About The Bell
As I approach my last chemotherapy treatment, let’s talk about what’s next…
In two days, I’ll be receiving my twelfth and final chemotherapy treatment. It’s been a long road with a lot of, what could be defined as, turns, speedbumps and a flurry of emotions for myself and family. After each cycle, I’ve been experiencing a growing amount of numbness in my hands and feet. The scientific term for this is called neuropathy and it’s a known symptom of one of the prescriptions I’ve been taking called Oxaliplatin.
Life has a way of presenting its challenges on a garbage can lid (s/o The Cosby Show). Today we’ll discuss these challenges and how I’m planning on turning what may be perceived as trash into treasure.
A New Round
After over six months of not running, I’m excited to get back out there. The workout plan has been drawn up giving ample considerations to the facts that:
I’m basically starting from scratch. It’s been a long time since I did more than walk a few miles.
On top of being “out of shape”, I’ll also be sweating out a mean cocktail of chemicals from chemotherapy for at least a few weeks and I’m not sure how that will impact training.
Despite the above listed issues, my next race is on the calendar and I plan to be ready for it.
Aloha! I’m Seeing Stars
In December 2024, I’ve signed up to run the Honolulu Marathon to raise money for the Cancer Research Institute at which I plan to qualify for the Boston Marathon. This will allow me almost five months to get my body back into marathon running shape.
The Honolulu Marathon will be taking place in Waikiki on December 8th. If you were wondering, “Why Honolulu?”, you’re asking the right question. The past nine months have been taxing for my family and I. In between my twelve chemotherapy treatments, my wife has been running our business Queen Hippie Gypsy by herself. Our children have been taxed with learning too many medical terms while wondering why daddy doesn’t want to get out of bed some days. They deserve to have some time away to get a reset and to celebrate the end of this chapter with me because they’ve been my support system every step of the way. We’re excited already!
Numb To The Fact
Earlier I mentioned that I’ve been experiencing an increasing level of neuropathy. This, I’m told, is common in the later stages of the type of chemotherapy treatment that I’ve been under. My doctor and I both agreed that we’d be skipping the Oxaliplatin in my last treatment in hopes to avoid further nerve damage.
As a writer and a runner, having numb extremities for the rest of my life isn’t a very welcoming thought, but my research has found that 20% of the time, this can be a reality. Will it be a reality for me? That’s yet to be determined, but what’s meant to be, always will be.
Despite the outcome of this, the show goes on. The preparation has already begun. I’ve begun to research natural healing remedies. I’ve requested a referral from my oncologist to an acupuncturist which I’ve found can be beneficial. I’ve researched articles to discover if/how to move forward with my running career and have been pleasantly surprised at the optimism I’ve found. There are A LOT of badazzes out there powering through this adversity.
The helpful recommendations that I’ve found thus far include:
insoles & form fitting shoes
certain herbs and vitamins that encourage nerve growth and help repair damage (many of which we already sell in QHG)
strengthening exercises that support balance in the surrounding area.
Daily foot inspections
Like my amazing father always says, “If it were easy, everyone would do it!”. He’s right. Nothing about this journey is nor was supposed to be easy, but it certainly has matured me into a phase of life where I’m just thankful to be here.
Celebrating Victory
For those chasing goals out there, I encourage you to keep going despite how the terrain may change. The destination is merely a page that you haven’t written yet. Your obstacles aren’t there to demoralize you, but to strengthen you to be strong enough to hold the prize of your future victories.
I spent the whole day watching Olympic Trials events from the 100m dash to the marathon. It excited me to see so many individuals who have been training for years for that very moment, because all we ever ask for is a chance and for those blessed enough to receive it have to be ready to accept the weight that comes with it.
Thank you to everyone who has been supporting me throughout this journey. The end of chemotherapy marks the start of marathon training. The end of this marathon training will, God-willing, be the beginning of the journey to Boston, Massachusetts and I don’t plan on stopping there.
The journey is never-ending and every step is important. I will continue to be in gratitude for exactly where I am because it’s exactly where I’m supposed to be and if I see you in Hawaii, then I know that we’re both in the right place to cheers to life.
Until next time…
