated, he sent me a picture of him donating – with a smile on his face and sitting in jeans! And the second time Brandon donated he managed to work from his blackberry almost the whole time! Consider registering to help someone like Noel just like Oliver did for me...

The celebrating just continued into October. First up was brunch for my big brother's birthday Oct 4 with the boys, Dana, Mom and Dad and I. Then Mom and I headed to NYC to attend the Sloan Kettering Cancer Center's Transplant Celebration for survivors. Although Dr. Young, my main NYC doctor, was out of town that night, right through the door we ran into Dr. Perales who was the doctor who saw me when I relapsed in 2006. Not long after, I was so lucky to meet the head of the clinical trial that I am a part of, Dr. Farid Boulad. He came over with a big smile, gave me a hug, and said '"you don't know how proud I am of you". It was fantastic to be a part of the continued celebration of survivorship – hundreds of people who looked healthy, were eating, laughing and visiting – and no one could distinguish the survivors from the supporters.

We managed to get in a few additional days of Manhattan fun - meeting up with old friends, shopping, seeing a play, eating well, walking along the river and in Central park and generally taking in some NYC energy. I never lose my love for the streets of that city. (Neither does mom)

It is all fitting that as I finish this post, having arrived back to Calgary this evening, in a few minutes it is Thanksgiving. The past few weeks have been an extended festival of celebrating life, living and the people that help us do it every day. I am so blessed, so fortunate and so thankful for each moment, each person, each paint splatter I continue to experience.

Thank you. Danke. Grazie. Merci. Tak. Gracias.

Pop the Cork

August seemed to evaporate after the European excursion. In my new "non-med" world, I managed to get in a few golf games, some visiting with friends and family, a wedding, a European party, and some rest. Even work went at a manageable pace. I am feeling better than I have in many months, and I am very grateful to be spending more time living than trying to live.

I spoke at another "kick off " for Light the Night in August and now LTN is really accelerating - my Saskatoon team is way bigger than I ever would have imagined, with friends and family even coming in from Regina for the event. PwC sponsored the Calgary team and now it is also ballooning - and people are flying in from all over! I continue to be amazed and overwhelmed by the support and energy from so many people, so many years down the road of this journey. I am very fortunate.

On the health front, my skin is giving me the most annoyance currently. My neck wound is still not closed, and at the last visit to my plastic surgeon the next option was discussed - surgery to remove the current graft, with a new graft of both skin and tissue from my inner arm...6 hours of surgery and a week in hospital. Not a great option in my mind! So for the next few weeks, I am making a last attempt of using a ginormous amount of topical antibiotic to force the skin to heal. And a few prayers! I also saw my dermatologist about the scleroderma and it looks like my options there are very limited as well. I could try a different light therapy 3 times a week for 6 months that "might" help the skin thickening. A lot of energy for only a possible chance of a result. Mmmm. Still thinking on that one.

As much as the skin is annoying it is just that - minor and manageable. The real highlight of this month came while I was on a fantastic weekend in Vegas with some girls from work. The doctors wanted to repeat the bone marrow biopsy they did just before Europe, based on some "interesting" things that the pathologist had seen. I had the biopsy on a Tuesday and flew to Vegas two days later. Friday I was by the pool with the girls when my cell phone rang "Unknown Number" - Dr. Brown was calling me and I have to admit I was a little nervous. He wanted to let me know the results were back and that I should "pop the cork" as the results were clear. At that very moment the waitress arrived with our mojitos! It was a fantastic feeling.

So I'll deal with the skin. And in the mean time, pop the cork people. And light the night. Cheers.