Yesterday dad was off to Blind River. He was to call me from Tim Hortons for the info on his hosts. When he got to Tim Hortons he went to wash his hands, when he came out someone asked him if he was "Gary?" It was his hosts for the evening. They thought they would just pop by Tim Hortons to see if he was there and sure enough he was. A BIG THANK YOU to his hosts John and Marilyn for their kindness and heartfelt warmth.John and Clarence (a friend of John's) welcomed dad with a guitar duet - playing and singing My Nova Scotia Home in honour of dad's journey. I was told it brought a tear to dad's eye. John is originally from Nova Scotia and he is also a thyroid cancer survivor.
I received the following email this morning from John and Marilyn advising that dad had left and is on his way to Sudbury at 8:15 this morning.
....warm morning but a very light mist in the air - forecast is for a sunny day with highs of 20...should be a good riding day. He had a hearty breakfast then went out to pack up his bike wearing his newly washed clothing and carrying his freshly filled water bottles and a packed lunch. A wee bit late on the start - but we were up till midnight trading "war stories" and enjoying each other's company. Your Dad is truly a wonderful, loving person with a fantastic outlook on life.....we really enjoyed every moment of his (all-to-short) visit with us!! Thank you for all you and your family do for him to make his journey run so smoothly.
This is an example of the truly wonderful and beautiful people dad has met and who have hosted him. Words cannot say enough or express our thanks.
HI Gary,
ReplyDeleteSo cool that you're in Northern Ontario - I grew up in North Bay. So much natural beauty there - let the spirit of the north power your legs.
I'm a radiation oncologist and Associate Professor in Halifax - who also leads a charity called the Healing and Cancer Foundation - www.healingandcancer.org We've offered cancer weekend retreats across Canada for the last decade / creating DVD sets, documentaries, and recently a book - all to empower people affected by cancer.
We're arranging for a retreat for people affected by thyroid cancer October 1-3 in Halifax (Shali Manuel on planning committee and others you'd know). What's exciting is that we're going to film the retreat - in fact, a couple of the Halifax surgeons are open to the idea that we'd ask people who receive a thyroid cancer this summer to share their story, before, during and long after the retreat to create a documentary / DVD set - again to raise awareness and create supportive materials for those affected - which we'd freely share on our website and through thyroid cancer canada and internationally.
I'd love to email you directly - and will promote your ride!
Let the biking Gods (and money Gods) send you strength.
Rob Rutledge, MD
Hi Gary: You're an inspiration to us all. See you soon. Take care,and be cautious orossing those rail tracks. Lv. Jim and Nancy.
ReplyDeleteHI Gary: May the wind be always at your back and the sun smiling softly on your face. You're an inspiration to everyone. Congratulations on your tremendous and challenging effort! Your positive attitude is infectious! Keep on biking. Lv. Jim and Nancy
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