Every afternoon when I come home from work and walk through the garage there’s a nice reminder of a Boston sports team that runs through my veins and that’s the flag hanging off a pair of hooks adorned with the BRUINS logo with the words EASTERN CHAMPIONS on a beautiful black and gold cloth. I love this flag because of the determination and character that team showed to start their season, in Prague of all places, and then secure the Lord Stanley Cup in Vancouver, British Columbia after facing their nemesis from across the border in Montreal where seven games were required, then blanking the Philadelphia Flyers in a sweep, another seven game battle against the quick paced skaters from the Tampa Bay Lightning and then yet another seven game battle with the Canucks of Vancouver. That my friend is a ton of hockey and to never doubt the character of their award winning goaltender during any of those series paid massive dividends when the CUP was secured.
I now wait for the beginning of the 2011-12 NHL season, much to the chagrin of my youngest daughter who just doesn’t’ understand the game, understandably so as it’s an extremely difficult game to follow if you’ve never laced the skates. My lifelong buddy from the North Shore and I used to lace them up every Saturday morning at Gordon College and we both knew then our phones would not be ringing off the hooks from the Bruins scouting teams, but we did enjoy the early morning Saturday practices. I went on and played in the pee wee leagues, bantam and some high school but after I left the house it’s nothing more than “glory days” now.
The reason I start off with the character attribute and the Boston Bruins in today’s blog is to catch you up on the hero lying on the couch next to me. As all of you know Bonnie has been through a number of game seven matchups this year and since hearing those two words “ductal carcinoma” way back when we’ve battled, I should say she’s battled and this afternoon, like many afternoons in the past she rests on the couch while we watch the Red Sox game. She’s been ordered off the Vicadin as of late as she prepares for her reconstruction surgery next week, so even though her medicine cabinet is full of splendid pain relievers her body is still adjusting to the absence of Vicadin with Adavan taking its’ place. She’s had some tough nights of sleep as of late and the Tamoxifen increases her “power surges” ten-fold and the weather here in beautiful Sonoma County during the day is hardly an assist.
So we’re a little less than a week away from her reconstruction surgery. This overnight event will take place down at Marin General hospital in the learned hands of her plastic surgeon, Dr. Cynthia Goodman and she’s expected to be out of commission for at least three weeks. Drains, pain pumps, the works will return. Logan and I are ready – we’ve certainly been here before, sans the tee-shirt and this should be the last of it.
After this surgery she’ll visit the plastic surgeon annually to ensure all is well and then every ten years to rotate the tires (tongue in cheek). She has battled breast cancer but if you were to see her today you’d never know of her multiple biopsies, bilateral mastectomy or any of the related pain. She’s been a champion – period – and all of you that regularly converse with her or read the blog and comment, taken the time out of your lives to come out and visit with her have been angels, you’ve been friends. In fact – plainly put – you’ve been the cure.
I’ll update this site with an update of how well her reconstruction surgery went, which by the way is the day after our 23rd wedding anniversary! When we celebrate our silver anniversary this will all be nothing more than a bad memory.
Post surgery details to follow.
Peace
Papa
