This beats the " Miracle On Ice" of 1980

I was in Half Moon Bay, CA for the FFA State convention. Back then (1980), the Olympics were not televised live. We were facing the USSR in hockey and it was at the height of the cold war. They hated us and the feeling was definitely mutual. Our amateur all star team were HUGE underdogs to the professional team assembled for the Olympics. Hell, the Ruskies had beaten an NHL all star team badly weeks before the match. Honestly, most people were hoping the Soviets didn't blow us out. A 3-1 loss would have been a psychological victory for sure.

Well, most of  you know the ending here. We beat the commies and went on to win the gold medal.(trivia-we had to beat Finland to actually win the gold medal)  It's still one of the most unlikely sports stories of all time. It shouldn't and couldn't have happened...But it did..

Fast forward to 2015. My beautifully tough wife was diagnosed with breast cancer in February. She faced an uphill battle against a brutal disease. The odds were definitely against the little gal. Sixteen rounds of chemo with some experimental poisons thrown in for extra credit. Well, I am here to say that with only one round of chemo left in the books, we are headed to Rome and Capri, Italy late tomorrow night! Christina delayed her last treatment one week (Aug 12th to be exact) to go on this trip. We won't be making this trip without help. One of our Angels, "K", has been instrumental in helping C and I through our journey. Without him, I am not sure where we would be exactly. Countless friends, co-workers and family have sent positive messages and texts to myself and Christina from day one. It continues up to today when I received a call from a friend in Utah wishing us the best. We feel your prayers and lean on your words of encouragement in tough times. Trust me..

So the next time I post, I hope to include pictures of the Amalfi Coast or the Vatican and Colosseum. Remember.....no matter the odds.....you can win. And we are blessed with every breath of air we take:)

P.S-  FFA stands for Future Farmers of America and I was running for Treasurer as a Sophomore, the first ever to do so in CA...I lost the election because of "hanging chads." And some ass-hat ruined the surprise and told us the U.S. had won. We still watched every damn second!

A love letter to C

Christina,

I have had a lot of time to think about us lately. Whether I am walking the dogs or driving to a small town in WA. to sell glue, you are always on my mind. Okay, sandwiches and you are always on my mind. I know that many people have told you that you are amazing, I don't think that you always believe them. You are amazing and wonderful and funny and beautiful. Yes, all of those things you are my love. And more. 

I have also thought about being here without you. It wouldn't be living anymore. It would be existing. Three meals and a snack, TV, go to bed, repeat...That's not living. You have been so patient with my craziness, allowing me to explore different things to make me fulfilled. I haven't found that "thing" yet. But I will. And you will be there to share it with me. I promise...

A couple things, love. We need to stop finishing each other's sentence, laughing at the same things on TV and waking up with a smile every day once the coffee takes effect. It just isn't normal, Christina! Then again, normal and Butch Paula are rarely in the same neighborhood. Or in the same country. Screw it. Let's keep doing what we have been doing since we got married: watch movies we love, read and talk about food and drinks that we want to have or have experienced on a trip (remember the paella from Majorca, Spain?). My mouth is watering right now and I am grabbing a wooden spoon so I can dig into the crust..

You are nearing the end of the first phase in our journey. As we said last night on the way home, you are "crushing it." And I am loving you more now than ever. Except when you yell at me for dirtying up the stove. I am an artist, damn it!!  

Love you tons Chrissy,

Butchie

Sundays are fun days!

Christina is doing well after her 2nd round of the A-C chemotherapy! Two more rounds until the finish line. Chemo finish line, that is. After that, surgery and recovery. We are probably looking at a September date for her surgery. We will have a better idea of how effective the chemo has been after she gets another MRI following her last session. She is kicking cancer's ass. If this were a boxing match, cancer's manager would have thrown in the towel already. MMA fight? Breast cancer is in an arm bar and tapping out..

She is still running a few times a week and the side effects aren't too bad. She is weaker and the Neulasta drug that they inject the day after chemo to build up healthy cells causes soreness and body aches. I guess I had some sympathy pains the other day. Everything hurt and it wasn't from exercising too much, believe me.

We had a fun but restful weekend. Sundays used to be a mixed bag. She was working in a position that didn't suit her well and I was growing ever more frustrated in my job. Around 1 pm, we would both start to realize that we had to go to work the next day and that the weekend was over.  Things have changed! We had a nice lunch with her parents yesterday and did a little clothes shopping for Italy. We watched one of our favorite movies of all time "Moonstruck" and chilled with the mutts. And of course, pizza was on the menu. You cannot go wrong with a slice or ten if you ask me!

I want to take her out to celebrate the completion of chemotherapy in mid August. She deserves to be celebrated. She has been so strong and courageous throughout this mess. I know she has been an inspiration to me and many others. You cannot help but feel better when you see how she has handled the situation. The first part of the journey is coming to an end soon. That is a really good thing:) Remember that you are blessed and that you are special...

Happy Independence (from chemo) Day!

Christina and I enjoyed a relaxing weekend in Tahoe for the 4th of July holiday. It was the first week she had been off chemotherapy drugs in over 3 months. She was able to exercise and catch up on her rest, which is critical. She gets another A-C treatment on Wednesday and the process starts all over again.

It's amazing to me how healthy she looks at this stage. When I heard the diagnosis in February, I feared the worst for her. She wasn't very big to begin with and I had visions of a frail and pale ghost walking around the house. It couldn't be further from the truth. She has lost weight and some muscular strength but that comes with the territory. Over the past couple days, her eye lashes have begun to fall out and it won't be long until they are gone completely. Her head is clean shaven and her eye brows have thinned, but once she puts her "costume" on for work, she looks completely normal and healthy. The transformation is fitting. Like her, it is amazing!

We assume now that most family and friend know that Christina is battling breast cancer. So when we run into someone who doesn't know, as we did on Thursday night at a party, it takes us back to the beginning. I was emailing a former colleague who went through a similar thing with his wife three years ago. He was very supportive and told me that once C is cured (and she will be), you will look back and it will be a blur. Hell, it already is! The lump, the diagnosis, the multiple visits and options are all such a blur.

Since the Italy trip looks more and more like it could happen, we have begun to watch travel shows and I am doing research on Rome. We are hoping the week off of chemo helps boost her energy for the long flight and lots of walking that will be a part of the trip. As a friend told me back in the beginning "C.O. is one tough cookie. I don't like cancer's odd in that fight. She is an overwhelming favorite in early Vegas lines." I couldn't have said it better myself.