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I thought I'd share one more window shot with you this week. I've been thinking a lot about a buddy who loves cycling, did a lot of BMX competitions as a kid, and has admired Lance Armstrong for many years. For the past eight months he's had a whole different reason to appreciate Lance. I am wishing him well today. I spotted this gigantic poster of Lance high up in a downtown Seattle window, and the riders below just taking off after waiting at a light had just passed him. I have no idea if they are Critical Mass or just the Cascade Bicycle Club :-), but they had their clothes on, unlike a bunch of other cyclists seen around Seattle this summer and caught by our own Chuck's lens down by the Market ;^).
I will leave you with this entry from my friend's blog yesterday after he completed round 12 of a particularly brutal regimen of chemotherapy (most with his diagnosis only have the strength to make it through 8): "In the midst of my chemo fog I am rejoicing this morning. I will be disconnected from the last of my chemotherapy at 11:30 today. It's hard to believe that it is coming to an end...it seems surreal. I am imagining myself as a Tour de France rider pedaling his way into Paris onto the cobblestone streets of the Champs-Élysées, taking those final turns and striving for the finish line. I'm looking back on all the mountains and valleys I've come through, the exhilarating downhills and grueling uphills. I'm thankful for all the domestiques, those who have pulled me up the hills and guided me through the treacherous stretches. I'm thankful that my body, though not the one I started with, is intact and will get time to recover. What an amazing journey this has been." . . .Big, huge congrats!!! And my best wishes for healing and safe journey go out to all who are coping with similar health challenges. This hope's for you.
I will leave you with this entry from my friend's blog yesterday after he completed round 12 of a particularly brutal regimen of chemotherapy (most with his diagnosis only have the strength to make it through 8): "In the midst of my chemo fog I am rejoicing this morning. I will be disconnected from the last of my chemotherapy at 11:30 today. It's hard to believe that it is coming to an end...it seems surreal. I am imagining myself as a Tour de France rider pedaling his way into Paris onto the cobblestone streets of the Champs-Élysées, taking those final turns and striving for the finish line. I'm looking back on all the mountains and valleys I've come through, the exhilarating downhills and grueling uphills. I'm thankful for all the domestiques, those who have pulled me up the hills and guided me through the treacherous stretches. I'm thankful that my body, though not the one I started with, is intact and will get time to recover. What an amazing journey this has been." . . .Big, huge congrats!!! And my best wishes for healing and safe journey go out to all who are coping with similar health challenges. This hope's for you.
8 comments:
During my chemo, my son gave me Lance's book, which I still have. I was lucky enough to not suffer any bad side effects from chemo (well, there went the hair, but it's back) and am fortunate enough to be here to type this to you.
More power to your friend.
Great picture window shot and quote. I said a prayer for the continued and complete healing of your friend.
Very nice post, my regards.
God bless your friend! Wonderful photo to accompany your text Kim.
V
Wonderful image and post, Kim.
Amen, Kim.
I may be turning into a cynical old coot as I grow older, but the Armstrong poster doesn't move me. Your friend's struggle does. The poster is propaganda. Sometimes pain doesn't go away. Sadly, that's true for a lot of my clients. And if a cyclist gives up now, he or she may well have a chance for a comeback.
Not so for your friend. He is undergoing a life or death struggle. No second chances. He has the will to meet his challenge and overcome it.
The guided imagery your friend is using is a very effective weapon in his fight. Godspeed to him on his lonely journey.
Celebrities like Lance are important symbols for many of us. However, that said, Bob has a very good point. The sad truth is the huge chasm between the stars and the rest of us earthbound fighters. I'm thinking about opportunity for treatment, both medically and by the public. True, though, is that each of us must find our own individual and very personal path through the maze that is life.
Nice post, Kim, and I, too, wish your friend well.
Chuck
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