The first
gift came from my grandchildren. Seems
Pink eye had been running rampant at their school and while they were over it,
they managed to gift it to me (not Pam…they like her more). If
you never had it, count yourself blessed. Eyes are crusted shut, blurred vision, light
sensitive, and goopy (technical term). Often
it felt like I had sand in my eyes and I would be walking around squinting like
Popeye. As you might imagine, that’s not
conducive to running on narrow country roads.
Which leads
to the second gift, this one from Mother Nature. What
happened to global warming? I have
enough difficulties training without adding snow, ice and cold to the challenges. And who doesn’t love that stimulating feeling
you get when you are not fast enough dodging an ice cold slush wave.
The third gift was from my Urologist/Oncologist. You may
recall last year about this time I was being treated for a mass in my bladder
blocking flow from my kidney. Ultimately
it wasn’t cancer but they needed to operate to remove the blockage and restore
the kidney function (as a side note, it was a fascinating robotic surgery).
A follow-sup
ultrasound last week detected a new mass in the bladder. This week they did a cystoscope to look
inside the bladder. If you’ve never had
one, count yourself lucky. It’s not
something to put on your bucket list. Good
news, no tumor. Surprise, it was a surgical clip leftover from
the original operation. They were able to grab it with a little claw
on the end of the scope and pull it out.
I can attest from the discomfort that
the route it traveled on the way out was never meant to carry anything
solid.
But not all
gifts are unwanted. In 2024
Help in the Nick of time provided almost 100 children fighting pediatric cancer
with surprise boxes of toys, games, and gifts.
In a world full of isolation, pain, and loneliness these boxes bring a
mountain of joy and distraction. Here’s
what one teen’s mom had to say….“I can honestly say that I do not recall Addie being as excited about a
gift as she was with this box ... every item was a hit and it was all a surprise
to her!!! The Friends Lego set and Ugg blanket were both items she has wanted,
but thought were too expensive to request.”
None of this
is possible without your support. I wish
you could be there to see the joy you bring to these children and their
families. It’s what drives me out the
door on mornings where I challenge slush waves and icy roads looking like
Popeye.
Thank you!
