Time...

                               

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