Sunday, November 2, 2008

Recycling

Hi Everyone!

Just wanted to close this Halloween weekend with some thoughts on recycling.

If you go back to my January blogs of this year, you'll find the picture of me above.  It was the day I was fitted for my radiation mask, the one that mapped my head so that the IMRT radiation beams could be fired at exactly the right spot and at exactly the right millisecond.

You may recall that I was strapped down with this mask attached to the table and my hands and feet bound so that I could not move during the 35 hours of radiation therapy I had, one hour at a time.

My good friend, Lady Josh of Jean's Green and Pink Ribbons, is now undergoing the same sort of radiation treatment, although I don't think she has a mask.  Jean, I think of you and pray for you every day.  There's no reason why your therapy can't be just as successful as mine has been.

And, Brother Kirk, I think of you and pray for you each day as well.  Your chemotherapy has been, and will be, a lot tougher than the 288 hours of drugs in my body.  But your therapy can be, and will be,  just as successful as mine.

May both of you be blessed with strength and courage.   There are a lot of folks out here who are mentioning your name to the Lord each day.  He will watch over you, even on those days when you feel too tired to be strong.  Be strong anyway!

And, at the end of your treatment and after you recover, there are times when you will look back and wonder how you did it.  It was with His help and His strength when yours was not enough.

Plus, you will get to laugh again!  Like last Saturday when we took the local kids and grandkids to the Udvar Hazy Air and Space Museum for their Halloween Open House.  Guess what I wore as a costume?




Let me assure you that, although there were a lot of witches, the Queen and her sister Linda among them, and although there were plenty of Star Wars characters, there was only one guy wearing a radiation mask among the thousands in the place. 

I was asked by over 25 parents to have my picture taken with their children, who found me to be pretty spooky.  I even told a few parents what the mask was when they asked. 

So, despite my aversion to polar bears and whales, you can see that I'm really ecology friendly by recycling that which most would rather discard.

Jean and Kirk, save a souvenir for when you reach the high ground!

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

I am so proud that you recycle. (You do recycle weird things but what more can be said about that.)
Am so impressed that you could wear that mask again. I am hyperventilating just looking at it and the claustraphopia aspect

You and the Queen and her sister look great and that is what counts now. You won the spook them out catagory on that day.
Will see you on the high ground.

Unknown said...

I was wondering if you could see thru that mask? I bet the kids loved it. It is so nice to be able to use that mask for having fun cause I know there was no fun the first time around. Do me a favor and don't wear that mask to the voting polls

Kernal Ken said...

Yes, I can see out of the mask, but looking in all you can see is that there is someone - or something - alive inside.

That's what makes it so spooky...

queenie said...

ok, sorry but that freaked me out. funny and freaky my favorite combination.

Apis Melliflora said...

Everything about this post just warms my heart. You should have won a prize at that Halloween party! One for most original, one for most inspirational, one for best nose, one for biggest mask...I could go on! Go Jean and go Kirk too!

Lois said...

We're so glad you are doing well. We continue to pray for you. For Halloween - Jim wore a BIG smile because he got a great report from NNMC!

Unknown said...

Ken --

A missive from The Squid.

Wish I could say that I was on a SPECOP of some kind over the past couple of months, but, alas I am back on target with you.

Elm Street residents have nothing on your costume. Must have really been a royal fright-nite for passersby and homesteaders.

Do we have a wager on the Army - Navy contest? I am laying down a cheesecake (of your choosing, should you prevail).

So very good to see that the Blog is going strong, and, that you snd the Queen HAVE endured.

The Squid