Have you had a life altering experience?

[Boingo]

Are you interested in incredible fame and fabulous fortune? Yeah, me too. Better go to the next post and let me know if you find any, 'cus I can tell you, it ain't going to be here.

But, if you have had an life altering experience (LAE) that changed the way you live your life, we need to talk. What do I consider a LAE? Examples: Moon walk, UFO/Yeti/Elvis sighting, paying $3 for a hotel can of Pepsi. Okay, seriously, what I am looking for could be anything, it would really depend on you. Picking up a dropped pen off the floor is a ho-hum, but it can leave a lasting impact for someone/somewhere.

Why am I doing this? July 2007 (right before the WI rally) I was diagnosed with terminal colon cancer (stage IV). The cancer had spread to my liver, where I had an "uncountable" number of tumors. I was given at most 10 months to live. Well, they were wrong, and I am sitting here with no evidence of disease (full remission), thanks to my family, doctors, chemotherapy, and the new wonderdrug Avastin . Needless, this LAE changed my life and the I view and live it. I started doing things I always wanted to do, and a ride from California to Newfoundland was one of them. I also wanted to write a book, so I thought I would roll the trip, book and cancer together. And yes, I am desperately trying to off the trip off as a business expense.... I will be hitting the MOA rally on the way back and thought this would be an interesting group to interview.

Okay Scott, I am interested, I will be at the rally, and I want to be interviewed. What is involved? Well, get a hold me by either posting, pm'ing, or emailing (scottwynter(at)yahoo.com). If you can leave a cell phone number, that will be huge help. Saying something something like "I usually hang out at the beer tent. I am the Caucasian 50 yo guy with jeans and a black BMW motorcycle t-shirt. You can't miss me!" is not so much help. We will get together some place where it is not too loud, I'll fire up my mic and ask you a series of questions. Responses like "No ****, there I was..." are awesome. "Yes", "No" and "Why are you asking me that" are not that great. We talk, I get some intel from you, and that is that. This could take anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour. Will my interview make the book? That all depends on your competition. I hope to interview people all over the US and Canada.

Well, that is that. Thanks for reading, and looking forward to meeting you at the rally.

Scott

 

[rob nye]

Are you interested in incredible fame and fabulous fortune? Yeah, me too. Better go to the next post and let me know if you find any, 'cus I can tell you, it ain't going to be here.

But, if you have had an life altering experience (LAE) that changed the way you live your life, we need to talk. What do I consider a LAE? Examples: Moon walk, UFO/Yeti/Elvis sighting, paying $3 for a hotel can of Pepsi. Okay, seriously, what I am looking for could be anything, it would really depend on you. Picking up a dropped pen off the floor is a ho-hum, but it can leave a lasting impact for someone/somewhere.

Why am I doing this? July 2007 (right before the WI rally) I was diagnosed with terminal colon cancer (stage IV). The cancer had spread to my liver, where I had an "uncountable" number of tumors. I was given at most 10 months to live. Well, they were wrong, and I am sitting here with no evidence of disease (full remission), thanks to my family, doctors, chemotherapy, and the new wonderdrug Avastin . Needless, this LAE changed my life and the I view and live it. I started doing things I always wanted to do, and a ride from California to Newfoundland was one of them. I also wanted to write a book, so I thought I would roll the trip, book and cancer together. And yes, I am desperately trying to off the trip off as a business expense.... I will be hitting the MOA rally on the way back and thought this would be an interesting group to interview.

Okay Scott, I am interested, I will be at the rally, and I want to be interviewed. What is involved? Well, get a hold me by either posting, pm'ing, or emailing (scottwynter(at)yahoo.com). If you can leave a cell phone number, that will be huge help. Saying something something like "I usually hang out at the beer tent. I am the Caucasian 50 yo guy with jeans and a black BMW motorcycle t-shirt. You can't miss me!" is not so much help. We will get together some place where it is not too loud, I'll fire up my mic and ask you a series of questions. Responses like "No ****, there I was..." are awesome. "Yes", "No" and "Why are you asking me that" are not that great. We talk, I get some intel from you, and that is that. This could take anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour. Will my interview make the book? That all depends on your competition. I hope to interview people all over the US and Canada.

Well, that is that. Thanks for reading, and looking forward to meeting you at the rally.

Scott

Glad to hear you are still with us Scott. Good luck with the project.

 

[Sue]

So glad to hear about your latest report from the doctors.

Good luck with the book!

 

[jshuck]

same boat

I was diagonosed with prostate cancer this spring. One of my options was robotic surgery. In the discussion with the doc I stated that I wanted to be reassured that I could ride my bikes again. His reply was "Oh no, not another one..!!" It seems that bicycle and motorcycle riders have the toughest time with recovery due to the pressure while seated. I'm doing pretty well about 5 weeks out and have my reservations made for July.

I have been to several MOA Rallies, but this one will be my first major ride after the surgery. I usually do (2) 10 day trips a year. I am ready..!! As a side bar, mine was discovered early with an elevated PSA. The cancer was on the edge of the prostate ready to break into the open, but the prostate was not enlarged. It would have gone undetected for probably 3-5 years. Then it might have been too late, so get those PSA tests.

Riding is better than not riding...

 

[osbornk]

I was diagonosed with prostate cancer this spring. One of my options was robotic surgery. In the discussion with the doc I stated that I wanted to be reassured that I could ride my bikes again. His reply was "Oh no, not another one..!!" It seems that bicycle and motorcycle riders have the toughest time with recovery due to the pressure while seated. I'm doing pretty well about 5 weeks out and have my reservations made for July.

I have been to several MOA Rallies, but this one will be my first major ride after the surgery. I usually do (2) 10 day trips a year. I am ready..!! As a side bar, mine was discovered early with an elevated PSA. The cancer was on the edge of the prostate ready to break into the open, but the prostate was not enlarged. It would have gone undetected for probably 3-5 years. Then it might have been too late, so get those PSA tests.

Riding is better than not riding...

I had prostate surgery (TURP)around the first of Feb. this year and the doctor wouldn't let me ride until the first of May (3 months). He said riding a motorcycle or bicycle puts the most pressure on the prostate and the motorcycle transmits vibrations even if you can't feel them. Fortunately for me, the weather was wonderful for me (it was horrible) and I wasn't tempted to cheat except for a couple of days.

 

[BMWMJ]

My husband didn't get to ride much last year at all, due to a 3! yes count 'em 3 TURP's! Every time he would try to ride, he'd end up back at the doctor. We even took the RV to Gillette so we didn't miss it, that was kinda stupid with the price of diesel, but that's what we do. He wasn't even supposed to ride in the truck that long. It's amazing what we do for our passion.
Anyway, keep getting those PSA's and yearly exams guys. We generally like having you all around.

 

[osbornk]

My husband didn't get to ride much last year at all, due to a 3! yes count 'em 3 TURP's! Every time he would try to ride, he'd end up back at the doctor. We even took the RV to Gillette so we didn't miss it, that was kinda stupid with the price of diesel, but that's what we do. He wasn't even supposed to ride in the truck that long. It's amazing what we do for our passion.
Anyway, keep getting those PSA's and yearly exams guys. We generally like having you all around.

I would hate to have 3 turps. I was misdiagnosed by my regular doctor. I went 2 weeks full of p***, followed by three full weeks on a catheter before the turp surgery. I was limited to 30 minutes or less riding in car for several weeks (and it still hurt). For me, the year didn't start until May 1.

 

[Boingo]

Way too much cancer

Thanks all for the good wishes...

Yes, early detection is the key. Please don't put off those tests. Yeah, the scope up the tailpipe is not fun, but the beats the heck out of dealing with colostomy bags (or worse). I had bleeding in the nether region that I thought was caused by rhoids. It wasn't, and almost cost me my family and my life. If you don't want to do it for yourself, think about those around you.

 

[Polarbear]

HEY Scott

Good to hear you here again, as we rode/camped together last year moving towards Gillette. Randy/Gini on our GSA and KLR and I know you remember. Glad to hear of your new project and your health doing well. I am riding solo to Tennessee this year for three weeks all around. I did the Nova Scotia ride in 2006 on my Classic R100/7 I bought new that year in '78. A memorable journey, as it was also my first BMW I rode to my first National Rally in Vermont'78. A repeat in '06 for me and the bike to Vermont for the National Rally again. A 28 year round about for me and the bike. I should right my own story, too. I'm proud of you doing such. Keep it up and I may run into you again somewhere. What you riding, the R1100R still? I'm on the same GSA1200 you saw last year. Find me in Tennessee. Randy,Happy Trails

 

[CATHDEAC]

You guys are an inspiration.

Last year, on occassion of my 54th Birthday I had the "scope"... and Prostate "digital" exam...not the funnest.

Yeah, let's face it, none of us need the kind of pride that gets in the way of common sense. CANCER SUKS... let's not give it a fair shake.

Regarding "riding".... no... heal... do not give cancer another opportunity to set in...

Yeah, I know it takes longer to heal than when we were kids... just do it.


Oh.. a Life changing event.... every day when I open my eyes and realize God's given me one more chance.... There are so many I could list...
Peace and blessings...

 

[Boingo]

Good to hear you here again, as we rode/camped together last year moving towards Gillette. Randy/Gini /snip/

Randy! Good to hear from you. Hope all is well with you and Gina. What a trip, talk about a "no ****, there I was" story (pun to follow). This was what I posted on an ostomy forum I watch (and yes, there is a forum for everything now).

So, I was riding my motorcycle from California to Wyoming to attend a BMW motorcycle rally.

I was with a couple with the same destination. Second night out, we stopped at a KOA campground in Vernal Utah. I normally hit the state or federal camps (yes, I am very cheap, blame my family. We invented copper wire after fighting over dropped penny), but was talked into trying it. I am so glad I rolled over.

So, after a long day of riding we set up our tents, fried up some spam (yes, I can see you cringe) with veggies. Being tired, we crashed early.

I was sleeping like a baby (No, I didnÔÇÖt wake up and cry every two hours). Around 3am, I wake up thinking somethings not right. I slip the hand down to the bag make sure everything is okay. It was not okay. I guess I had some explosive diarrhea that filled and popped the bag off of my shield. It was a total mess that got everywhere (inside the sleeping bag).

Okay, so what do I do now? Well, my course of action was to worm crawl out of the tent. Then I get out of the sleeping bag and take off my t-shirt and undies. I grabbed a towel, the flashlight and the proceeded to run buck naked to the shower. I was profoundly grateful not to run into anyone on the way. What would you do if you encountered a nude dude covered with poop running around in the middle of the night? Free hug? I donÔÇÖt thing so.

So, I washed my little bod and put on a fresh bag. Walked back to camp (this time I had the towel on) and pondered on what to do next. Well, I un-zipped the sleeping bag and hung it on the fence next to our site. The smell was bad enough to be a weapon of mass destruction. Hung my undies and shirt next to it. I had enough for that night, I will deal with the rest in the morning. After a cold night I wake up and stumble out of the tent. My friends offered me a cup of coffee. They waited for a couple of sips, and then asked What the heck happened?. I told them about my adventures in the wee hours, and they just started chuckling (with, but not at metoo much). They got an early start off, and I told them I would catch them later.

The cool thing about Utah, it is bone dry. That dried up everything over night. Did a load of laundry after I hustled up some change from the surrounding campers. The sleeping bag was much easier then I imagined. A wet handkerchief and a pot of warm water took care of it.

I rolled outta town about 11am, and continued on to Wyoming incidence free.

Since this, I had a reversial of the ostomy, so no poop bags for me (woo hoo!).

What you riding, the R1100R still? I'm on the same GSA1200 you saw last year. Find me in Tennessee. Randy,Happy Trails

Oh yeah, I got 78k on "Helga" now, bound and determined to crack 100k. If you still have the same mobile number, I'll give you a call and we can grab a beer.

Scott

 

[tessler]

Scott, repeating Rob's sentiments, Really "glad to hear you are still with us". I've got two such full remission stories within my family that I'll tell you about some time offline.

Your Utah/ostomy story is off-the-charts one of the most courageous and humorous tales I think I've read in many years on this forum!

Best to you!

 

[Boingo]

Your Utah/ostomy story is off-the-charts one of the most courageous and humorous tales I think I've read in many years on this forum!

Best to you!

High praise indeed, thank you.

I don't remember at the time thinking it was very funny, but looking back it you just have to laugh. Kinda like the time at Death Valley I packed up everything and was ready to go, but couldn't find my wallet. After I looked everywhere else, I finally discovered it in the storage pocket of my tent...grrrr.

The cancer world is filled with some of the most heroic people one can meet. I am just lucky.

 

[TRJeff]

life altering exp.

I had a heart attack June 25 2007. I got a long time to think as they inserted 2 stents as you are semi awake during the procedure. I was informed that it would be to my advantage to loose some weight, exersize and eat properly. Now with almost 2 years since the attack I have lost 85 lbs. I can document ( I weighed 245 lbs. the day I left the hospital) thru exersise and eating properly. Yes I still look at many things diffrently now, seeing how that if played out diffrently on that June day I may have never seen June 26th 2007. My wife still doesn"t fully understand, why I want to do what I do But I know know life is too short and enjoy what you have.

 

[cb75076]

You might find these links of interest:

http://happydays.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/06/03/more-light/

http://happydays.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/06/02/reprieve/


Jerry