Summer Reflections

Hello fellow Semi-Colons,

I thought I would share what a joyous summer I had. A bit of background first: was diagnosed in 2007 with colon cancer stage 3, had surgery and chemo. This was the second battle with cancer, the first being with Hodgkins 20 years ago. Currently NED.

I just wanted to stress to others going through this journey that life can still be beautiful and to enjoy those experiences to the fullest.

My wife and I went to Europe this summer. This was a much promised visit that was rudely interrupted by my cancer treatment a couple years ago. The first stop was in Italy where we visited Rome, Florence, Venice and an absolutely charming area called Cinque Terra. This country was incredible with it's ancient ruins, awe inspiring churches and art and idyllic countryside. From there we went to Paris for a couple of days where we strolled along the streets of Montmartre, visited Notre Dame, the Louvre and finally to the top of the Eiffel tower. I was struck by visiting all of these cities by the immensity of some of the things I saw. The Trevi fountain in Rome for example, is HUGE! I had seen pictures of course but none does it justice. From Paris we went to Ireland for 8 days and managed to drive through the countryside on what we call the wrong side of the road without killing ourselves or anyone else. There is a reason the call it the emerald isle- so green and lush with rolling hills and mountains that make you feel like you are in paradise. Not once did I think about cancer or possible recurrences.

The next event was my son's wedding which took place in a small town in the US called Genesseo. Beautiful!! We are from Canada and I must say Americans have to be the friendliest people on the planet. I find this every time I visit. My son and wife went to Hawaii for their honeymoon and they are back in Canada where my daughter in law works as a research librarian for the provincial government and my son has just started career as a music teacher. Very proud!

Later in the month we visited Stratford Canada which has a famous theatre festival every year. They have a mix of Shakespeare, Classic Drama and Broadway plays. We saw an amazing production of West Side Story. It is still playing so if you are close by, go see this, it is one of my best theatre experiences ever. It transported me to another place where the worries of the day disappeared. If you are up to it, I highly recommend going to see live entertainment of any sort whenever you can. You will feel better for it.

And lastly, I have watched my daughter become a fabulous singer songwriter who is starting to get a lot of notice up here. Her most recent gig was at the Toronto International Film Festival where she was in a private showcase to music buyers for the movie industry. She had an opportunity to meet the Oscar winning songwriters for the movie Once! Again, a proud papa!

So where am I going with all of this. Well, I just want to say there is light in the darkness sometimes and to grab hold of it when it shines. I know I get down in the dumps sometimes and still experience the anxiety that is associated with follow up tests (which I am supposed to get the results of next week) but after experiencing the last few months I am at peace and have found strength in that. I wish this for each and every one of you and I thank you for your support over the last two years.

Cheers,
Lance