As the title says this blog is one man’s effort to make sense out of his journey fighting melanoma. I have enjoyed reading some of my fellow melanoma warriors’ blogs and thought it might be an interesting way to share what this journey has been like for me. If you find this interesting great, if not that’s great also. Selfishly this is more about me getting this out and moving on from being a cancer patient to being a cancer survivor.

Let’s clear up a few things. Yes, I know how to use spell check and no I don’t always use it. I majored in accounting, not english. I have always been a below average writer, which is why I find the therapeutic value of doing this surprising. I think for this blog to make any sense you pretty much have to go to the archive and start from the beginning which is titled “Life Is Good”

I am not a doctor or medial professional of any type. My blog is not endorsed by any medical professional or facility mentioned in it. Every decision I have made about my care was done after careful consultation with my medical team. Decisions I have made were right for me but should not in any instance be considered right for anybody else. I don't recommend taking medical advice from an accountant.


Key West

Key West
Sunset

Sunday, December 9, 2012

Changes


As if my life wasn’t crazy enough I am relocating to Vancouver, WA in January of 2013.   It’s hard to imagine moving across the country and I will miss my daughter and granddaughter more than I care to think about.   I am also terrified at the thought of continuing my journey with cancer without my trusted medical team.   I had a real eye opener this week when I was looking for an apartment to rent while waiting for my house to sell.  I toured 6 different apartment complexes around Vancouver.  Each and every one of them had free, unsupervised and unlimited access to tanning beds.   It’s been 30 years since I have lived in an apartment so I am wondering if this is normal for apartments?  Is this something unique to the NW of the country due to the number of cloudy days?   Not sure but it was stunning to see.  I am here for a few more days before heading back to Kansas City for the holidays.   My next trip out here I won’t be leaving.   It is still hard to imagine.   I have done some exploring around Portland and plan to do a lot more.   I think I will like Portland.  I drove out to see the ocean today but I am not sure why.  I walked on the beach some but it was cold and rainy.   It was nice to hear the sound of the surf again.  I have always found the sound of the surf very relaxing.   I also was excited to see that there is an AIM event in Portland in May.  Hopefully I can get involved.  Crazy times.
Paul



Posted by at

3 comments:

  1. UnknownDecember 10, 2012 at 2:03 AM

    Wow, I just started following your blog yesterday. Like a good warrior I followed the instructions and started from the beginning. Now I finish and see that you are in my area. What a coincidence. I suppose you know Mark Williams from BAMW's. He is from the Portland area too. Luckily you will have good choices in melanoma specialists including Dr Curti at Providence. If you have time you should hit me up. I'm off work right now recovering from my lymph node dissection.. I'm 3A and start Interferon in Jan.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Rich McDonaldDecember 15, 2012 at 7:02 AM

    Trust me, you'll get used to walking and running in the rain. Gortex is your friend! Take care.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Katie WilkesDecember 31, 2012 at 12:54 AM

    Yes! Paul, I'm organizing the PDX walk this year! Please email me (katie.wilkes@gmail.com) if you'd like to get involved. We'd love to have you. Welcome to the Northwest! ;)

    ReplyDelete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)