I struggled deciding between a long run and a long ride. Two weeks ago, riding won out, and I spent the morning soaking up the completely empty roads for a few hours accompanied by only my own thoughts. I counted fewer than a dozen cars that passed me on the road for the first two …
Author Archives: Luke
Still learning
After a quick day trip on a perfect afternoon in Chicago watching the Air and Water show with my dad from the VIP area right on the water, I was back in Holland on Monday getting yet another round of chemotherapy. This time, I remembered that I could get a prescription for lidocaine, which numbs the skin …
Go. Do.
It rained hard yesterday. At first, lightly, a refreshing antidote to the humidity fogging up my sunglasses that requiring me to stash them in the vents of my helmet. While circling around some hills north of Kalamazoo on my bike with Abe, I lost track of time. These were new roads. New to me. Remember …
Pass the salt
What if Venus Flytraps had a sense of taste? Like if ants were the equivalent of fast food – tasty and plentiful, but not all that dignified – and flies were like Alaskan King Crab – endlessly delicious, but you’d starve if you held out for it to land on you plate every night. Would …
There might be a light at the end of the tunnel
The good news is that my PET-CT scan results were what we were expecting. Mainly, the cancer hot spots throughout my lymph system are no longer there, and the mass in my chest that was 16 cm across is now just 6 cm, and more importantly is not metabolically active anymore. It’s most likely just …
Continue reading “There might be a light at the end of the tunnel”
Exhausted
It’s been a long, deliberately busy week, and I’m drained in more than one way, but I’m finally able to kick my feet up and be alone and recharge. Not that I don’t like sitting by the lake chatting with others every night, but every once in awhile it feels necessary to slow down the …
and the cardinal hits the window
I am one of the lucky ones. At my first meeting with my oncologist back in April, I had a list of questions to ask, the most important of which was, how soon can I start chemo? I hadn’t had surgery to put the port in my chest yet, and my worries were 1) I …
Notes from a swinging chair overlooking Lake Michigan
I stubbed my big toe pretty badly a few nights ago. I’ve been hobbling around on one leg, hoping that my toenail would just fall off already and provide some relief, to no avail. Sometimes I think my tolerance for pain needs to be recalibrated. I went to the ER late last night to finally …
Continue reading “Notes from a swinging chair overlooking Lake Michigan”
Holland Hundred
For all the races and events I’ve done in the past few years, there’s actually only one that I’ve managed to prioritize enough to not miss every year – the Holland Hundred. It’s not a race, but a casual ride through country roads in Allegan county with several rest stops for food and water and …
It’s been a slow week. Each day the sun hangs in the sky for an extra breathe, an MJ-esque hangtime, refusing to follow its natural course and bring an end to the day. I had my 7th round of chemo on Monday, which should technically mean I’m more than halfway done. After 4 hours at …