Change of Plans for the Weekend

I forgot to write yesterday about my upcoming surgery, which is probably a good thing, and you'll see why in just a minute.

As you've all probably heard, I have a surgery planned to remove the spacer in my jaw and replace it with a bone graft from my hip. It's not going to be as intense of a surgery as the ones in December and January were, but it's going to leave me sore for a few weeks!

Initially, the surgery was planned for April 3rd, which is a week from tomorrow. Dr. Hunt, my main doctor up at Hunstman, called today and said there was an opening in his surgery schedule for this Thursday, as in TWO days from now. My mom said, "Can we call you back?" We talked it over, and decided we'd jump on this opportunity.

So the surgery is this Thursday, March 28th. I anticipate it'll be a few hours and the doctors anticipate me staying just one night. Depending on the time of the surgery (we'll know tomorrow), we'll either head up to Salt Lake tomorrow night or Thursday morning, and if all goes well, I'll be back late Friday!

It's good that I wrote about blessings yesterday, because here is another one! The surgery will get done sooner, it won't be right before my brother's birthday, and Dr. Hunt doesn't have as many surgeries this Thursday as he does next week, so I'll go in earlier in the day (because I can't eat at all the morning of the surgery). I'm excited to get another step closer to full recovery. Keep running!

Blessings Past, Present, and Yet to Come

"For after much tribulation come the blessings. Wherefore the day cometh that ye shall be crowned with much glory; the hour is not yet, but is nigh at hand." (D&C 58:4)

This scripture is really comforting. I sure feel like I have definitely gone through "much tribulation," so I'm definitely excited for what the Lord promised in this scripture and I know it's true. I know that the Lord will bless me if I hold to the gospel and the truth during my trials.

Blessings are an amazing thing. Even in hard times I can look all around me and see the blessings that I and my family have. A few examples?

Being surrounded by an amazing family. I'm really lucky that all of my married siblings still live in Cedar City, so I get to see them frequently.

This little guy. Because I'm home, I get to help babysit and play with him once a week when we have him over for "Grandma Morning"

The fact that I ran a half marathon when I did- it's always been one of my goals, and with my fibula removed, it's going to be a little harder to run another one now (but not impossible!!)

The fact that I live in the great state of Utah, only four hours away from Hunstman Cancer Institute, one of the best cancer facilities in the WORLD

The fact that I can give service- this is from a trip to Mexico I went on in June of last year

1- My physical health and that I am not as limited with physical activity as I could possibly be

2- With my recent surgeries, I consider it a blessing that I am still able to do funny faces, I'm not kidding- they're the best!

The fact that I can always have a good time with my friends no matter where we are- Disneyland or dances! I look back to dances as some of the most memorable times in high school

 

Along with these "big" blessings, I'm also grateful for the "small" blessings I have.

• I can get out of bed every day by myself (seriously)
• I can eat, maybe not as fast as before, but it gives me a chance to savor my food more :)
• I have a nice warm house to spend every day in
• Making the right choice, following the promptings to go to SUU
• I still lived at home and was close to my parents when first diagnosed with this relapse
• I can continue while "finishing up" surgeries
• Many more, which I have not yet come to realize
• I was really bummed when I found out that I didn't get chosen as a Presidential Ambassador for SUU. I seriously thought I would get it, but I would've had to quit for this semester while I'm not in school
• The friends I've made that have helped me and showed me that I really do have lots of reasons to be happy
• The people I run into everyday- I truly believe these are not coincidences

Life is full of blessings. And also, blessings will come. No matter how small. I know that the trials I've had in my life are not AT ALL fun, enjoyable, or something I want to do again, but you know what? The blessings make it all worth it. I'm not glad that I had cancer. But I am glad that I have this blog to write down my thoughts and that my words, attitude, and perspective can help me, but also many others. I cannot even begin to describe how my testimony of the gospel has changed since I graduated from high school. I know that the Lord has a plan for me and that no matter what happens, it will bless me, my family, or maybe someone I don't know in ways that I may not even realize.

 

Blessings have come, blessings are coming, and blessings WILL come. All I need to do is to hold to the Lord.

 

Until next time, keep running!

 

The Power of Music

I kinda vamped up my site a little. Feels more like a website than a blog. What do you think?


Well, I never thought I was allergic to anything. Until I was in the hospital in December. I had just been admitted because of an infection from my surgery. The nurses started an antibiotic call Zosyn. About 30 seconds later, I started to become itchy, swell up a little bit, and to make a long story short, the doctors and nurses came in very quickly and I was just fine.

The thing I remember the most from that was when the doctors were treating that reaction. My mom said, "Erik, what's your favorite hymn?" And, I said, "I Need Thee Every Hour," and she sang that to me while I was overcoming that reaction.

10,000 points for Mom.

That whole ordeal only lasted for a few minutes, but it sure felt like quite a long time to me. I'm not telling you this story to scare you- don't worry, anaphylaxis (the allergic reaction I had) is very rare and I was in the best possible place to have an allergic reaction- but to explain just how much music has helped me in my life.

 

1. I need thee ev'ry hour,
Most gracious Lord.
No tender voice like thine
Can peace afford.

2. I need thee ev'ry hour;
Stay thou nearby.
Temptations lose their pow'r
When thou art nigh.

 

3. I need thee ev'ry hour,
In joy or pain.
Come quickly and abide,
Or life is vain.

 

4. I need thee ev'ry hour,
Most holy One.
Oh, make me thine indeed,
Thou blessed Son!

Chorus: I need thee, O I need thee,
Ev'ry hour I need thee.
Oh, bless me now, my Savior,
I come to thee.

 

Music has always had such a profound effect in my life. My parents say that when I was around 4 or 5, I would be sitting at my siblings' piano recital, tapping my foot along with the music while I colored in a coloring book. Music has always come easy to me, too. I started playing the trombone in 5th grade, and it came easier than I thought! In 9th grade, I decided that I would discontinue band. I kind of had mixed feeling about it, but it felt like the right decision and I had a feeling that I was making the right choice (and yes, it was, 6 months later was when I was first diagnosed with cancer, so I wouldn't have been able to play the trombone for the remainder of that year!)

 

Seriously.

 

I'm really grateful for music in my life. Because I've always had a knack for it, and I've always loved it, it is definitely one of the easiest ways I can feel the Spirit.

 

Music has helped me through my hardest times. When I'm feeling down, I turn on the radio or even listen to an EFY cd. Yeah, I still have those, and yeah, I still listen to them! When I'm bored, I sit down and play the piano. If you don't know how to play a musical instrument, I strongly recommend you learn: piano, guitar, heck, the harmonica! If you're willing to give the effort, it'll sure pay off!

 

Today's challenge, find some good music. Not just a catchy beat, but good lyrics, too! It'll change your attitude, if you let it. Promise!

 

Until next time, keep running!

Battling That "What If..."

Real quick- another good blog. Found it on Twitter. This lady has been through a traumatic head injury and she is inspiring! It's called Jamie Hilton: Miracles... Believe in Them.

Sometimes I get caught up in the thinking of "What if...?"
What if I fall off the deck and break my leg?
What if I have one of those dreams where I go to school in my underwear but it's not a dream?
What if I get in a car crash?
What if I wasn't as close to my family?
What if I never had cancer?
What if I am not healed?

Buddha said, "It is better to conquer yourself than to win a thousand battles..." and I agree with that. I think the hardest battles we will face are in our minds. And "What if" is one of them. It's really kinda scary being caught up in all that. Not only because it lets your imagination run free, either for the good or the bad, but it can also really hurt you. We've all heard that if a cancer patient thinks he/she will be healed, then he/she probably will be! Positive attitude, folks! (link to a previous post about positive attitude)

I don't mean that you shouldn't imagine, for example, being a millionaire or being famous in the future. Those are dreams and hopes. What I am saying is don't hurt yourself by thinking what would happen if some event did/didn't happen or things played out differently, especially when adversity or trials come or tragedy strikes.

When bad things happen, replace "What if" with "Now that this happened, I'm going to..."

For example: Instead of me thinking "What if I never had cancer? Where would I be?" I think "Okay. I have cancer. But how can I overcome it, how will it bless me, and how can it bless others?"

Well, I'll tell you. Since I have had cancer, I have realized who my true friends are. I have learned how much I can go through and that I can do hard things. I have become closer to my family. My life is more precious to me. One of the most important to me: I have strengthened my testimony and come closer to my Savior as I prepare to one day meet Him again.

Probably the most important thing to remember about the "What if" situation. It is found in Matthew 19:26-- "...with God all things are possible." I have been told by the doctors that with my fibula removed, I might not be able to run a marathon, maybe not even a half marathon. But instead of thinking, "What if they're right? What if I really can't run that?" I think "If I try my hardest and have faith in God and that He will help me, I can do it." And I know I can!

Until next time, keep running!

(If you haven't caught on, the reason that the background for this site is runners is because running is something I really love, and always have loved it. I ran a half marathon last September (more on that later) and ran cross country in high school. Running again is probably one of my biggest goals.)

Over the Last Month or Two...

First of all, check out this girl's website called Ashtyn's Army. My mom stumbled upon it through Facebook (I think) and said I should look at it! She is 12 years old and is battling leukemia. What a fighter! The posts are full on inspiration and I honestly think I am a better person for reading it!

Second, Today is kind of (and I use the term "kind of" loosely) a break from the "serious" stuff-  and this is why:

 

1. I'm kinda tired and I can't think

2. I think it's time to update you on how I'm doing and feeling

and 3. I love stuff that makes me laugh, and that's what some of this post will be!

 

UPDATE: As you might remember from reading my first couple of posts, I am battling round 3 of cancer right now. The first in early 2010, second in 2012, and now the third. In December, just three months ago, I had a 13 1/2 hour surgery to remove cancer and the cancer infected bone in my chin. The doctors took out my fibula- the tiny bone in my left leg- and put it in place of the infected bone. I had another surgery in January to remove just a little more bone, and they put in a spacer so that if there was more cancer to take out, it could easily be removed. Thankfully, there was no sign of cancer in the bone, and I am looking at one more surgery this month to replace the spacer with a little bit of bone from my hip. Gee, isn't it amazing what they can do with health care these days?

 

I'm honestly feeling really great. Here are just some of the things I've done to keep busy.

 

 

Netflix. Lots and lots of netflix. (Malcolm in the Middle is my new show)

 

(If you can read it, this picture is a bunch of words that describe me)

 

 Photoshop. (Credit to Jessica Savage for the one above. I got the idea from one of her pictures.)

 

 

Facebook. It's addicting, but I've gotten better!

 

 

Helping with the wedding.

 

 

This blog! Hope you are enjoying it.

 

I basically don't do to much. I just am recovering. It's really nice, because I'm so used to being real busy, but it's weird to have nothing to do.

 

 SWITCHING GEARS: I was on some antibiotics with the two hospital stays in December and one in January. Because of that, I've had some pretty awesome, funny, and whacky dreams. I want to share just a few of them with you:

• I was sitting in church on the bench, right next to the aisle. Just a normal Sunday. President Monson comes in to the chapel. Of course, everyone is standing out of respect, and as he is walking toward the front stand, he stops right at my row, looks me in the eye, and says, "Erik, how are you doing, really?" Coolest. Dream. Ever.
• I met the Queen of England. I don't remember really any details, but I think it was the same night as my Pres. Monson dream.
• Now this one is the best one (besides the Pres. Monson one): I was in the Winter Olympics and I was competing in skiing. The course we were about to ski was my driveway. For those of you that know where I live- this dream is probably a bit more realistic. Anyway, I was competing against some of the top skiiers in the world! The buzzer to start the race went off. I was the only one who heard it, so I was half way down the hill when the others realized the race had started. Won that heat. 1st place!! And I got 4th overall.

I really wish I would've written down the dreams I had right after I woke up! This is all I can remember off the top of my head. But my mom is a witness, I would come into the kitchen and say, "Man, I had the craziest dream last night!" And this happened quite a few times. :)

 

 

To end, PLEASE watch this video. It's just downright hilarious.
 

 

 

Until next time, keep running!