A Peaceful Saturday - Part III

Visiting our old neighborhood brings back many memories and I find it curious the things I recall.  Rather than bore you with every detail, I will share some of the more interesting highlights.

Ridgeview Hills Town Homes

When we first arrived in Colorado, we lived in the Ridgeview Hills Town Homes on Hindsdale Place.  I believe we stayed in the town homes for about 6 months during the construction of our home on Fairfax Court.  The town home was the site at which I convinced my brother Steve to say a naughty word and later threatened to tell my parents that he said it.  His logic and reasoning somehow was underdeveloped at the time (he was 4 years old) as he was unable to figure out that I had said the forbidden word several times in the process of coaxing it out of him.  I am pleased to say that this trickery no longer works with Steve.  I am also pleased to say that my sense of right and wrong has developed significantly since then and I no longer tempt children into saying what ought not be said.

Lewis Ames Elementary

The town homes were also home base for my first experiences at Lewis Ames Elementary.  I don't know how I managed it, but I was an outsider from the beginning.  Perhaps it was the fact that I lived in Illinois the year before and relationships were formed during kindergarten.  Perhaps it was the difference in preparation I received; I could tell immediately that the other kids were accustomed to the environment and beyond me academically.  You may wonder why I came to that conclusion.  Well, there are two crucial pieces of evidence.  My first report card was covered with the letter "N" which indicated either Not Satisfactory or perhaps Needs Improvement.  Second, after receiving these stellar marks, I was given a small notebook that I toted to and from school every day.  In that notebook, my first grade teacher (Ms. Gough) recorded how I had behaved.  Poor Ms. Gough, I must have been a handful.  I wonder if she ever thought that I would go on to receive two bachelors degrees, a masters degree, and be a patent holder for a software invention.


Here is an excerpt from the notebook I took to and from school each day.

"Mike was good today.  He is excited because he thinks his bike restriction will be lifted.  I hope so because it is so pretty."   Ms. Gough, 5-21-71

Please note, the above excerpt is by no means representative of the contents of said notebook.  Adjectives such as fussy, excited, talkative, upset, active, and silly were much more common than the term good.


Here is a much more typical excerpt from my first grade notebook.

"Mike was quite active today.  He needed calming down on numerous occasions.  He got into fussing with several near him and had to be sent to his seat ..."  Ms. Gough, 5-24-71

Despite the best efforts of my teachers, I did pick up one habit that I just recently  conquered -- nail biting.  I tried very hard to funnel my energy into my school work and behave.  I tried not to be disruptive but my energy had to go somewhere.  Well, guess where it went?  It went to gnawing on my finger nails relentlessly.  How did I overcome this nasty habit at the age of forty-six?  Well, I figured out that the best way for me to get an infection (something I am now prone to), was to incessantly chew my nails.  Problem solved.  Illness can stop a smoker from smoking and a biter from biting.

[Leave a comment and tell me your thoughts]

An Unexpected Visit

Like Hugging a Man of Steel!

Friday night I was prepared to spend alone.  Jordan had a church retreat, Katie was spending the weekend with cousins and Lisa provided transportation.  Earlier in the day I said goodbye to my sister Shiela and her husband Mark.  Mark was in town to deliver a presentation at the Colorado School of Mines and Shiela took advantage of the opportunity to visit.  We had such a great visit and it was hard to see them go.


Once the house was empty, I heated up some left overs and sat down on my favorite chair in front of the TV.  It must have been a long day because it didn't take long and I was asleep.  After a quick cat nap I sat around watching TV and looking forward to Lisa's return.  Around 7:00 PM the doorbell rang and I answered.  Standing on my front porch were three people; two I knew well, and one I knew from reputation alone.  The two I knew well were my good friends Cameron and Tracy Bodner.  The other visitor was James "Flex" Lewis, one of the top bodybuilders in the world.


I invited them in and Flex gave me a big hug.  We immediately began discussing my disease and how it has affected me.  We also discussed the dream that I would one day be healthy and able to compete one last time.  You might be wondering why I would ever push my body to the extremes that bodybuilding requires.  I will, but only with the blessings of my doctors and for a very specific purpose  -- I would love to show other people suffering from Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS) and Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML), that there is hope of recovery and potential for a very healthy future.

Believe to Achieve!

Flex listened and then said with a big smile, "Believe and achieve!"  We talked about many things, snapped several pictures, and Flex gave me signed copies of a photo and DVD (which I watched that night).

A Special Friday Night

When they finally had to go, I felt honored and encouraged.  I also had seen how a young man can be so far beyond his years in terms of maturity and compassion.  Finally, I was so thankful for the love and kindness Cameron and Tracy showed.  To even think of the idea to arrange the meeting, was simply wonderful.  I will remember the day for as long as I live.  It's not so much meeting a celebrity like a professional bodybuilder, as seeing the love and kindness poured out by three very special people.

Matthew 25:40

Close Encounters of the Dog Kind

I'll be taking a brief interlude from my series of posts about my Saturday trip to my old neighborhood. Today I want to talk about an encounter I had with a couple dogs on my daily walk.

Since my MDS diagnosis, my primary form of exercise is walking. I have several routes of varying distances to choose from. I choose my route based on time constraints, weather, and how I feel. Given the right circumstances I will walk 4-5 miles per day.

Yesterday I took my favorite route. I walk from my house to the Trails Recreation Center and back. Along the way I encounter many barking dogs. Normally the dogs are behind fences and no threat to me. However, when I was about 1/2 mile from my house, I came across two dogs that were loose along my path.

The first dog was small, timid, and no apparent threat to me. It peeked its head over a hill, barked at me, but kept its distance. It turns out that dog had a friend -- a far bigger and more aggressive friend. That dog came over the hill and immediately began trotting toward me. You may be thinking, 'the dog probably was just curious or wanting attention.' That may be true but consider my circumstances. I have a blood disease that has drastically lowered my platelet count. That means that if I am bitten and start to bleed, it can be difficult to stop the bleeding. In addition, I have lowered red blood cell counts. That means that my body is inefficient at transporting oxygen. Whenever, I do anything even moderately physical, I immediately go into oxygen deficit. So, if the dog was aggressive, I would only be capable of defending myself for a short time. Finally, my disease lowers my white blood cell counts. If I am bitten, the likelihood of infection is far higher. So, when I saw this dog moving rapidly toward me I felt the adrenaline surge and I immediately had to take some sort of action.

At the time I noticed the larger dog, it was probably 30-40 feet from me. I was walking along Orchard Road and there was a fair amount of traffic. I needed to create a reason for the dog to lose interest in me. I saw that the oncoming traffic was fairly close, but not so close that I couldn't dash to the median half way across the street. I knew that running from a dog wasn't the best way to deter an attack and might even encourage it, but I felt that there was another deterrent that might help -- the oncoming traffic. I dashed across the street to the median and looked back to see what the dog was doing. Thankfully, the dog had stopped right at the edge of the road and was indeed flustered by cars that slowed to a stop a few feet from where the dog was standing. Without delay, I checked the westbound traffic to see if it was safe to continue from the median to the other side of the street. I let a few cars pass and then continued on my way.

The two cars that had stopped were apparently concerned about the dogs. They parked, got out of their cars and tried to handle the situation. I'm not exactly sure what they did, I simply continued on my way, wondering what I might do if this happened again.

I spoke to my sister about the incident and she recommended two things; pepper pray and a 5-iron. So far I am equipped with pepper spray but I am most definitely considering something similar to a 5-iron as well.

If you have dogs, please don't let them run loose. There are kids, people like me, and others that really would rather not have a nasty encounter with a dog. I can tell you right now, if a dog shows anything I can construe as aggression, it's going to get ugly (and I dearly love dogs).

A Peaceful Saturday - Part II

Medema Park

Having had a good lunch I felt energized and ready to go. As I fired up the Explorer and pulled out of our driveway, I was cognizant of the fact that I had hardly driven in 3 months. With that in mind I told myself, 'drive carefully.' As I was leaving my neighborhood I couldn't help but take in the beautiful fall day. The sky was cloudless and an intense blue, and the trees were displaying amazing fall colors like proud peacocks. I took a deep breath, my soul whispered 'thank you' and I continued on my way.

My drive takes me west on Orchard Road, south on Parker, and then west again on Arapahoe. As I drive westward the Rockies are in fully view and standing out majestically against the cloudless Colorado sky. As I pass I-25 and Arapahoe I miss my friends at work. I have spent the last decade working with a group of people who have been like brothers and sisters to me. In fact, I have spent more time with them then just about anyone else. Like brothers and sisters we have had our disagreements, been angry with one another, celebrated great successes, commiserated failures, laughed incessantly, supported one another, played together, prayed together, and just about any other thing you can imagine. From the time I knew I had a serious health problem, my friends at work have been there.

Our Favorite Winter Sledding Spot

As I continue down Arapahoe Road, memories flood my mind; some of them good, some not so good. Before long I approach Holy Street and turn south toward Dry Creek Road. When I was a young man, this area was either part of a farmer's wheat field or undeveloped land. During the summer we played in the fields or traversed them to go to King Soopers, Skaggs, or other shops and restaurants. During the winter there was an unfinished reservoir that served as the perfect place to go sledding.

I turned right on Dry Creek Road and immediately saw Tony's Meats. Tony's has been in that location for many years. During my senior year of high school, I actually worked there. My job involved washing dishes, cleaning floors, cleaning the walk-in cooler, making sausage, making ground beef, and helping with deliveries. It was a physical job that didn't pay much; nonetheless, it was an opportunity to learn about hard work. Tony and the gang knew how to work hard and how to run a successful business.

I turned on Eudora Street and there in front of me was Medema Park, a site of many memories. I can't count the number of times I visited that park. We played baseball, basketball, and football there constantly. I recall one day playing basketball at the park. I was there with my brother Steve and my father. One of the girls who lived near the park, April Heinrichs, joined us. If you have paid attention to the sports world, you probably know that April became a world class soccer player, having played and coached the US Women's soccer team. Well, she was a great athlete as a kid too. In fact, she was so athletic and tough, that I made darn sure not to get on her bad side -- the outcome would have been ugly.

Our Home on Fairfax Court 

At the intersection of Eudora and Hinsdale I looked left and right. Not far to my right was the location of the first house we owned in Colorado. To the left was the apartment complex we lived in and further still our third home in the same neighborhood. About a mile or so from my current location is our second house on Dexter Street; the place of most of my childhood memories. I decided to turn right and head to Fairfax court. To this day I remember each of the families who lived on Fairfax court. Among the families were the Beckers, the Blishs, the Floyds, the McClouds, the Stankos (a kind older couple), and the Chaneys. 

[to be continued]

A Peaceful Saturday - Part I

A Sample of Colorado Fall Colors

Yesterday was an unusual day. Over the weekend, the University of Northern Colorado hosts a special weekend for family and friends. Jordan is in his freshmen year so we wanted to be there to enjoy the campus and time with him. There was one catch though -- I am neutropenic.

According to Wikipedia, neutropenia is a "hematological disorder characterized by an abnormally low number of neutrophils, the most important type of white blood cells in the blood. Neutrophils usually make up 50-70% of circulating white blood cells and serve as the primary defense against infections by destroying bacteria in the blood. Hence, patients with neutropenia are more susceptible to bacterial infections and, without prompt medical attention, the condition may become life-threatening."

Given this condition, I have to be very careful what I am exposed to. Among other things, I have to avoid contact with children or people who are sick. Unfortunately, public places like college campuses, do not allow me to control my environment. At the Family and Friends weekend at UNC, there are large numbers of people and the risk for me would be high. So my choice was clear; stay home and let Katie and Lisa join Jordan in Greeley.

That meant that I had an entire day to myself and not a great deal to do. I decided to make the best of it. After breakfast, I took a long walk. Walking is now my primary form of exercise. Since leaving the hospital, I have gradually increased the distance I walk each day. Yesterday, my morning walk was four miles long. I walked from my home to the Trails Recreation Center and back. The weather was absolutely beautiful and I enjoyed every moment in the sun and cool air.

Neighborhood Trees

As my walk ended, I crested a hill and approached my house. Outside I saw my neighbors Andy and Tom busy doing yard work. Andy's yard was freshly mowed and trimmed. I looked at my yard and noticed it was also freshly mowed and trimmed. I knew immediately what had happened -- Andy had mowed my yard. I thanked Andy for his kindness and Tom crossed the street to join us. A couple weeks earlier, Tom had volunteered to blow out my sprinklers when he did his. By doing this, he would save me $60. Tom let me know that he planned on doing that on Sunday. After many thank yous, I left my good friends and entered the house. I can't tell you how blessed I felt. My neighbors consistently practice something that Jesus called his followers to; love your neighbor as yourself.


My walk had really sapped my strength so I needed to eat. I heated up some leftovers pasta and chicken, and sipped Gatorade. During my walk I contemplated what I might do next. I decided to take a drive back to my old stomping grounds and reflect on my early years.

The drive from my house to my old neighborhood takes about 15-20 minutes. I currently live in the southern most part of Aurora and grew up in eastern Littleton. Getting out of the house and having some freedom felt good. On most days I spend the majority of my time in the house. My great escapes include trips to the doctor's office and daily walks. Not exactly an exciting existence.

[ to be continued ]

Good News

In the Midst of Trials There is Good News

During the last 2 1/2 weeks much has happened. I have most certainly undergone some trials, but also there has been some very good news.

1) I found out that I not only had one perfect match but two! Of those two, the chosen donor matches me on 10 of of 10 critical criteria (HLA antigens), has the same blood type (B- which is rare) and is CMV- like me. I couldn't ask for a better match. God is good!

2) My dates for preparation and the transplant have been set! That is terrific news. My BMT Coordinator has confirmed the dates. God is good!

3) I have undergone many tests and they all came out positive. They have checked my heart, brain, lungs, and abdominal organs. Everything looks good! God is good!

4) I had to spend some time in the hospital and during that time I learned a great deal about how to manage myself. I have to eat. I have to get up and exercise. I have to work closely with the doctors and nurses. I have to make every effort to get sleep. I need to keep a positive attitude. My hospital stay was like a pre-transplant bootcamp. God is good!

5) I was struggling with a persistent fever and one night I felt convicted that I needed to pray with Lisa and ask specifically for healing. I also asked my father to pray for the same things. That night I saw the last of my fever and it hasn't returned since. God is good!

6) Well before I knew about my illness, I had been crying out to God for change in my life. I wanted to be transformed, know him better, and see his work -- these things are all happening. I feel like God has taken my illness and used it to not only transform me but many people around me. God is good!

There are so many circumstances that have come together in wonderful ways. There are so many people who have been there for me and my family. My greatest challenge is to see the amazing things God is doing, believe that He is going to get me through this, and praise Him so everyone can hear and see.

So, today you hear and see. All of the prayers that have been lifted up on my behalf have been heard. God is clearly at work.

I would like all of you to continue to pray. Pray that I would remain healthy and that the transplant process and the recovery afterwards will go well.