Time, it is the measure used to determine how successful or
sometimes unsuccessful a race has been. For John, he is all about his time…calculating
how fast his splits were per kilometer was extremely important to him and gave
him a goal to work toward. John often
wore a wristband during training runs that had specific time intervals written
down so that come race day, each kilometer was meticulously mapped out. To John
every second in his race mattered and he wanted to make sure he was doing
everything possible to keep himself on track. This gave him a focus and the determination
to stick with a plan and finish each race in the time he had expected himself to.
But as we know, sometimes no matter how prepared and diligent you try to be,
you cannot plan or prepare for the unexpected.
A few weeks ago, when more scans and tests results came back
we learned the unfortunate news that John’s cancer had not only metastasized into
his pelvis, but also into other areas in his bones. The scans also showed that there were small
spots in his liver and in his lungs; to what degree, however, still remains
uncertain. In this unpredictable race that John is running, time is something
that he is not able to predict. The pace with which the cancer grows and the
hope that we have that his treatment will slow it all down has yet to be
determined. We want time to be more on
our side then it actually appears to be at this stage in the course but the game
plan continues to stay the same…the fight is still on and the will to keep on
putting one foot in front of the other remains steadfast. John has already
received 5 rounds of radiation to his pelvis and in the coming weeks he will
likely receive a few more bouts to other spots that have been causing him
pain. He has had a port inserted below his left collarbone, just under the muscle, so that his chemotherapy can be
administered intravenously at home and without the need for him to be continuously poked with needles. Unfortunately
as of late John was extremely sick from toxic calcium levels in his bloodstream due to bone breakdown from the cancer. He spent 2 weeks in the hospital getting medication to combat
this problem and with the help of his Doctors, John also spent this time figuring out the right dose of pain medication to
alleviate his discomfort.
Now that John is finally home he will spend the next
several weeks going back and forth to the hospital to receive chemotherapy
treatments. He has a great team of
Doctors behind him and we are very thankful for their support and expertise in
helping John to navigate this leg of the race.
The time that is left in John’s most challenging Marathon continues to
remain an arbitrary number but we will continue to enjoy the journey, make every second count, and keep all hope alive!
John's First 10 km race @UBC - 2007
