Friday, January 30, 2009
Lets Go Cardinals...
I have to admit, I'm really not a fan of either team playing in the Super Bowl this weekend. I mean, the Steelers are the most bitter rival of my pathetic Bengals and the Cardinals are probably the only team that has actually been worse than Cincinnati since Mike Brown took over as president in the early 1990's. So I really haven't been looking forward to the big game with much anticipation. Then today I got an e-mail about a grocery store stock boy from Cedar Falls, Iowa named Kurtis who appears to be one of the all time good guys out there (and also turned out to be Cardinals QB, Kurt Warner) so now I have a rooting interest; lets go Cardinals! While Ben Roethlisberger was out tooling around helmetless on his motorcycle and nearly killing himself, Warner was setting up foundations for those less fortunate. He came to the aid of Iowans who were devastated by last summer's floods. He is very involved with the Special Olympics in support of his adopted son who has Downs Syndrome. His faith and family comes first. This is the guy I want to root for. It's very possible Sunday's Super Bowl will be the last game Kurt Warner plays, if so - I hope he goes out a winner. Many say a second Super Bowl win would solidify Warner's credentials for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. That may be true but this guy's life should be defined by more than what he did on the football field - in a sport where morons like Terrell Owens, Plaxico Burress, Chris Henry and Pac Man Jones get all the attention for all the wrong reasons, Kurt Warner should be promoted as the NFL's ultimate role model for all the right reasons.
Friday, January 16, 2009
'Cause Baby It's Cold Outside...
Well there is no denying we are in the midst of winter. Temperatures dipped below zero over night and today's high is not expected to reach double digits. I'd like to take this opportunity to say that I'd rather deal with this bitter cold than have to go through one of those humid and unbearably hot spells that hit every August. At least when it's this cold you can build a fire, get under a nice warm blanket and be comfortable. When it's excrutiatingly hot, it just sucks the energy out of you. And those spells can last weeks at a time - I doubt we'll be dealing with sub-zero temperatures into next week. So stay warm, put on an extra layer of clothes and make the best of it, at least we're not in our tenth consecutive day of 95+ degree temps with no end in sight!
It was a bitter end to my Buckeye's football season. When they scored with 2 minutes left to go up 21-17, it looked like they may have ended their recent curse in bowl games but it was obviously not to be. To give up the go ahead TD with 16 seconds remaining on the clock was a tough way for the Buckeye seniors to end their great careers. I don't know why the defensive coaches blitzed in that situation; they should have dropped 7 DB's back and kept all the Texas receivers in front of them - just a bad call and one that obviously led to a tough, tough loss.
Jules has a big interview on Monday - hopefully all will go well and she'll soon have a little more stable work situation. If you want to say a little prayer at around 1 pm on Monday that would be most appreciated. Aaron was recently accepted at Marquette so his final four school choices are Xavier, St. Louis, John Carroll and of course, Marquette. We're hopeful that he'll get the tuition remission at all these schools but we won't know that until March. I'm pretty confident he'll get offered at XU, SLU and John Carroll but I hear it's a bit more competitive at Marquette. Given that school is the furthest from Cincinnati, maybe that wouldn't be a bad thing; we'd kind of like to see him stay relatively close to home. Aaron is also playing lacrosse again and we're looking forward to getting out and watching him play this spring.
Judd continues to do well at UD - he played club volleyball last semester and will play in some tournaments this semester, as well. Abbey is also doing very well. She is looking forward to going up to Chicago in a few weeks for a Junior UN conference.
I hope everyone's year is off to a great start. We're living in some pretty strange times right now and it would be nice to see some of the recent economic trends turn around. As the old song goes, 'We sure could use a little good news!' But as I learned in a very personal way, as long as you have your health you can work through all the other challenges in life that may come your way.
I'll be sure to post again in the near future!
It was a bitter end to my Buckeye's football season. When they scored with 2 minutes left to go up 21-17, it looked like they may have ended their recent curse in bowl games but it was obviously not to be. To give up the go ahead TD with 16 seconds remaining on the clock was a tough way for the Buckeye seniors to end their great careers. I don't know why the defensive coaches blitzed in that situation; they should have dropped 7 DB's back and kept all the Texas receivers in front of them - just a bad call and one that obviously led to a tough, tough loss.
Jules has a big interview on Monday - hopefully all will go well and she'll soon have a little more stable work situation. If you want to say a little prayer at around 1 pm on Monday that would be most appreciated. Aaron was recently accepted at Marquette so his final four school choices are Xavier, St. Louis, John Carroll and of course, Marquette. We're hopeful that he'll get the tuition remission at all these schools but we won't know that until March. I'm pretty confident he'll get offered at XU, SLU and John Carroll but I hear it's a bit more competitive at Marquette. Given that school is the furthest from Cincinnati, maybe that wouldn't be a bad thing; we'd kind of like to see him stay relatively close to home. Aaron is also playing lacrosse again and we're looking forward to getting out and watching him play this spring.
Judd continues to do well at UD - he played club volleyball last semester and will play in some tournaments this semester, as well. Abbey is also doing very well. She is looking forward to going up to Chicago in a few weeks for a Junior UN conference.
I hope everyone's year is off to a great start. We're living in some pretty strange times right now and it would be nice to see some of the recent economic trends turn around. As the old song goes, 'We sure could use a little good news!' But as I learned in a very personal way, as long as you have your health you can work through all the other challenges in life that may come your way.
I'll be sure to post again in the near future!
Monday, January 05, 2009
Happy New Year!
Hello everyone. Sorry it's been so long since my last post. I meant to post a couple times during the holidays but never got around to it. I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas and that 2009 will be a great year for you.
We had a very low key holiday. The University was closed so I was off for almost two weeks. We attended several parties, saw a couple movies and did some things around the house. It was good having Judd home for a couple weeks and the kids were all happy with the Blackberrys they got for Christmas. Julie's Aunt Sharon was in town for about a week and it was also nice catching up with her.
Health wise, everything seems to be fine. My next visit with Dr. Leming is not until the end of March and I'll have scans done just before that visit. If all checks out then, I'll be good for another 6 months. That will take me right up to the 4 year anniversary of my diagnosis - hard to believe it's been that long. I actually started chemo on January 3, 2006 so it's been over three years!
I recently learned that my story is going to be part of a book coming out in May of 2009. this past summer I was encouraged to submit my story for a book about people who have dealt with serious health issues. I sent my story in and just after Thanksgiving I was informed that I had made the cut. They were looking for funny or inspirational stories for a book to be titled, Bedpan Banter. I'll end with a draft of what I submitted. I'll be sure to post more as I learn more about the book.
Again, I hope everyone is doing well and wish you the best in 2009!
Surrounded by Support
Vince Hopkins
“I’m afraid the biopsy indicates you have Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma (NHL).”
And with that short sentence my life was changed forever. The date was October 4, 2005; just twenty days shy of my 47th birthday.
Several months earlier I had noticed a large lump in my neck while shaving. At first I didn’t think much of it; it didn’t hurt and seemed to have appeared almost overnight. But when it was still there 6 weeks later, I thought it was time to have the doctor take a look. I went through a series of tests and eventually was referred to an Ear, Nose and Throat specialist. He took one look at the lump and said it would be best to remove it and do a biopsy. He was pretty sure we were dealing with a swollen lymph node and the obvious concern was it could be lymphoma. The mass was removed on September 28, and seven days later I received the worst possible news.
The doctor immediately assured me that I was not receiving a death sentence but it was difficult to think of it in any other way. Seven years earlier my wife’s brother had been diagnosed with NHL and after fighting the disease for nearly a year, he passed away as a result of complications due to his treatment. So as the news was being delivered, we obviously thought about the worst case scenario. My wife broke down crying while I just sat there, stunned and in disbelief that this was happening to our family again.
The doctor talked with us for a few minutes but I don’t recall much of what he said. He referred us to several oncologists that he knew but due to my involvement with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society I told him I would probably ask them to recommend a doctor for me to see. The doctor said we could stay as long as we wanted and once we had composed ourselves, he wished us God's blessings and sent us on our way.
October 4, 2005 was a beautiful day. Birds were singing in the trees and even though it seemed like our world had come to a screeching halt, I realized that life was continuing to go on all around us. I can’t explain how angry this made me feel. I thought it was unfair. Out on the street people were driving by without a care in the world and I had to go home and tell my three children that I had cancer.
There was also another person we had to tell; my mother-in-law. She was in poor health herself and had spent the previous weeks in a Hospice care facility. She was diagnosed with lung cancer a couple months earlier and following surgery to remove a large portion of one of her lungs, had come to the conclusion that she didn't have the strength to fight back. What amazed the family was how at peace she was with her situation. As my wife’s sister put it, "She taught us how to live and she’s teaching us how to die.”
My wife and I had driven to the doctor’s office separately so we gave each other a hug and headed home to talk with our kids. As I was getting into my car, my thoughts drifted to a line from the movie, The Shawshank Redemption, when Morgan Freeman’s character says, “Get busy living or get busy dying.” I realized that I was at a similar point in my life. I could resign myself to the fact that I had cancer, feel sorry for myself and let this worthless disease beat me or I could do what was necessary to get better and live my life. It was in God’s hands anyway. I had no control over what was going on inside my body but I could control my attitude. None of us really know how long we’ll be here so we might as well live. I didn’t want people feeling sorry for me and I didn’t want our house to be like a morgue. I wanted our family life to go on as normal as possible. When we had to do things to deal with the cancer, we’d deal with it and move on.
This doesn’t mean there weren’t many anxious moments. Telling our children about my diagnosis was the most painful thing I’ve ever had to do. It hurt to see them in such pain. But once we got through the initial shock of the situation, they were champs. They helped keep things light around the house, they spent time entertaining me, they helped me continue to live; along with many of our family members and friends. They were all such an inspiration to me and no one was more inspiring than my mother-in-law.
The day after my diagnosis, we went to visit her in Hospice. She was bed ridden for several weeks and had not been eating but when we walked into her room, she was sitting up in a chair and eating a sandwich. I looked at her, she looked back at me and we both grinned. The look on her face told me that she had decided to live and it affirmed my thoughts from the day before about my own situation; I needed to get busy living. She didn’t say a word initially, but I knew in her heart she was thinking; don’t worry; we’re both going to get through this. That was over 3 years ago and we’re both still here today.
What I’ve shared covers just the beginning of the second part of my life. I had nearly 47 years without cancer and just passed the third year anniversary of my diagnosis. I’ve been cancer free since April, 2006 but I realize there is always a chance it could return. That doesn’t stop me from living—it makes me want to live more.
I’ve talked with numerous other cancer survivors and it amazes me how many of them believe their cancer was a blessing. I’ll admit I haven’t arrived at that point and doubt I ever will. Cancer never has been and never will be a blessing to me. But it has made me realize just how blessed I am. I have a wonderful wife, beautiful children, a loving family and caring friends. I was blessed to receive tremendous care from many outstanding doctors. And I’ve been blessed to realize what an incredible gift life offers. I guess you really don’t know what you have until you’re faced with the possibility of losing it all. But I think the biggest blessing through all this has been my mother-in-law, Vivian Riestenberg. Here was a woman who was at peace and prepared to die but instead, she showed me how to fight back. She inspired me like no one else.
Many of our family members have said they believe she decided to fight back because she knew my wife and I were going to need her support to help get us through my health crisis. Only she could confirm that and if it’s true, I can honestly say it was the most caring, beautiful and unselfish act anyone has ever done for me and my family and I could never thank her enough. Her fight for life not only gave me hope, but made me appreciate life like never before.
We had a very low key holiday. The University was closed so I was off for almost two weeks. We attended several parties, saw a couple movies and did some things around the house. It was good having Judd home for a couple weeks and the kids were all happy with the Blackberrys they got for Christmas. Julie's Aunt Sharon was in town for about a week and it was also nice catching up with her.
Health wise, everything seems to be fine. My next visit with Dr. Leming is not until the end of March and I'll have scans done just before that visit. If all checks out then, I'll be good for another 6 months. That will take me right up to the 4 year anniversary of my diagnosis - hard to believe it's been that long. I actually started chemo on January 3, 2006 so it's been over three years!
I recently learned that my story is going to be part of a book coming out in May of 2009. this past summer I was encouraged to submit my story for a book about people who have dealt with serious health issues. I sent my story in and just after Thanksgiving I was informed that I had made the cut. They were looking for funny or inspirational stories for a book to be titled, Bedpan Banter. I'll end with a draft of what I submitted. I'll be sure to post more as I learn more about the book.
Again, I hope everyone is doing well and wish you the best in 2009!
Surrounded by Support
Vince Hopkins
“I’m afraid the biopsy indicates you have Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma (NHL).”
And with that short sentence my life was changed forever. The date was October 4, 2005; just twenty days shy of my 47th birthday.
Several months earlier I had noticed a large lump in my neck while shaving. At first I didn’t think much of it; it didn’t hurt and seemed to have appeared almost overnight. But when it was still there 6 weeks later, I thought it was time to have the doctor take a look. I went through a series of tests and eventually was referred to an Ear, Nose and Throat specialist. He took one look at the lump and said it would be best to remove it and do a biopsy. He was pretty sure we were dealing with a swollen lymph node and the obvious concern was it could be lymphoma. The mass was removed on September 28, and seven days later I received the worst possible news.
The doctor immediately assured me that I was not receiving a death sentence but it was difficult to think of it in any other way. Seven years earlier my wife’s brother had been diagnosed with NHL and after fighting the disease for nearly a year, he passed away as a result of complications due to his treatment. So as the news was being delivered, we obviously thought about the worst case scenario. My wife broke down crying while I just sat there, stunned and in disbelief that this was happening to our family again.
The doctor talked with us for a few minutes but I don’t recall much of what he said. He referred us to several oncologists that he knew but due to my involvement with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society I told him I would probably ask them to recommend a doctor for me to see. The doctor said we could stay as long as we wanted and once we had composed ourselves, he wished us God's blessings and sent us on our way.
October 4, 2005 was a beautiful day. Birds were singing in the trees and even though it seemed like our world had come to a screeching halt, I realized that life was continuing to go on all around us. I can’t explain how angry this made me feel. I thought it was unfair. Out on the street people were driving by without a care in the world and I had to go home and tell my three children that I had cancer.
There was also another person we had to tell; my mother-in-law. She was in poor health herself and had spent the previous weeks in a Hospice care facility. She was diagnosed with lung cancer a couple months earlier and following surgery to remove a large portion of one of her lungs, had come to the conclusion that she didn't have the strength to fight back. What amazed the family was how at peace she was with her situation. As my wife’s sister put it, "She taught us how to live and she’s teaching us how to die.”
My wife and I had driven to the doctor’s office separately so we gave each other a hug and headed home to talk with our kids. As I was getting into my car, my thoughts drifted to a line from the movie, The Shawshank Redemption, when Morgan Freeman’s character says, “Get busy living or get busy dying.” I realized that I was at a similar point in my life. I could resign myself to the fact that I had cancer, feel sorry for myself and let this worthless disease beat me or I could do what was necessary to get better and live my life. It was in God’s hands anyway. I had no control over what was going on inside my body but I could control my attitude. None of us really know how long we’ll be here so we might as well live. I didn’t want people feeling sorry for me and I didn’t want our house to be like a morgue. I wanted our family life to go on as normal as possible. When we had to do things to deal with the cancer, we’d deal with it and move on.
This doesn’t mean there weren’t many anxious moments. Telling our children about my diagnosis was the most painful thing I’ve ever had to do. It hurt to see them in such pain. But once we got through the initial shock of the situation, they were champs. They helped keep things light around the house, they spent time entertaining me, they helped me continue to live; along with many of our family members and friends. They were all such an inspiration to me and no one was more inspiring than my mother-in-law.
The day after my diagnosis, we went to visit her in Hospice. She was bed ridden for several weeks and had not been eating but when we walked into her room, she was sitting up in a chair and eating a sandwich. I looked at her, she looked back at me and we both grinned. The look on her face told me that she had decided to live and it affirmed my thoughts from the day before about my own situation; I needed to get busy living. She didn’t say a word initially, but I knew in her heart she was thinking; don’t worry; we’re both going to get through this. That was over 3 years ago and we’re both still here today.
What I’ve shared covers just the beginning of the second part of my life. I had nearly 47 years without cancer and just passed the third year anniversary of my diagnosis. I’ve been cancer free since April, 2006 but I realize there is always a chance it could return. That doesn’t stop me from living—it makes me want to live more.
I’ve talked with numerous other cancer survivors and it amazes me how many of them believe their cancer was a blessing. I’ll admit I haven’t arrived at that point and doubt I ever will. Cancer never has been and never will be a blessing to me. But it has made me realize just how blessed I am. I have a wonderful wife, beautiful children, a loving family and caring friends. I was blessed to receive tremendous care from many outstanding doctors. And I’ve been blessed to realize what an incredible gift life offers. I guess you really don’t know what you have until you’re faced with the possibility of losing it all. But I think the biggest blessing through all this has been my mother-in-law, Vivian Riestenberg. Here was a woman who was at peace and prepared to die but instead, she showed me how to fight back. She inspired me like no one else.
Many of our family members have said they believe she decided to fight back because she knew my wife and I were going to need her support to help get us through my health crisis. Only she could confirm that and if it’s true, I can honestly say it was the most caring, beautiful and unselfish act anyone has ever done for me and my family and I could never thank her enough. Her fight for life not only gave me hope, but made me appreciate life like never before.
