Why am I writing this blog?

Euclid (Cleveland), Ohio, United States
Here I share the amazing spiritual journey I began on July 19, 2007. I received the diagnosis of a golf-ball-sized tumor on top of the left parietal lobe (motor functions) of my brain. I had severe symptoms all up and down the right side of my body and had received an MRI scan of my brain. In August 2007, I learned that my diagnosis was a Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM). This is a common form of fast-growing brain cancer with a challenging prognosis. That's the external story about that moment in time. In the spiritual world I found (actually more like it found me) what I came to call the Fact-Based Spirit-Guided Path, and I began an amazing journey. After October of 2008, I lost the use of my right arm, and in early 2009, my cognitive abilities were struggling, and treatment options ended. My wife, Susanne, then began doing most of the blog postings, with my review and input whenever possible. I continued to apply the Fact-Based Spirit-Guided Path as the adventure continued. My soul then flew to the Kingdom of God on July 1, 2009. Thanks for your interest in my journey. Craig

Susanne's Perspective

During this entire journey, my wife, Susanne, had an entirely different kind of experience. Initially she added comments to some of my posts describing her experience of the moments I discussed and offerred perspectives on our relationship. In the latter stage of this journey, she is writing the blog, as I am no longer able to do so. I am truly delighted that she is doing so. Susanne and I work together as marriage educators/relationship coaches and she has written many books on preparing for and strengthening marriages so you can count on her comments to be insightful and poignant.

Sunday, February 24, 2008

Week in Florida: February 15 to February 23

Very little news on the medical front. I finished the round of antibiotics that were prescribed after the surgery and have returned to the assortment of vitamins and supplements I was taking before the surgery. Susanne just kept an eye on the incision and didn’t fuss about anything I ordered to eat while we traveled in Florida!

Our vacation week was to an 8-person townhome in Kawama Yacht Club, Key Largo, Florida with both of our mothers! My mom came over from Pennsylvania and flew with us. Susanne’s mother flew from Toronto, Canada. Susanne’s daughter Jennifer and her husband Frank, who live in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, joined us for the first couple of days, too.

It was a delightful, restful time. The mothers joked about Susanne being “Matilda the maid” and me being “Henry the chauffer” since those were our support roles with them down there. The major decisions each day centered on whether we’d go to the pool or the beach and where we’d go for lunch and dinner and which card game to play…pretty weighty decisions. We enjoyed breakfast each day on the balcony. The weather was a great escape from the northern snow. Most days we didn’t even need the air conditioning on. The Mom’s kept checking the weather channel and reporting how much snow was falling at home!

The main sightseeing trip we all did together, including Jen and Frank, was a glass bottom boat trip out to the John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park. This was a wonderful cruise, first out through a long channel through a Mangrove swamp and then out to the reef. The view of the flora and fauna of the reef (including some Goliath Grouper and Barracuda) was spectacular. Unfortunately the water was fairly rough as we were idling over the reef and several of our party got sea sick…oh well! We made jokes about family bonding over nausea and upchucking….

We also visited a wild bird sanctuary in time for the daily 3:30 PM feeding. That was a bit overwhelming and a bit more of a walk than our mothers bargained for. But interesting to see all the birds.

Susanne and I did several things together. We:

  • Walked down to the beach at sunrise each day and did our Tai Chi exercises at the end of a 400 ft jetty. That was wonderful! Walked in the evening and enjoyed the full moon. Unfortunately it was cloudy the night of the lunar eclipse, so we saw little of it.
  • Took a sunset cruise on a catamaran…it was advertised as no seasickness, so Susanne got brave enough to go out on the water again. Special bonus was the appearance of a full rainbow (both ends visible…right and left) just as we were exiting the marina out into the ocean. The whole cruise was a wonderful romantic time.
  • Visited the Museum of Deep Sea Diving, which was a really interesting look at how man has explored underwater for 1,000s of years. The centerpiece of the exhibits was a large array of various diving helmets from all over the world. As far as I’m concerned it took a huge amount of courage and trust in the surface crew, that were supplying the air, to be bolted into one of those things and go underwater.
  • Swam in a lake on the condo property that was seawater and had many fish. Someone told us afterward there was barracuda in it. We had seen large parrot fish, but that was it. And there were platforms for sunbathing throughout. So, we figured it was safe. Glad we had no problems with anything but minnows!

    So, we’ve come back refreshed and browner than when we left. Great to have a week with no medical appointments or emergencies! Yay!

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