Okay, so I'm taking part in a fundraising effort called Movember. Each November, men grow their mustaches to help raise awareness and money to benefit men's health issues, specifically prostate cancer, and other cancers that affect men. I even have my own page for the cause here.
I've decided to go with the Van Dyke, because I think just a mustache on me would look goofy. Also because my beard shows the red highlights, which people don't get to see too often. That's the Irish Viking in me. I haven't posted a picture on the site yet, but that's coming soon, probably even later today.
Now, lest you think this is just an excuse for me not to shave for a month, let me tell you my motivation. In 1997, my father was diagnosed with throat cancer. After getting all of his options for treatment, he chose a very rigorous course of radiation which, over five weeks, completely nailed it. It left him both physically and emotionally drained for a while, but he beat it. In 2009, a spot was found on one of his kidneys. They couldn't get to the tumor itself, and so the kidney had to come out. This year, another spot was found in his lung. This time, they could remove the spot, which they did. Each time, it was a different cancer, unrelated to the previous occurrences. Each time, they got it all. Each time, he had some part of his body invaded; first by the cancer, then by the treatment. Each time, he took it like he takes just about everything: Quietly, determinedly, with little to no complaint (that I ever saw, anyway).
Cancer took his older sister when I was 14, and his youngest brother a few years ago. He was eight years older than I am. Two years ago, because of my family history and at the recommendation of my doctor, I had a colonoscopy which found a polyp that, had I waited, would most likely have become cancerous in a few years. My family's got skin in the game, literally.
So I'm growing my Van Dyke for November to try and help. I know the last few years have been a financial train wreck for a lot of folks. If you can, please click on my link and donate. Or get involved yourself (yes, women can participate too). If you can't, I completely understand, and you don't have to avoid eye contact with me.
And now, for your dancing pleasure (and because I saw him at the Middle East this week, plus he's mustachioed/bearded as well), I give you Frank Turner:
2 comments:
Hi John,
Your blog has been quite entertaining. I came upon while researching for my own about addiction and alcoholism after gastric bypass surgery. It's difficult to tell. I read where you drank a four pack in January 2011 to see the effect so I assumed that there was no problem, but later I read about meetings and attempts to quit drinking. Was there a drinking problem prior to the surgery or did it develop after the surgery?
Basically, the predelliction was always there for a number of reasons. Gastric bypass didn't make me an alcoholic, I probably woud have headed down that path even if I hadn't had the surgery. I think those of us who've had it definitely need to watch ourselves carefully, and I'm certainly not advising you against having a drink if you're able to control yourself. A lot of bypass patients tend towards alcoholism simply due to the fact that they're trading one addiction for another. But everyone is different, and some folks do better at it than others. I've got just under six months of sobriety under my belt now, and I'm doing well with that.
All the best,
John
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