First, fly the aircraft

Well the whirlwind that is my life has subsided to the point that I actually have a moment to commit a few thoughts to the blog.

Last Thursday, The Randy & Dave Show entertained at the United Way ‘Kickoff to the Kickoff’ event. Saturday night we also had the opportunity to perform at Car Tunes on Main in Findlay. Those things combined with the ‘joy’ of being on-call at work has left me pretty tired today (and I suppose the disease and lack of caffeine contribute to that as well). I think it’s nothing a few good naps can’t fix.

One day last week I was chatting with my friend Naubinway Jeff (http://naubinwaynook.blogspot.com) the other day and the topic of my recent diagnosis came up. He asked ‘how I was doing’ in dealing with my diagnosis. I told him (truthfully) that it truly didn’t affect my outlook on things. I likened it to what pilots are taught to hold as their primary thought in mind; “First, fly the aircraft”. The idea is simple. A pilot has ONE responsibility; keep the aircraft under control. Don’t allow distractions to take your focus off the primary objective. I live life the same way. I plan to keep on living and not allow ‘distractions’ to keep me from it.

Summer is starting to wind down here on the farm. The gardens are looking pretty tired, but the vineyard is beginning to get ready for harvest. I still have a lot of work to do in the vineyard (surgery wasn’t in my plans). Maybe I’ll schedule a “Guys Play Date” to finish everything up. I can’t tell you how lucky I am to have such a great group of guys that love to come and help (no matter how hot and dirty the work is).

Tomorrow I go for all my pre-surgical testing. That should prove to make for a very unexciting day of poking and prodding.

Check back soon (and often),

Dave and (the perpetually patient Princess) Julie

The Next Big Thing

So yesterday I posted a tweet in frustration (which also updated my Facebook status). And like grandma said “Hindsight is always 20/20.” I wish I would have timed it better. What I said was:

I hate #thatawkwardmoment when people first try to talk to you after they find out you're a cancer patient. I'm going to be FINE people!!!

The tweet was my reaction to the look of pity and awkward silence I was getting at work and it went pretty much unnoticed (as I expected). The Facebook update was a different story. I got FLAMED for not providing enough information,not telling people personally, etc. And while they may be right, I can only do so much with 140 characters. So I apologize to those who feel ‘cheated’ and I’ll do what I can to fill in all the details here.

Last Tuesday one of my myriad of physicians discovered two (yes, 2) tumors in my bladder. His first comment was “You’re damn lucky; we almost never find them this early”. I asked him in 9 out of 10 cases what “them” was. He replied “9 out of 10 times it’s bladder cancer”. By the tone of his voice I’m of the belief that 10 out of 10 times it’s cancer, but that’s not what I asked him. Very clever, those doctors. So as of that moment I know what it’s like to be a cancer patient. The doc was quick to point out that with this type of cancer I won’t need radiation or chemotherapy (unless it’s spread beyond these tumors). They’ll remove these tumors surgically and after some recovery time, I’ll be good as new. As of right now my surgery is scheduled for the morning of August 30th. I’ll be ‘laid up’ for a few weeks and on ‘light duty’ until sometime around mid-October. I’ll get re-checked every 3 months for two years and every 6 months for 3 years after that for re-growth. If they stay gone all that time, I’ll be deemed cancer-free.

Until then, I'm still me. I love to laugh and joke around. Don't be awkward (or I might make you pull my finger). Life's too short not to have fun!

I’ve decided to start updating the blog to keep everyone up to speed on what is happening (and how quickly I’m recovering).

Check back soon (and often),

Dave and (the soon to be reluctant nurse Princess) Julie