We still have the car from Enterprise. Yesterday, Donna took advantage of the car and did some shopping. She went to a flea market and to a resale boutique and bought some gifts for herself and others.
I took a short nap while she was out. Our highlight of the day came around 4:30pm when we met Andy and Donna King at the Osaka Japanese Steakhouse for sushi. We had beer from the big three Japanese breweries – Asahi, Kirin and Sapporo. We ordered an excessive amount of sushi maki and nigiri which we enjoyed with conversation over a two-hour period.
It was around 7pm by the time we said our goodbyes in the parking lot. Andy and Donna put the top down on their Miata to enjoy a warm evening drive home to Gold Canyon.
Last night, we watched two episodes of Breaking Bad, season five. I’m wondering how it’s going to end, but at the same time I don’t want it to end.
My last three posts detailed a troubling time in my life. I’ll spare you from reading further detail. I started writing about it for two reasons. First, I felt a need to explain why I have dental issues caused by head and neck radiation. Second, and more importantly, I wanted to illustrate why you should never take your health for granted. There are no guarantees. If you have a dream, follow that dream. Don’t put it off. Plan for tomorrow, but live for today.
This is one of the reasons I took an early retirement and why Donna and I are living this lifestyle. We want to experience life on the road while were still young enough and healthy enough to do it without too many physical restrictions.
I’ll close out the cancer story. The surgeon removed a 2.5 centimeter tumor from the right side of my throat. The neck dissection removed my SCM with 26 lymph nodes, 22 of them were cancerous. I had stage IV cancer. Once the incisions healed, I continued treatment with head and neck radiation, including the upper apices of my lungs and chemotherapy. After five months, I returned to work.
Eventually things got back on track. By the end of the summer of 2002, I was working out and trying to regain my strength along with the 22 pounds I’d lost. I had ongoing follow-up CAT scans and exams for the next five years and then I was pronounced cancer-free.
Today, we have a lunch date with friends from Michigan who are here for a week to spend time with their children and grandchildren . We’ll meet Diane and Tom Rowe at Joe’s B-B-Q in Old Town Gilbert for lunch. Donna met Diane and Tom through her Send Out Cards business. We met them for drinks and dinner a couple of times in Rochester, Michigan and enjoyed their company. Serendipity brings us to the same area at the same time to meet once again.
Wow, I have been holding my breath while your story about your health unfolded. It was a close call. I wish you all the best and respect that you dare to travel so much. We have a little boy, born with Down’s syndrome and a birthdefect in his heart . His heart has been operated on, but we still have regular checkups in hospital and the usual healthscares that come with his condition. For this reason we would not like to move from this home, where we are so close to healthcare he might need. Holiday travels, we did before we had him, also are less, but I hope that will be possible in the future again. For now, we travel with Donna and you through the USA reading your blog.
Thanks Sandra and best wishes for your son. I hope I can post a more interesting blog soon. I’ll continue to update from the Apache Wells RV Resort. We’ll be on the road again in April with new places and experiences to share.