It’s Done! Finally!  Yippee!  My SBRT radiation treatments for my Prostate Cancer has now been completed! (Note the zero candle on the cheesecake standing for no more treatments!)

What started back in July 2020 has now finally concluded on Febuary 22, 2021!  It has been a long time that started back in Rochester NY at the University of Rochester Medical Center and ended in Houston TX at the MD Anderson Cancer Center. Again, as the 1st post about this story is titled…there are great upsides to living on the road full time.

We arrived in Houston at the start of November 2020 and, well, honestly, we can’t wait to leave in two days! Put it this way, unless it was for my cancer we would not have come to Houston. Why? Well, it is too industrial for us. Having to stay here for four months with all the traffic and construction is just not great for us. However we can say that Southlake RV Resort where we stayed at was wonderful and could not have been more accommodating. The property manager Jennifer we can not say enough nice things about. When we told her the time has come for us to leave, she said “No, you can’t leave. I will not allow it!”  So I guess we were good guests. :) (Side note…I did the Google Street View of the RV park for them while I was here. :)  CLICK HERE to see our coach and the park in Google Street View. (Spin around to see our coach next to our Tesla X and look down to see me. LOL)

Anyways…We just wanted to make a quick post to bring you all up to date and mostly to thank my team that took such great care of me. I can’t remember there names, short term memory issues and all, but I can’t thank them enough. It bothers me that they can remember me and not only my name,  but also right down to the music, Depeche Mode, that I liked to listen to during treatment.

I joked with them on the last day that I refer to them as “Lead Radiation Tech”, “Newbie 1” and “Newbie 2” as that is the order I met them in. So that is what I put on each of  the thank you cards I wrote. Now “Newbie” was not meant to be rude or anything, it was just that they had not been there as long as the lead radiation tech. Oh….Neil…that was his name!!!! But I referred to him mostly as “The big guy.” (In a nice way, for he could crush me!)

But then of course there was Dr. Choi, who I can remember, and the amazing care he showed me.  Understand, this is no small task when you are deaing with 1) Someone who loves tech like I do, and 2) has depression and anxiety with short term memory issues.  Thus I had a lot of questions, which I likely asked and re-asked, and of course I wanted to play with the cool, very expensive, machine….Elekta Unity :)  Dr. Choi has an amazing backgound and it was a sure pleasure to have him on my side of things.

Heck, everyone we dealt with at MD Anderson exceeded what we expected and is what every care center should strive to be like! Sadly, that is not the case normally. So with that said…If the time comes we again need cancer care, we will be back! (Just hope not to be.)

BTW…As far as the very cool machine goes, here is the webpage for it. Check out the video by clicking on “Watch Workflow Video” of what happens when you are lucky enough to be able to have access to one… CLICK HERE!  Dr. Choi was part of the team that brought in Elekta Unity and ran trials on it!

Brenda came up with a great way to help me get through it.  Quite simple really.  She put Post-It Notes on the fridge for my 5 treatments.  After each treatment, I would come home and pull one down thus counting down to NONE and DONE!  At the end of your treatments you ring a Bell for all to hear showing you have completed your treatment.  So here are some photos of me ready for treatment, pulling off the days, and then of me ringing that bell complete with Loki being super happy!  Also below is the really cool machine that treated me!!! (Note that dates are off seeing the Texas power issues pushed back my last two treatments. However, Brenda was quick to change them out just as fast as we were informed by MD Anderson who where always in contact!)

(Click images to enlarge)

The plaque reads…

Ringing Out

Ring this bell
Three times well
Its toll to clearly say,
My treatment’s done
This course is run
And I am on my way!

— Irve Le Moyne

All in all.  What a time in Houston! For not only did we go through all of this, we also went through a major winter polar votex event where we lost power for over two days and got down to the teens!  But even in that we did the best we could, right down to supplying 50 amp service from our generator to a 5th Wheel two sites over to our neighbors.  After all, if we all would just help one another, this world would surely be a better place. 

In thinking this way, I wanted to end this by once again thanking everyone at MD Anderson. I also wanted to again thank Dr. Ward and his staff who was going to do my original plan of surgery. However, I got stressed out over it way to much and then met Dr. Choi, at Dr. Wards suggestion, and off we went. Dr. Ward however did do my “Fusion Biopsy”, a specialized procedure, which then helped to lead us down the path we took.

All in all…To our followers, Thank You to everyone that wrote to us and for the support given via email, text, FaceBook, etc, etc. We now look forword to getting though CV19 and back to having some fun like playing music to a whooped up crowd! The below video is dedicated to all that took part in one way or another. (Music is from an open mic night with Dave Marron (lead vocals), Kevin Turner, and myself on Cajon)

You see, playing put’s me in my “Happy Place” when I am not in Brenda’s arms.  Thank you Babe…I bet you thought I would forget to mention you.  Love you so much, you were so solid through all of this.  Tap, tap, tap.