Had a rough Thursday before leaving for the Annual Fundraiser in Santa Cruz, CA, the “Campout for Cancer” event that coincides with the StandUp2Cancer push to find a cure. Upsetting paperwork from the lawyer. Time wasted framing an argument to send back to them about not expecting me to willingly resign from my job, and pushing them to hurry up and file the final appeal in my lawsuit against my employer and their insurance company.
All distractions that I didn’t need, but I sucked it up and got on with the business of living by Friday afternoon.
While it was hard work to get all of the camping gear up the hill, through the boardwalk, and down to our designated camping space under the Logger’s Revenge water ride:
teamwork with my friend Bambi, and her daughter, son-in-law and 2 grandchildren made everything possible. The biggest challenge was in getting my very good friend to understand that I would manage my own limitations, and would take breaks when necessary to ensure that I didn’t trigger an exacerbation of the COPD.
Despite 26% lung capacity, foggy moist air, camping out on the ground (forbidden, growing up), my salt treatment before we left on Friday helped a great deal, and my efforts to pass for normal were successful.
Loved lip-synching to the music of “Journey Undiscovered”, a cover band, when my air gave out from all the talking and singing.
Could not believe that everyone had 14K to 18K worth of steps on their fitbits (trust me, my numbers were more like 5k for the day each day).
But, we played in the arcade, we enjoyed the rides, and we won first place in the sandcastle competition. Not bad at all, and all while raising funds to promote research into ending the scourge of cancer in our lifetime.
The luminaria walk on Friday night was beautiful, and I sent a prayer off to my big brother that I was thinking of him and hoping that, whatever happens next when we leave this earthly plane, that he was happy and at peace.
Cancer, COPD, chronic pain and so many illnesses take so much from people’s quality of life. If you have a chance to give back, I encourage you to do so. It can’t hurt. It can be great fun. And, it may help someone some day.
copdtravails 
I’ve lived with chronic pain since 1984. It’s been a struggle at times but I carry on regardless.
I’ve always given donations to charity shops and now I have been given the chance of actually helping out in one.
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Your new opportunity sounds like fun, and a good distraction to keep you busy, Glyn. I don’t know how you deal with pain every day, but I’m so glad that I’ve met you through the internet, and come to learn more about your story. So many people are dealing with so much, and our society’s belief that we are useless if we cannot earn a living, or continue to earn a living and must rely on aid is a disheartening throwback to the times when handicapped people were pushed out to the pasture and ignored.
You help redefine what a person facing chronic pain needs in terms of support and useful activity, and I hope to be able to follow in your footsteps to find something outside myself to occupy my time. Thanks so much for visiting.
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Thank you. I’m now a follower of your blog here. I have considerably less i’m following here than the on the other place 🙂
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Ha ! I know, I know – the other place has all those amazing pictures and stories, LOL. I’m just happy you choose to visit here at all
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