8 months down the road from losing a kidney....

therapture

Well, it's been almost exactly 8 months. From discovery to surgery, took only 8 days! I recovered fast I think, able to go to work (desk) just a week after surgery for only 3-5 hours a day, took lots of naps haha. I had a 7cm/stage II/grade III in my right kidney, discovery was precipitated by massive pissing of blood out of the blue, as the tumour tried to split my kidney in half and invaded the large renal tube in the kidney.

 

Fast forward...I started running again on May 31st, 5 months post-op, and entered myself into Ironman Texas 2014 (May 17, The Woodlands, Texas). I am up to 8 mile runs, my bike will be here on 8-17, and I start swim training this month! What a journey this is going to be.

 

My new life continues, living is more important than ever. I will not let cancer decide what I can or cannot do. I won't wait to grab life by the horns anymore. This is MY life, and I decided to be the best I can be, in everything I do.

 

When I cross that finish line and become an Ironman, I will dedicate it to my family, to those with cancer that could not run the race of a lifetime, and to ME. I want my children to never say "I can't". I want to prove to them "I can", and that THEY CAN TOO, in whatever they decide to do.

fluffylove

Hi therapture.

Best possible attitude to have and good luck with your running sounds like a goal for next year. Sounds like things have happened very quickly for you similar to myself, like a void in time a pause weird isn't it. Maybe for myself I am in denial anything has happened at all?

Since this all happened to me in Feb I keep thinking things will change, my job maybe, maybe walk great wall of china or save someones life??? I do intend to be the best I can be and not put off things I want to do...that is once I decide what that is of course.

Things are different I feel I need to be more me, more organic and true to self than ever before...scary stuff this cancer thing..

My hope is I will be able to adopt an attitude like yours in being the best I can be. I found your post very inspiring thank you.

therapture

fluffylove said:

Hi therapture.

Best possible attitude to have and good luck with your running sounds like a goal for next year. Sounds like things have happened very quickly for you similar to myself, like a void in time a pause weird isn't it. Maybe for myself I am in denial anything has happened at all?

Since this all happened to me in Feb I keep thinking things will change, my job maybe, maybe walk great wall of china or save someones life??? I do intend to be the best I can be and not put off things I want to do...that is once I decide what that is of course.

Things are different I feel I need to be more me, more organic and true to self than ever before...scary stuff this cancer thing..

My hope is I will be able to adopt an attitude like yours in being the best I can be. I found your post very inspiring thank you.

 Yes, fluffy, it happened so

 Yes, fluffy, it happened so fast it was a whirlwind of emotion, doctors, tears, and a rediscovery of where my life was headed. I could not understand what emotions I was feeling, and I flipped back and forth a lot. I was planning for the worst, but also thinking of long term. All I could think about initially was "what if" and "how" I could take care of my family if I was gone in a few years. So far, all is clear, my 1st checkup was great and I am currently NED. Only 8 months ago seems like I lost time for sure, after getting back to work full time, I just immersed myself in that and kind of ignored the disease, until my first checkup got close.

 My brother is a two time Ironman and 2x half-ironman, he inspired me to start running back in 2008. I have ran 2 full marathons and 3 halves. I had a goal in my mind to do an Ironman by the time I was 45, but after having RCC and learning to face my mortality, I decided to speed up that goal a bit, I turned 43 in June. For those that don't know, an Ironman is a 2.4 mile swim in open water, 112 miles on a bicycle, and then 26.2 miles on foot, all in the same day. I am no pro, but I have a "secret ninja goal" in my head of the time I want to finish in. To become Ironman requires me to become something greater than myself, to transcend what I thought I was capable of. All of the bad injuries I have had in life, then having RCC, have taught me how strong the human spirit is. We, as humans, are capable of so much more than we think we are, and I want to show people that. The training is hard and I will spend many hours away from my family preparing for this, but I have, and need, their support. I can't do it without them, to be able to see them on that day when I tackle something I never dreamed I could do, will give me courage and determination to show them what they too, can accomplish if they just decide to do it.

Prior to being diagnosed with RCC, I had a laundry list of injuries...

Broken left tibula and fibula, broken left ankle, right collarbone broken twice, both shoulder dislocated/seperated, 3x concussions, shattered left femur, broken left arm both bones, crushed sternum, all ribs broken at same time, punctured lung, lost a testicle at age 15 (ouch!), emergency appendectomy, and then RCC. I have several titanium parts inside me and my x-rays are cool to look at. I raced motocross for 15 years, we are tough bastards.

Life is too short to wait on. I want to live it like a highly tuned race machine, full tilt boogie, wide open, until the motor blows at the finish line. I love my life, and I look forward to making the most of what I have.

icemantoo

therapture said:

 Yes, fluffy, it happened so

 Yes, fluffy, it happened so fast it was a whirlwind of emotion, doctors, tears, and a rediscovery of where my life was headed. I could not understand what emotions I was feeling, and I flipped back and forth a lot. I was planning for the worst, but also thinking of long term. All I could think about initially was "what if" and "how" I could take care of my family if I was gone in a few years. So far, all is clear, my 1st checkup was great and I am currently NED. Only 8 months ago seems like I lost time for sure, after getting back to work full time, I just immersed myself in that and kind of ignored the disease, until my first checkup got close.

 My brother is a two time Ironman and 2x half-ironman, he inspired me to start running back in 2008. I have ran 2 full marathons and 3 halves. I had a goal in my mind to do an Ironman by the time I was 45, but after having RCC and learning to face my mortality, I decided to speed up that goal a bit, I turned 43 in June. For those that don't know, an Ironman is a 2.4 mile swim in open water, 112 miles on a bicycle, and then 26.2 miles on foot, all in the same day. I am no pro, but I have a "secret ninja goal" in my head of the time I want to finish in. To become Ironman requires me to become something greater than myself, to transcend what I thought I was capable of. All of the bad injuries I have had in life, then having RCC, have taught me how strong the human spirit is. We, as humans, are capable of so much more than we think we are, and I want to show people that. The training is hard and I will spend many hours away from my family preparing for this, but I have, and need, their support. I can't do it without them, to be able to see them on that day when I tackle something I never dreamed I could do, will give me courage and determination to show them what they too, can accomplish if they just decide to do it.

Prior to being diagnosed with RCC, I had a laundry list of injuries...

Broken left tibula and fibula, broken left ankle, right collarbone broken twice, both shoulder dislocated/seperated, 3x concussions, shattered left femur, broken left arm both bones, crushed sternum, all ribs broken at same time, punctured lung, lost a testicle at age 15 (ouch!), emergency appendectomy, and then RCC. I have several titanium parts inside me and my x-rays are cool to look at. I raced motocross for 15 years, we are tough bastards.

Life is too short to wait on. I want to live it like a highly tuned race machine, full tilt boogie, wide open, until the motor blows at the finish line. I love my life, and I look forward to making the most of what I have.

Good attitude

At 70 I an a lttle to old for the Iromnan especially with the weight I gained after my 2 children were born.

 

Icemantoo

Texas_wedge

icemantoo said:

Good attitude

At 70 I an a lttle to old for the Iromnan especially with the weight I gained after my 2 children were born.

 

Icemantoo

Good attitude

iceman, you never cease to amaze me with what you get up to - did you carry them both to full term?! 

foxhd

Texas_wedge said:

Good attitude

iceman, you never cease to amaze me with what you get up to - did you carry them both to full term?! 

impressive

Great spirit! My high performance days are behind me so I love hearing that you are going for it. Cancer does not define us. Best of luck. Train carefully.