One thing I am looking forward to this summer is my photo shoot with David Jay for The SCAR Project. More on that in a later post.
"Rise above the storm and you will find the sunshine."
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Surgery . . . again
The date for my next surgery is fast approaching . . . August 4th. This summer seems to be flying right by and I wonder what my life will be like next year when I'm not planning events around my surgery, or radiation, or chemo, or multiple doctor appointments. While I'm very excited to have this next surgery and be that much closer to the reconstructed me, it's really putting a dent in my social life. Already there are 3 things that I was looking forward to this summer that are now blown . . . Kenny Chesney concert - can't go, too close to surgery, Entrain Harbor Cruise in Boston - ditto, lobster boat races in Maine - major ditto!! WTF! And I really don't want to push the surgery date back, I want it OVER!
One thing I am looking forward to this summer is my photo shoot with David Jay for The SCAR Project. More on that in a later post.
"Rise above the storm and you will find the sunshine."
One thing I am looking forward to this summer is my photo shoot with David Jay for The SCAR Project. More on that in a later post.
"Rise above the storm and you will find the sunshine."
Monday, July 6, 2009
Back to life . . . back to normalcy
Or should I say, my new kind of normal. My blog updates are becoming few and far between, but I'm trying to be better. It's just been a crazy few weeks. So the first of my new news . . . went back up to moose country (northern Maine) to go whitewater rafting after taking a 13 year hiatus from class V water. It was actually a spur of the moment trip with an old college friend, and it turned out to be a great weekend.
They had booked the trip with Three Rivers Whitewater in The Forks, Maine. Sshhh, don't tell my old friends/co-workers at Crab Apple Whitewater that I went with another outfit! The weather for the weekend was less than ideal . . . rain, rain and more rain. Gotta love camping in that! So after the 6 hour drive north I arrived at the site to find that the girls had just finished pitching the tent . . . just in time! :) We were all very excited for our trip on the Kennebec River the next day. An 8000 cfs release is always a good time, no matter the weather!
Being back up there made me feel like I was 20 years old again! The adventures I had and people I met while working for Crab Apple was something I'll never forget. As we geared up I started to get a bit concerned. After all, I was only 2.5 months out of surgery . . . could I really paddle hard enough without hurting myself? Well, we were going to find out!! Cancer was NOT going to take this walk down memory lane away from me! After what was one of the scarriest rides on a rickety bus to the put-in (going so fast down a dirt road we thought we'd roll the thing, and then blowing out a tire and continuing on like nothing happened), our fun was about to begin.
The Kennebec was all that I remembered. Just like seeing an old friend after so many years, everything comes flooding back to you . . . the stunning beauty of the gorge, the power of Cathedral Eddy, the fun to be had in rapids such as Rock Garden - Three Sisters - Big Mamma - The Alleyway - and Maytag. And no, Magic Falls didn't claim our boat that day!
We had a fun day on the river and were more than ready for the lobster/clam bake that was waiting for us back at the base. I was a bit sore from the surgery, but I didn't let that slow me down on the river. Some of the guides found out about my situation and were even inspired. And come to find out . . . they have a survivor guiding for them too! It was a great trip, and I'll definately be back to take the river on again!
They had booked the trip with Three Rivers Whitewater in The Forks, Maine. Sshhh, don't tell my old friends/co-workers at Crab Apple Whitewater that I went with another outfit! The weather for the weekend was less than ideal . . . rain, rain and more rain. Gotta love camping in that! So after the 6 hour drive north I arrived at the site to find that the girls had just finished pitching the tent . . . just in time! :) We were all very excited for our trip on the Kennebec River the next day. An 8000 cfs release is always a good time, no matter the weather!
Being back up there made me feel like I was 20 years old again! The adventures I had and people I met while working for Crab Apple was something I'll never forget. As we geared up I started to get a bit concerned. After all, I was only 2.5 months out of surgery . . . could I really paddle hard enough without hurting myself? Well, we were going to find out!! Cancer was NOT going to take this walk down memory lane away from me! After what was one of the scarriest rides on a rickety bus to the put-in (going so fast down a dirt road we thought we'd roll the thing, and then blowing out a tire and continuing on like nothing happened), our fun was about to begin.
The Kennebec was all that I remembered. Just like seeing an old friend after so many years, everything comes flooding back to you . . . the stunning beauty of the gorge, the power of Cathedral Eddy, the fun to be had in rapids such as Rock Garden - Three Sisters - Big Mamma - The Alleyway - and Maytag. And no, Magic Falls didn't claim our boat that day!
We had a fun day on the river and were more than ready for the lobster/clam bake that was waiting for us back at the base. I was a bit sore from the surgery, but I didn't let that slow me down on the river. Some of the guides found out about my situation and were even inspired. And come to find out . . . they have a survivor guiding for them too! It was a great trip, and I'll definately be back to take the river on again!
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