Monthly Archives: October 2014

Just a Fan in the Crowd

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Keith

Last Friday afternoon, Keith and I headed for Tulsa. My cancer survivor hero husband had signed up to run in the 15K Tulsa Run. For those of you who don’t know how far 15K is, well it is 14.5K more than I can run. Apparently it is around 9.4 miles. OMG.  This year Keith had a milestone birthday and has decided to run in a major race with some major mileage. A half marathon seems like major mileage to me and that is what he has been training for. He has friends and coworkers who are quite accomplished avid runners and they told him about this 15K run in Tulsa. Seemed like a great opportunity, so off we went.

Keith’s training consists of being out the door at 5:30 a.m. 3 or 4 mornings a week, in the dark, with a flashlight, headed into Regional Park to City Lake and back. Did you get the part about it being dark? He sees lots of wildlife during that time of day: bunnies, deer, armadillos, possums and SKUNKS. Yes, he has almost “run over” a skunk on many occasions. Some mornings it is literally, ok skunk, who’s going to get out of the way, you or me. So far, the skunk has scurried away, thanks be to God.

We get to Tulsa about 6:30 and Keith wants to “check out” the route, so we drive it. It’s like a roller coaster, EEK. The area of the run is very scenic though, not sure he will notice as he is grinding up the hills and traversing down. At 8 p.m., we met our fellow Ardmoreite runners at an Italian restaurant just a few blocks from the hotel. It was delicious, but eating a heavy meal at 9:15 is not ideal. At 9:15 I’m thinking about my stretchy pants and reclining.  We had a table of about 12 people.  Three or four conversations were going at any given time. Now all those people sitting to the left of me, I didn’t catch much of their conversation as that is my tumor ear. Conversations to my right I could keep up with. Conversations across from me, again, not great. Then there is the general loud restaurant noise, which adds frustration for my hearing issues at a whole other level. I have some adjusting to do. Finally back in our room at 10:30, stuffed from dinner and ready to recline. Big day starts at 9 a.m., at the start line.

Keith bounds out of bed the next morning boasting that he slept GREAT. He’s up, got his stuff together, dressed in his running gear, drinking his Herbalife Prepare…all is good. We head downstairs and catch up with some of our fellow peeps and about 8:30 we start the two block journey from our hotel to the “starting line.” I can feel Keith’s prerace excitement. He is ready to get this thing started. As he makes his way to the official starting line, I am heading several blocks down the route to watch him come by and snap his pic. We had been told that around 9,000 people had signed up to participate in the event with 5,000 of them running with my husband. I position myself in what I think is the perfect spot to see him when he runs by. As I’m sitting there waiting, I notice a drone above my head. I have never seen one in real life and it was pretty cool. Just then the gun goes off and the race is on!

Then it occurs to me, how am I going to find Keith in the midst of 5,000 people? I mean the people look like a lava flow. No one can pass anyone at this point. It is basically like cattle. Sorry, but that’s what it reminded me of. I so wanted to get his picture on his first 15K. I focused my search for Keith’s lime green Nike cap. Hundreds and hundreds of people keep coming up over the hill at the starting line and I have no idea where or how far back he is. I just have to focus, green hat, green hat, green hat. AND I FOUND HIM. Started snapping pics and hoped one of them would turn out.Green Hat

After he went by I knew I had about an hour and a half to piddle around. The finish line was right in front of our hotel, so I began working my way back that direction. There is a very large and beautiful Presbyterian Church that had its bells playing music and in fact one of them was a hymn we sing in our church. Then on the other side of that church was Trinity Episcopal with its beautiful red doors. As an Episcopalian, I always have to check out Episcopal churches when we travel. This one did not disappoint.

I found myself a spot to wait it out about 20 yards from the finish line. I had decided that I could snap Keith’s pic as he is running to the line and as he goes through it. I picked out what I thought was an awesome spot, but the longer I sat there, the more people showed up and my window of vision got pretty small.

At about the 45 minute mark, I can see in the distance flashing lights and the first runner working their way to the finish line. Yes, 45 minutes. OMG. What is that a 6 minute mile for 9.4 miles? That is flat out running. We cheered as he neared us and he finished at 46 minutes and a few seconds I think. No one anywhere to be seen for another 2 or 3 minutes. He whipped them all. A few more came in periodically but it was still VERY early.

About that time something got my attention. There was a young man with a cane and he had gotten inside the running barricade, was running down the middle of the road with his cane above his head and shouting something. The crowd on that end of the block was cheering him. He got about half way up to the finish line when the policeman that was monitoring my side of the street stepped out and stopped him. The young man appeared to be either high on something or mentally ill. He was belligerent with the cop saying that “this was his race.” The officer escorted him off the course. About five minutes later the young man appears again. This time he was across the street directly in front of me and the officer. He was yelling something at the officer and was doing something with the cane that indicated he was ready to use it as a weapon on the officer. So over the officer goes and this time the young man finds himself in handcuffs, backup is called in, he is placed in a police car and removed from the situation. WHEW. This young man was a ticking time bomb. In the infamous words of Sweet Brown, “Ain’t nobody got time for that.”

People continued to come through. Some with costumes on, some with very little clothes on and one man with NO SHOES ON. Absolutely barefooted. At about the one hour 20 minute mark, runners are beginning to come in more heavily. In fact there are so many coming in that I am again worried that I will not see Keith and be able to get his picture. There are people in my way that are taller than me and the police officer is in my way. It’s now the one hour and 30 minute mark and I know he’s going to be coming by any second! What to do, what to do….. I again started looking for “green hat”. Then there he was. I yanked my camera up, pushed some people out of my way and snap, snap, snap. HE DID IT – one hour and 36 minutes.

I hurried down to the finish line and was frantically trying to find him in the midst of all those people. Next thing I knew, he had found me. Nothing like a sweaty kiss from my wonderful husband. I am so proud of his accomplishment. Now’s he’s back to training for the A2A half marathon in March. GO KEITH!

At the One Month Mark

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TLF 2014

On month from today, I will have the unwelcome visitor inside my head eradicated!  Even though I am nervous, I am also just ready for it to be gone so I can get on with my life.  AIN’T NOBODY GOT TIME FOR THAT.   I have found an Acoustic Neuroma Facebook page and I have been reading posts from people who have had surgery and those who are going to have surgery.  While it is wonderful to know I am not alone in the world with this little brain tumor, some of their stories are scary.  What I have to keep in mind is that everyone is different, everyone handles surgery differently and their experience won’t be my experience.  I told Keith that I was not going to have any major pain following the surgery, that I was going to be up walking down the hospital halls the next day with him by my side and we would go home four days later and have a wonderful, yet quiet Thanksgiving.  That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

Since deciding to have the surgery, my mind thinks of little else.  Oh sure, I am able to do my job and lead a normal life, but “the event” is never far from my mind.  I find that I’m even more emotional than usual.  Case in point:  Last week I wanted to drive by my childhood home.  I took the familiar route and when my car turned onto the street, tears welled up in my eyes.  What is with that!  Last weekend we attended a funeral for my son-in-law’s grandmother at the Episcopal Cathedral in Oklahoma City.  The service was so moving to me that I caught myself tearing up during some of the hymns.  When I go on my long walk/runs, my mind is all over the place and inevitably I think of my parents and tears fall or I think about my children and how much I love them and tears fall or I remember just how lucky I am to have the husband I have and tears falls.  I hope this extra emotion is a direct result of this brain tumor because I need to toughen up.

In addition, I am going to be off work 7 weeks.  EEK!  Will I even have an office to return to????  Just kidding, kind of.  I am trying to think of all the things that need to be taken care of in my absence.  That in itself is a bit overwhelming.  I don’t want to cause any undue burden on anyone, because we are all busy at work.  I tried to schedule this thing when it would be the quietest in the office and I hope I have succeeded.

Keith and I went dancing last weekend.  It was our annual Two Left Feet Club Halloween dance and we got all dressed up.  He was Captain America and I was Batgirl.  It was so much fun and our favorite singer, Neil Davies, was the entertainment.  Neil gave us the opportunity to waltz, cha cha, tango, bolero, do a line dance and a little Texas swing before calling it a night. At the beginning of the evening we learned that our hospital foundation is planning a big New Year’s Eve dance at our convention center and everyone from our dance club is invited.  In fact, he said we are all being “featured”.  Not really sure what that means, but it does mean that I have to get all better so I can go dance.  That gives me 6 weeks basically after surgery to be ready AND I WILL BE!  We will get all dressed up, Keith in a tux and me in a formal gown.    We will dance until the cows come home and at midnight with a glass of champagne in my hand, I will kiss the love of my life as we begin another year together.

Now I am all big talk about this recovery thing, now I just have to get myself pumped up for “the event”.  Keith and I will go down two days before on November 18 and then I have all this pre-op stuff on the 19th.  Nurse Susan says I am going to be one busy gal that day.  Hopefully I will be so busy, I won’t have time to dwell on “the event”.  In talking to my doctor, he says the surgery should take 4-6 hours, ok I can deal with that.  Nurse Susan says it will be 10 hours, not liking the sound of that.  One of the ladies I have found on the Acoustic Neuroma site who has the same doctors as me in Houston said her surgery took 12 hours.  I really don’t like the sound of that.    Again, my experience will be different, my experience will be different, my experience will be different.  If I say it three times will that make it so, or did I need to click my heels together when I said it.  Wait and I can still do that.  Obviously, I’m hoping for the 4-6 hour surgery.  While I will be asleep and won’t care, my husband, daughter and son may have a hard time if I am in surgery for 12 hours.

Speaking of my husband, daughter and son ….. I am so blessed that all three of them will be with me.  They are the three loves of my life and their faces are the ones I want to see when I open my eyes.  Each one of them brings me such joy, happiness and love.  With them by my side, I can overcome anything.  I am also blessed to have many in my community praying for me.  People have been coming up to me and telling me that they are praying for me or that I am on their church’s official prayer list.  As I have said before, this Episcopal gal accepts prayers from all religious denominations.  I am receiving prayers from out of state as well.  This “Oklahoma gal” accepts prayers from all states and countries.

In looking through my instructions of what I should and should not have at the hospital, they suggest I wear NO jewelry.  Are they kidding?  So I have four items of jewelry that I always wear:  my wedding ring, my mother’s wedding ring, my father’s wedding ring and my Daughters of the King cross.  So in order for me to be OK with this hospital rule, my husband will hold my wedding ring until he can slip it back on my finger and I want my daughter to wear my cross and parent’s wedding rings for me.  When I feel like eating, I want my son to make me an Herbalife shake and keep my tea and aloe jug full.

So today I begin the journey of mentally preparing for “the event.”  I am also continuing my physical activity routine so my stamina will be good, just in case I have to be under anesthesia for 12 hours.   It feels appropriate for me to close this blog with one of my favorite things from the Book of Common Prayer:  Open my lips, O Lord, and my mouth shall proclaim your praise.  Create in me a clean heart, O’ God and renew a right spirit within me.  Cast me not away from your presence and take not your holy Spirit from me.  Give me the joy of your saving help again and sustain me with your bountiful spirit.  Amen.