Darcy- My Faithful Companion

They say that dogs can sense when something is not right. I have to agree! Darcy, our family dog seems to sense that I am sick and not myself these days. He seems to be giving me some extra attention and love.  Although Michelle and Sophie ("the girl's") will always be his favourites, he is spending more and more time by my side. We often laugh that he treats each of us in a special way. He has an almost sibling rivalry with Jonathan and Joshua ("the boys") and he know that they are the ones to rough house with. One thing is for sure, he knows how to get our attention for dog treats, often getting more than one from each of us!

Since I have been home (in retirement) he has been my faithful companion throughout the day. Wherever I go in the house, Darcy is there with me. When we wake up in the early morning, to have our first morning coffee, regardless of how early in the morning it is, he is at our feet (so close that we are touching in some way). When we are watching t.v. in the family room, he is lying close by our chairs. When I sneak up for a short nap in the middle of the day, he soon comes up and joins me for a nap (I secretly thing he really enjoys this time of day the most!) 

When my nurse comes to our home for my weekly dressing change and to clean my PICC Line, Darcy is there to make sure she is treating me right, almost guarding me. It did take him a few weeks before he began to warm up to her but I guess she has passed the test, as he seems to tolerate her presence in our home more and simply lies by my feet during the process.

Darcy wants to be with us all the time. When we leave our house to go out for an errand or dinner, you should see the look on his face. He is forlorn and looks heartbroken. He often sits on our staircase with his tail down and has the saddest look on his face. How could you leave me? When we return however, we can see him patiently waiting in the office window, looking for our car to enter our driveway. His tail is wagging a mile a minute when he sees that it is us exiting the car door. When the front door opens his tail is wagging and he gives us the most heartfelt greeting every time. His facial expression seems to be telling us "I missed you and I am so glad that you are back." Everyone should have a welcome greeting like this when they come home each day.

Darcy even helps motivate us to go on our nature walks. He loves to join us as we walk the trails of Newmarket. He helps to ensure that we are going at a good pace but at the same time stop for breaks so he can do his business and sniff out others business along the way! He is always in the lead. I love it when he looks back at us and seems to be saying "Are you guys coming!".

Having a pet takes dedication, commitment and patience, especially when they get older. Darcy, in his 13th year,  no longer has complete control of his need to remind us/give us a warning that he needs to go outside to do his business like he use to do. Indoor accidents are on the rise in our house these days. However, his love, companionship and his unwavering loyalty to us makes up for these new shortcomings.

We love you Darcy and thank you for being an important part of our family! Thank you for being my faithful companion. 

Richard  

Family- Home Sweet Home

To me, December is a time for family. 

There are really only a few times during the year, when most of us can really slow down the pace and take time to enjoy each others company. December holidays are one of these times for our family. December provides opportunities to visit and celebrate with our extended families and friends. Lots of good food, music & good company.  The lead up to Christmas if often hectic and busy but the days after Christmas and before the new year are perfect for slowing down, sitting around in our PJ's, watching movies and decompressing.  Spending time with those that matter the most.

Family means everything to me. I am so glad that we are all able to be together during Christmas. Sitting together for family meals, especially Sunday morning 'big' breakfasts, are something that our family really enjoys doing. As our children grow older, these special moments become harder to arrange. 

Our family is so fortunate to all be together this Christmas. Sophie was able to return from university earlier this year, which is allowing us lots of time to spend together. We are saddened at the same time that we will not be able to enjoy the holidays with our extended family in Kingston, but staying close to home this holiday seems best for us at this time in our cancer journey.  

My family keeps asking me what I would like for Christmas and my response is all I really want for Christmas is TIME.  Time to be with them, time to enjoy each others company. We tend to take time for granted. Time is precious. 

My wish for you all is to continue to make memories with each other. Take time to be with each other as much a possible, especially during the holidays. Use this holiday season to connect or reconnect with your family and build new memories with each other.

This will be my last blog post for 2019. I will be taking a few weeks off to enjoy the holiday season with my family. Our plans include: going for some nature walks, playing board games, watching some of our favourite classic Christmas movies, doing some local day trips and just having a chance to sit, relax and talk with each other (which seems like something of a luxury these days). 

I wish you and your family a wonderful holiday. Enjoy your time with your family. Make some memories!

Richard

Supporting Cancer Research

Over the years I have supported a number of cancer fundraisers both as an individual and through my role as an elementary school teacher & principal. These include the Terry Fox Foundation, Movember, Princess Margaret Journey to Conquer Cancer, CIBC Run for a Cure, Canadian Cancer Society daffodil sales & Pink Ribbon Breast Cancer Awareness Month. I have always been proud to support these charities because of the work that they do. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think that one day I would be the beneficiary of the research, advancements and initiatives that some of these fundraising dollars would support through these donations.

It is amazing to see all of the advancements in cancer care treatment. At the same time, it is surprising to see that treatment options still have not progressed that much over the years.  We still have a long way to go. One day I feel that we will look back on the current treatment options (radiation and chemotherapy) and wonder how we could have ever purposely put radioactive materials and poisons in our bodies to battle cancer. There must be a better option. I truly believe that these donations will go along way to further advance cancer treatments for all patients and move us away from these current options. 

Movember

During the month of November I participated in #Movember. This is my fifth time growing a moustache for a good cause. Check out the results! Movember focuses on men’s health. Thanks to all those that supported my #Movember challenge during the month of November. You all ROCK! I am so thankful for the support. I had to increase my goal four times during the month, thanks to the steady flow of donations. My original goals was $250. and I am pleased to report that I raised a total of $1020. for #Movember this year. Thank you! 

Terry Fox School Run/Walk

Ramer Wood Staff Support

Earlier this year, I attended the Terry Fox Run/Walk at my former school. I was overwhelmed with the support of students and staff that were running/walking to support cancer research. Even my former staff at my first school as principal, supported me during the walk. As you can imagine, it had a special meaning for me this year.  I was so blessed to have current and former staff and students place my name on their ‘I running for’ stickers. You will never know how much that meant to me. I am so blessed.  

Shout Outs!

On behalf of all cancer patients, I would like to give special shoutouts to all the medical professionals working to support cancer patients. On a personal note, I would like to thank all of the doctors, nurses, medical professionals and cancer volunteers (many of which have had a loved one who has had cancer) at Stronach Regional Cancer Centre at Southlake Regional Health Centre or your compassion and professionalism. It means more than you know. 

Our family has decided to participate in the Run for Southlake 5K Run/Walk on Sunday, April 26th, 2020 to support raising funds for the most urgently needed tools and equipment at Southlake. Things that the expert teams rely on to save lives and provide patients, family, friends and neighbours with the learning edge and compassionate care they deserve. We will tweet out our family donation team link once we have registered in the new year. We invite you to walk/run with us! This is our local hospital and local cancer centre. We are so fortunate to have these world class facilities in our community. #RunforSouthlake

Cancer Donations

If you have never donated or volunteered before, I would encourage you to do so. There are many different charities that need support to help battle cancer and provide much needed research money. Pick one that you would like to support! Cancer touches us all (either directly or indirectly through family and friends). Volunteering or providing a financial donation gets us one step closer to a cure. 

Keep laughing & smiling :)

Richard