What a week it has been!
It has been a while since my last update
and let me assure you I am very well. This blog entry is going to definitely
let you all know I am very well and fighting fit. Firstly I am sorry to all my
female readers (my wife included), for your loss and the mourning of Dr.
Patrick Reid (AKA Matthew Le Nevez) from your
Wednesday night TV screens in the hit show Offspring.
I had fun over the weekend spending time
with my beautiful girls playing at the park and having a milkshake and coffee
with the girls. Lisa was attending an Osteopath training session
in the city over this weekend. I think she enjoyed her time being an Osteo and mixing with adults
and not having small people at her ankles calling out; ‘mum, mum, mum!’ Over
and over again! It was a fun weekend with the girls. Something I will
treasure forever. Lisa deserved this time away.
 |
| GIRLS PLAYING IN THE WINTER SUN |
Also on this weekend, I presented my Cancer
journey to another local footy club (Upper Ferntree Gully) an old rival club of
mine from my footy days.
Apologies for the Presentation format. I use Keynote on the Mac to present and create my work. To add to this blog I need to change it to a PowerPoint and it appears the fonts/format don't match.
I wouldn't present the way the slide share has done in this blog.
The presentation went well. I did have
technical issues to begin with, but the message was definitely well received.
It was strange talking to a club I used to battle against. This presentation
was attended my both my parents and sister Olivia, who have all been a huge
support for me in this terrible journey I am going through. It was the first
time my mum and sister had heard me speak and this was an honour to do in this
presentation front of them. I was nervous but all the same proud of the fact
they could be there.
After the weekend, I attended and presented
at a two day educational conference organised by the VITTA organization. I
presented to about 45 educators for 50minutes on ‘Blending the iPad into the
Curriculum’. It went well and made me feel alive and more passionate about my
craft of teaching and using technology to engage students and staff. Networking
at these conferences is always a wonderful experience and an excellent way to
gain further knowledge and skills.
On the first day at this conference I was
awarded an award for ‘Outstanding Service in Using Information Communication
Technology In Victorian Primary Education’, the citation that was read out was
rather overwhelming. I am honoured to have received this award and to be
acknowledged for my work in the area of e-learning in education, something I
truly thought would never happen to me.
The second day of this conference I presented
a 15min Keynote Presentation on Provoking Learning in Your School. It was
rather stressful leading up to it. But once I started it was all smooth
sailing. I took a huge risk in presenting to the 100+ audience…. I made a movie
and let that play through whilst I spoke. A huge risk, but I think it paid off.
In between all of this I had a blood test
to see how things are going with my Melanoma progress. The results came back
very good. The oncologist is extremely happy with my progress. My hemoglobin is
high and in the good zone, impressive as he said. He looked at me and added you
look fit and healthy, not looking like someone who is progressing in a bad way.
These words pleased me very much.
We also had a very lucky experience at home, images below will explain it all. The weather in Melbourne has been terrible, rain, hail, windy and destructive. The house next door had a massive pine tree on the nature strip fall over and damaged the neighbor’s front fence. It fell and missed the car parked in her driveway. The ‘what if’s’ all come out when these type of things happen….what if it fell toward our house? What if Lisa was walking past? Lisa actually came home during the storm and parked the car in our driveway, she raced inside and left the girls in the car to quickly grab something…what if the tree fell on the car?
 |
| OUR HOUSE IS THE BLUE FENCE. |
I am thankful no one was hurt and feel
terrible for my neighbor and her damaged property. In all the tree is still
uprooted and looking dangerous.
My training is going well. I am riding
heaps and averaging about 140km a week, also finally back running doing about
4-5km’s once a week.
Matthew Collins, my mate and riding partner
have been challenging each other on the rides. I am feeling a lot fitter… and
loving the riding even more. Keen to keep riding more often and looking forward
to hitting the hills more frequently, the running will also increase and my aim
is to hit under 4.30min/km pace. Which is nowhere near my best pace, but it is
good to be running.
Also another huge achievement and relief to
all is that I am back driving. This is good for all close to me. Thanks to
Bruce Oakley and those who have driven me to many places.
I’d like to finish with letting everyone
know that I have scans in 4weeks and feel very confident that I have no new
tumours and the one that is left will be reduced in size. My journey is not over and I am feeling very
good at the moment the best I have felt in a long time. Cancer is not pleasant
and I wouldn’t wish it upon anyone, but I feel like I have been given this
disease to challenge me, and give me the chance to motivate those in my life.
Cancer, especially melanoma, is unpredictable and I still stress about small
niggles I get, but I am believing I will win this battle.
Lisa, the girls and I are looking forward
to our holiday in September to Palm Cove, will share my scan results before the
holiday.
Love to all and remember hug your loved
one’s. x
