July 27 was my second out of four intravenous chemo sessions. Between each IV application, I take a whole bunch of pills with comparable medication but I do it in the comfort of home. But the IV sessions have become a bit of a milestone in what is becoming a year long journey.
This video chronicles a single day in the chemo progression: the conclusion of one cycle when the effects of the drugs have waned and I feel pretty good compared to the hammer that will fall again through my veins and I can do stuff. And this video shows me doing stuff and then concludes with a view of my IV session so that you can get a sense of the procedure.
To make this first "repeat" cycle a bit more interesting, i decided to do a few things I love to do prior to retreating into IV care. One is to walk. Walking has always been a part of my and my wife Sharon's life. The second is to take a train. For a small municipality, the Region of Waterloo has a remarkable transit system (Grand River Transit - GRT) highlighted by a well-conceived electric light rail LRT line which stops at my hospital. Chemo has taken my keys away so I thought I'd indulge myself in the privilege of not depending on a car.
Finally, I found a great opportunity to apply one of my son Eric's original songs. Called "Marina", the song tells a tale of a mermaid longing for a complex loving relationship. The song accompanies my train ride and is included it its entirety hence the slightly longer than normal duration of the video. But I hope you'll agree that the song is worth it. For some reason, I thought the deeper elements of this song's flow and sentiments resonated with me as I work through my challenges. So thank you Eric Elliot Lee (ericelliotlee.ca/) and soprano Julia Kennific (juliakennific.com/) for your beautiful and heartening work.
11 окт 2024
