Bucket List (trip) kinda stuff of a lifetime.

Aloha all it's been a minute since I've filled you in on my colon cancer battle. For those of you who do see my posts on fb I apologize for repeating it here. I'll try to be brief.

It's been a tough tough journey so far. So here goes nothing In March of 2021

I had the privilege of having yet another coloresection surgery done this second time with a twist. Dr Wai (my surgeon) said this time I'd have to have an iliostomy bag for 5 months. I'll spare you the gory details, let me just say it was the worst 5 months of my life.

The reversal (surgery to undo the iliostomy) was a success and I haven't looked back.

I've had chemo every 3 weeks like clock work. In Feb of 23, I had to have a surgery called a wedge resection in my right lung to remove a stubborn tumor that wouldn't go away. Then proceeded with chemo every 3 weeks until yet more tumors 3 this time (March of 24) in the same lung. No surgery this time though it was to be radiation, something foreign to me, and Frankly it scared the shit out of me. I was reassured by a new Dr this time, Dr Diane Lu. She was right there was nothing to be afraid of. Now I'm not saying it was easy or something I didn't need to worry about of course there was, this was cancer. I had 8 treatments (super doses) and it was terrible, I was experiencing things I never had before, my body (insides) were on fire constantly and nothing I did helped. I had to ride it out.

To back track a little bit (important though) in Feb of this year Sheryl had a little (my bestie) fundraiser for me. Her plan was to have my bestie from Boston-Ozzy (hadn't seen him in 10yrs) to come visit me here in Hawaii. It was the BEST week I've had in a long time.(thank you so much Sheryl!!!)

After the 8 zaps of radiation it was back to chemo every 3 weeks, which brings me to the here and now.

So here we are in April of 2024 and someone suggested that I consider bucket list kind of stuff...? Huh?, I ain't dying, at least not yet anyway, I got the point.

With your help I'd like to go home (Boston) to visit family/friends that will never get a chance to come out to Hawaii for a multitude of reasons. Another trip this one big really big, I'd like to go to Italy. Yeah let that sink in Italy. My brother and his wife just went on a trip of a lifetime there and I'm jealous. Part of me feels like I got no business trying to take a trip like this. I owe so much money to Queens Hospital, my credit card, utilities (electric bill is over $700) and other bills I got no right even thinking nevermind asking to take such an expensive trip like this. Or do I?

So I'm putting it out there and I'm asking and praying for the chance to go on that trip of a lifetime.