Saturday, June 30, 2007
Doug's day to shine
Today was a fairly bad day for me. Most of my cancer patient friends can tell you there are days when you are so fatigued you can barely get out of bed. Today was one of those days for me. I have rested all day.
Doug on the other hand did something very amazing. He rode the entire length of the Dalton Highway today. He did it in about 10 hours. With a little luck and a lot of skill he did what not many riders have done in the short time in which he did it.
I am guessing Doug is one of the few people to ride the entire length of the Dempster Highway and the Dalton Highway within five days. I have already written of the weather and road conditions that challenged us. Doug had good weather today with the exception of a couple of spots and this fact really helped him succeed.
Both Doug and I have met our objectives for this trip and I am very happy. Tomorrow I will rest again and wait for Doug's arrival. I am hoping he takes it easy on the way back as he won't be leaving until after he takes a guided tour of the Arctic Ocean oil fields. This may delay his arrival in Fairbanks until 12midnight.
What's next? We will be heading for Denali National Park. The Denali Highway is another gravel road and you know how I love (not) gravel. I have heard that it is just beautiful in the park.
One of our friends, John Flowers, advised me to enjoy the entire ride. Focusing on the Arctic Circle and, for Doug, riding the two highways end to end were great objectives but I want to enjoy the fact that we are in some of the best motorcycle riding country in the world.
I want to end this entry by sharing a special moment I had today just after I waved goodbye to Doug. There was a fellow standing by us enjoying Doug's banter. He asked me why I wasn't joining my friend on the ride and I explained my health problem. When he read the poster on the side bag he looked stunned. We talked for a moment about cancer and then with very visible emotion he told me of how his three year old daughter, Mandy, had been diagnosed with a brain tumor. He spoke of the surgery she had as well as the chemo and radiation therapy. He knew what I have gone through because he saw his daughter had such a tough time.
Mandy went into remission until the age of seven when her tumor returned. This time she suffered through more surgery and chemo/radiation therapy. He had tears in his eyes when he told me she contracted an infection that the doctors could not cure and at the age of seven this sweet little girl passed away. I was so saddened by this conversation. I was also inspired and motivated. Last July I was hospitalized for an infection. We fought for 10 days until it went away. I am so lucky the Dr. Bobolis was able to save me.
As Mandy's father and I parted I said something like I pray they find a cure for this horrid disease. He replied, "Yes, and not soon enough." I was very moved by his story and that is why I wanted to share it here with you.
Dell
