I hope all is well with everyone and that you actually believe spring is around the corner.
I am doing okay. I have a new chemo treatment regimen, 3 weeks on and 1 week off. Tomorrow I have chemo in the morning which will be my second treatment of 3 for my first cycle.
I am looking forward to going to Florida May 10th to 17th It will be my week off in May. Unfortunately I will miss attending the ORCF breakfast. I participated in a video for the ORCF which turned out great.
The ORCF breakfast is on Thursday May 15, 7:30-8:45am at the formerly Hampton Inn on Coventry Road.
I have learnt a lot during my challenge about life and what is important in the big scheme of life.
I have realized the importance of simple short phrases, specifically " Thank you" and " I am sorry".
I was okay in responding with " Thank you" but really not at all good at responding " I am sorry". it seems usually " I am sorry" follows when one does not realize to say "thank you" when some one is just trying to help and you react too quickly in a negative way.
Well I am trying real hard to change to be more understanding of the importance of saying "Thank you" and " I am sorry".
Thank you to Liz and our kids for all that you do for me and for your love and understanding especially when I might appear to be an asshole.
Thank you to Liz for showing to me that Kid's Wipes are so much more softer and refreshing than regular toilet paper.
Thank you to all of my doctors, nurses and programs who are so caring and understanding when one does battle with cancer. It is so helpful in maintaining a positive attitude.
Thank you to all of you for being on my Championship team. The responses I get maybe 70-80 after each update are so inspiring to me. It gives mean added strength that I am so thankful for.
Thank you to the She-Devil for helping me get back to exercising.
Thank you to the institutions for coming to me for advice. I enjoy helping others and you give me the opportunity to do what i enjoy best.
Thank you to God for taking care of me so I do not have to worry about my fate.
I am sorry to Liz and the kids for being an asshole sometimes. Your understanding is so appreciative.
I am sorry to you for not providing timely updates. Your concerns are so appreciated.
I am sorry that I can not fulfill all of my volunteer commitments as I love so much helping others.
I am sorry that i have not been able to see most of you as with my chemo I am not appearing in public due to as Liz describes it as a germ environment.
I am sorry to the She-Devil for the abuse I caused, now understanding the importance of exercising.
I am sorry for being short with people but I really do not want to sweat the small stuff.
So I am doing okay and learning about life every day.
My loving wife, Liz has been unbelievable. Liz does everything for me. Realizing I am not such a nice person all the time. Liz still does what it takes to make me happy. I love her so much.
Our kids have been great. They fully understand my situation and are doing whatever it takes to help Liz and I. Also each one is working on a path for their future. I am so proud of their maturity. I love them so much.
I am happy that Liz and I are celebrating our 32nd wedding anniversary on March 14th.
I am happy that the Raiders start their playoffs tonight. They have a good chance to win their first round but the second round will be tough. Go Raiders Go!
I am happy to have receive the Prime Minister's Volunteer Award on February 27th.
I am happy to receive the Ontario Gold Medal for Citizenship tentatively scheduled for April 12th. I missed the ceremony in Toronto in the fall due to my chemo schedule.
I am happy to go to Florida on March 15th for a week to enjoy the sun and the warm weather.
I am happy that I am enjoying exercising with the She-Devil. Possibly I will upgrade her status. I look forward to not being a 140 pound weakling.
I am happy that my chemo regimen has changed. Rather than taking 3 drugs for 52 hours, I will take 2 drugs for 3 hours. The treatments will be either 2 or 3 weeks on and then 1 week off. My oncologist will confirm. Also I will not be taking nulasta which was for my white blood cell count but it made me very tired.
I am happy to have accepted being the Honourary Chair for the upcoming campaign for the QCH. I will be working with my very good friend Ron Prehogan and a remarkable support staff.
I am happy to have accepted to be a Champion of Local Cancer Care with the ORCF, what a great organization that is providing such wonderful programs to help people do battle with cancer.
I am happy to have chaired a Telus Ottawa Community Board meeting on March 6th after being away for a year I am proud to be the Chair as Telus does so much wonderful work within our community. Telus certainly gives back, where it works.
I am happy to be giving fundraising advice to the QCH,ORCF, Carleton University and the Jewish Federation of Ottawa. I have had so many experiences in fundraising that I feel obligated to pass on what I know to others.
I am happy because I truly enjoy my work. Creating new real estate projects is a meaningful team experience.
I am happy because I am enjoying life more than I have ever before.
I am happy I am in God's hands so I do not have to worry about my battle with cancer.
I am happy that I have such a great Championship team behind me.
It is clear I am happy, I am exercising to be healthier and I am truly cherishing what I have.
I hope everyone is striving similarly for being healthy, for being happy and cherishing what they have. It is a meaningful and wonderful state of mind.
A bit of a lunch bag let down now that the NFL season and the Olympics are over. We are back to cheering on the Senators to hopefully make the playoffs.
I had a very good and meaningful week.
I had a catscan on Monday and Chemo on Tuesday. All went well.
I will meet my oncologist tomorrow to review my catscan and the next course of action. If more Chemo is needed, I am okay with that. I am doing well dealing with the chemo treatments with minimal side effects.
The highlight of the week for me was receiving on Thursday the Prime Minister's Volunteer Award (PMVA) in Toronto.
It was very meaningful to me but also a very humbling experience.
There were 17 awards given out, 2 nationally and 15 regionally. There were 5 regions and three different awards for each region.
I received the Community Leader Award for Ontario. Liz and our daughter Tori attended with me.
The experience was humbling hearing the stories of the other award winners. It was amazing to hear what other volunteers are doing to make our country a better place to live in.
I was able to speak with Prime Minister Harper twice.
The first time was when I received the award.
Our son Michael wanted me to ask the PM if he got his two cases of beer from President Obama as Canada won both the Men's and Women's Olympic Hockey gold medals. He responded not yet but he is confident that Obama will come through.
The second time I spoke with the PM was when there was a group photo of the award recipients. I complimented him on how he is making his decisions, doing what is right and not what is politically correct. I also complimented him on how his trip to Israel went and mentioned that my Mother was on the trip. I also mentioned how wonderful it was to work with his wife Laureen as Honourary Chair on the NAC gala for 4 years. She was an active participant on the committee, not just an Honourary Chair.
I am truly honoured to have received the PMVA and am very thankful to Telus for nominating me. It is so greatly appreciated.
Receiving the award makes me want to do more to help our wonderful community of Ottawa.
Volunteerism is so important to our community.
I have been involved as a volunteer with hospitals, universities, United Way, NAC and local and Jewish agencies and there is so much that needs to be done.
Ottawa is becoming a center of excellence in so many ways. Our hospitals are providing remarkable care utilizing cutting edge methods. My involvement with CHEO, TOH, QCH, The Royal Ottawa Hospital for Mental Care, the Ottawa Heart Institute and the ORCF gives me great confidence that we have the leadership to continue improving the medical treatments we receive in Ottawa.
Our local universities are improving immensely and are becoming world renowned. I sit on the Board of Governors of Carleton University and I am truly impressed with the leadership that Roseann Runte has brought to not just Carleton University but to the City of Ottawa.
I have been involved with United Way and have realized the many social problems that need to be addressed within our community. Unfortunately our City of Ottawa can not address all of the concerns.
The Federal, Provincial and Municipal agencies can not satisfy the many outstanding needs of our community.
Therefore we need to step up to the plate and be active volunteers to continue to improve the quality of life in Ottawa and assist the many causes within our community.
For me, I enjoy helping others. I enjoy meeting nice people who want to help others. It is a great feeling. I enjoy knowing that improving our community will attract quality people that will further improve the quality of life in Ottawa.
Volunteerism is so important as it is what makes our country a great place to live in. Hopefully more people will volunteer their time.
