Hello again everyone! Now that the whirlwind activity of the holidays is over I figured it was high time to update you all. In the future, I’m hoping to write at least once a week.
The 2007 Connor’s Army ride has now officially begun! We’ve raised a little over $3200 and more support keeps coming in from everywhere!
I got off to a great start the first week of January and rode twice (once when the temperature was 25 degrees), so I’ve logged 50 miles already. The weather so far this month has been incredible for riding (credit El Nino, I guess); but the second week of January saw me not riding at all for two big reasons.
First of all, I contracted a major chest cold and I pretty much lost my voice completely - never an easy thing for an acting teacher to lose. With my asthma, I have to be careful about riding when I have any sort of chest congestion.
Secondly, Amy was in Hell Week for her production of Sweet Charity and really needed my help in the morning to get the kids out. She was rehearsing till all sorts of ungodly hours, and was pretty much exhausted most of the week. If you haven’t yet gotten the chance to see her you have three more chances to see her perform in a role she was born to play. She’s amazing and I’m so proud to be married to her. When you see her up there you completely forget it’s Amy and all you see is Charity - she really is that incredibly good! If you miss her doing this show, you’ll really be missing an incredible experience. (You can get tickets at www.TownshipTheatreGroup.com if you want them.)
On other fronts, a lot has happened since the last blog!
I had written last time about a friend of ours who had been diagnosed with Stage 2+ breast cancer that was behaving very aggressively. She’s started chemotherapy to shrink the tumor before surgery, and the doctors at Sloan Kettering are optimistic about her case. We’re all praying for her recovery, and we’re standing in the wings to help the family out in any way we can.
Even closer to home - it was right after I last wrote that the results of the tests for my mother’s skin cancer came back. The doctors have determined she has Merkel Cell melanoma, which is a very rare and highly aggressive form of skin cancer. The biggest issues are that it can metastasize rather quickly (usually in more than 50% of cases), and it tends to recur in other spots even when all the cancerous growth is removed.
Right after Christmas the plastic surgeon removed the cancerous tissue and some of the healthy tissue as well. They performed a biopsy and determined they’d gotten it all, but they also did a die test to highlight “hot spots” in her arm. They found four - two of which were lymph nodes.
They removed these on the spot, as well as a small connecting duct that connected the lymph node closest to her affected elbow with the rest of the lymphatic system. They installed a stint to drain fluid out of her arm and they placed her arm in a full cast.
Given the aggressive nature of this particular form of cancer and the fact that it had been misdiagnosed (most likely because of its rarity) six months earlier, we were all pretty terrified about what the results of the tests on those four spots would be. So you can imagine our tremendous relief when they all came back negative!
On Friday, they removed the cast and did a full body scan to make certain there wasn’t anything else in her body. Right now the doctors (GP, plastic surgeon, and oncologist) are all pretty certain she’s clean, but we’re anxiously awaiting the results of that test.
She visits the radiologist next week, who may recommend she have some radiation treatment just to be on the safe side; but it doesn’t look like any chemo will be required. So we’re very excited and very happy.
And I can’t even begin to thank everyone who’s been praying for her and sending her positive energy. A member of Amy’s cast of Sweet Charity even gave us a medal for her that had been blessed by the Pope!
The family is growing like weeds and we’re so blessed. Sarah is such a joy and is smart as a whip. The boys’ personalities are emerging more and more every day, and we’re more and more amused by their wit. Amy is amazing - how she manages to do all she does in a single day (and did I mention manage to be so amazing in the show) and still have such a positive, nurturing influence on our kids still mystifies me.
School is going well. I just returned from a trip last weekend to Kerhonkson, NY. For those of you who know my personal story, you may remember that Kerhonkson is where the National Shakespeare Conservatory where I studied for two years used to hold its summer program. I spent a really great summer there, and it was fun going back to that neck of the woods. I was there with 20 terrific kids attending the New York Theater Educator’s Association student conference. Our kids had a wonderful time and learned so much. I even got drafted to fill in for a teacher who was too sick to make the conference, and I had a great time teaching the workshops; but I completely lost my voice by Saturday night. When I called Amy she didn’t even recognize me! I’m planning on teaching again next year - only this time I’ll have more than 12 hours to prepare!
Except for the fact that the bus arrived an hour and a half late (we’re still not sure why) - the weekend was a great experience and I was so proud to be associated with such great theater students.
The weekend was not a total joy, however. Saturday night my beloved Cowboys were eliminated from the playoffs in what was definitely one of the most dramatic and bizarre football games I have ever watched. I happened to be watching with my colleague Pete and at least twice he said “That’s it, the Cowboys have this one.” (Thanks for being a Cowboys fan for an evening with me, Pete!) But I kept telling him to wait because I’ve had my heart broken one too many times to feel it was in the bag. I won’t describe the entire horror of the last minute/second loss (it’s just too painful to relive) but my Northport “friends” seemed to have taken great delight in my pain. On my return I learned that mini Butterfinger candy bars with the name “Romo” written all over them had been scattered all over my lawn. And there was a big sign on my front door with a football and the words “Caution: Slippery” on it. Thank you so much Mike and Greg. MY only answer is, it’s now January 15 and we have one thing in common - none of our teams are in the playoffs! Ah well … there’s always next year.
Now that I am healthier (although not completely back) and the weather is still unseasonably warm, I can’t wait get back on my bike. My goal is to do at least 200 a month so I have a little to make up for January, but I’ll get there.
We should have all the jerseys printed and ready to wear by the beginning of February, so to all you wonderful sponsors I once again say thank you and want you to know you will be fully advertised soon.
Oh, by the way, check out the links to more news articles. I’ve done a lot of interviews - once again, due to the efforts of my incredible PR wife - so click on the In the News link to read the ones that have already come; and keep checking back for the ones currently still in the works.
And please let all your friends know about Connor’s Army. The more we spread the word the more support we gain for the ride, and the more money we can raise to fight this horrible disease.
I’ll sign off for now. Check back with me to see what’s going on and for updates with press releases, miles ridden and my adventures with the off-season rides with the Huntington Bicycle Club. For now, stay well and be grateful for the loved ones in your life.
Peace and health to you all.
Monday, January 15, 2007
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
Third Time's The Charm
Well I’m only a few weeks away from really kicking off the ride and I’m excited to get started. I’ve gotten so much support from everyone and I can’t wait to get the war started against this killer.
I have to say I’ve been overwhelmed by the donations and the support of the people who’ve stepped up to sponsor me. These people and their companies are very special to us because their financial support will allow me to cover expenses and make sure that every penny of pledges goes to the American Cancer Society. So in the next few weeks I’ll be getting jerseys for the cold weather, printing up brochures, and tuning up “my trusty steed” so it’s ready to handle 12 months of commuting on Long Island.
Of course, I’m being as frugal as possible so as much of that sponsorship money as possible can go to ACS for fighting this disease and to hopefully add some icing the $10,000 cake we’re baking. So far we have more than $2,000 and the pledges keep coming in!
On a more somber note, one of our dearest friends has just been diagnosed with stage 2+ breast cancer and we’re all anxiously awaiting test results to tell us exactly what the situation is. So I’m unhappily adding another person I am riding for to the list: my sisters, Hope Machedon, and now our good friend.
I’m also nervously waiting for news on the biopsy of a growth that was removed from my mother’s left arm. The doctor in describing it used the term cancer but wasn’t at all specific so we still don’t know exactly where we stand, and we’re on pins and needles waiting to find out the results of the test.
I’m so sick and tired of people around me being stricken by this disease and I can’t wait to start working to kick its tail!
So far my “dress rehearsal” this year has yielded 1575 miles (yes, I broke the post surgery goal of 1500) and I’m hoping to get in at least another 75 miles before December 22 when school break begins and my season officially ends.
I did my first A level ride with the Huntington Bicycle Club and got my butt kicked, but I learned a lot of lessons from that ride.
1) Make sure to eat breakfast before embarking on a 50 mile 20+ mph ride.
2) Make sure to really hydrate on the ride
3) No matter how good you feel, don’t try pulling at the front for even five minutes
4) Get a good night’s sleep the night before, and
5) Never do a long, fast ride the day after a party!
Needless to say, I hung on for the first 40 miles and then got dropped. It was humbling. The ride leader stayed with me, even when both of my quads cramped up so badly I had to stop riding for about five minutes. I’m determined not to let that happen again.
Lastly, although they’re in first place in the NFC East, my beloved Cowboys got their hats handed to them every which way this past Sunday. They were beaten and badly; but we are endlessly optimistic here and we know that they will prevail in the end. We are true believers. Okay, it’s just Sarah, James, and me - my wife and William are Giants fans (ugh!).
That’s it for now - I’ll write again in a few weeks - just in time to kick off the season.
I have to say I’ve been overwhelmed by the donations and the support of the people who’ve stepped up to sponsor me. These people and their companies are very special to us because their financial support will allow me to cover expenses and make sure that every penny of pledges goes to the American Cancer Society. So in the next few weeks I’ll be getting jerseys for the cold weather, printing up brochures, and tuning up “my trusty steed” so it’s ready to handle 12 months of commuting on Long Island.
Of course, I’m being as frugal as possible so as much of that sponsorship money as possible can go to ACS for fighting this disease and to hopefully add some icing the $10,000 cake we’re baking. So far we have more than $2,000 and the pledges keep coming in!
On a more somber note, one of our dearest friends has just been diagnosed with stage 2+ breast cancer and we’re all anxiously awaiting test results to tell us exactly what the situation is. So I’m unhappily adding another person I am riding for to the list: my sisters, Hope Machedon, and now our good friend.
I’m also nervously waiting for news on the biopsy of a growth that was removed from my mother’s left arm. The doctor in describing it used the term cancer but wasn’t at all specific so we still don’t know exactly where we stand, and we’re on pins and needles waiting to find out the results of the test.
I’m so sick and tired of people around me being stricken by this disease and I can’t wait to start working to kick its tail!
So far my “dress rehearsal” this year has yielded 1575 miles (yes, I broke the post surgery goal of 1500) and I’m hoping to get in at least another 75 miles before December 22 when school break begins and my season officially ends.
I did my first A level ride with the Huntington Bicycle Club and got my butt kicked, but I learned a lot of lessons from that ride.
1) Make sure to eat breakfast before embarking on a 50 mile 20+ mph ride.
2) Make sure to really hydrate on the ride
3) No matter how good you feel, don’t try pulling at the front for even five minutes
4) Get a good night’s sleep the night before, and
5) Never do a long, fast ride the day after a party!
Needless to say, I hung on for the first 40 miles and then got dropped. It was humbling. The ride leader stayed with me, even when both of my quads cramped up so badly I had to stop riding for about five minutes. I’m determined not to let that happen again.
Lastly, although they’re in first place in the NFC East, my beloved Cowboys got their hats handed to them every which way this past Sunday. They were beaten and badly; but we are endlessly optimistic here and we know that they will prevail in the end. We are true believers. Okay, it’s just Sarah, James, and me - my wife and William are Giants fans (ugh!).
That’s it for now - I’ll write again in a few weeks - just in time to kick off the season.
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
Blog - Part Deux
For those of you keeping track, this is my second ever blog and much has happened since my last installment.
First of all, we’ve already reached 10% of our goal!!! As of this writing, we have $1,040 and I haven’t even started officially logging the miles yet! We've also had four great sponsors sign on in support of Connor's Army, so please check out our Sponsor’s page and try to do business with these incredibly generous people if you can.
The trial run is going very well. As of the end of this week I’ll have logged 1400 commuting miles for the 2006 calendar year. My commute from Northport to Syosset is 25 miles round-trip, and I also count my 30 mile round-trip commute to Usdan, the camp I work at in the summer. That one is sometimes harder because it ends up being 100+ degrees sometimes when I’m riding home - I just stock up on the Gatorade. (If you look at the picture, that’s what that yellow stuff is in my water bottle!)
Another great thing that’s happened is that a bunch of my students have started a Facebook group called “Connor’s Army”. You can go on to www.facebook.com and check it out. Join up and try to spread the word to others of what we’re trying to do. If everyone could send in one dollar for the American Cancer Society that would get us to 20% of our goal!
Lastly, on a more personal note, my beloved Dallas Cowboys played badly against the New York Giants, my wife’s favorite team. I have to tell you life around here has been difficult - especially since certain family ‘friends’ have placed a sign saying “Giants Rule” in my front yard. I’m checking to see if Northport has an ordinance against littering.
Oh well, that’s it for now - with any luck my next installment will be able to tell you we’ve closed in on 20% and climbing - not to mention I hope to hit 1500 miles!
Until then, peace to you all and stay healthy.
First of all, we’ve already reached 10% of our goal!!! As of this writing, we have $1,040 and I haven’t even started officially logging the miles yet! We've also had four great sponsors sign on in support of Connor's Army, so please check out our Sponsor’s page and try to do business with these incredibly generous people if you can.
The trial run is going very well. As of the end of this week I’ll have logged 1400 commuting miles for the 2006 calendar year. My commute from Northport to Syosset is 25 miles round-trip, and I also count my 30 mile round-trip commute to Usdan, the camp I work at in the summer. That one is sometimes harder because it ends up being 100+ degrees sometimes when I’m riding home - I just stock up on the Gatorade. (If you look at the picture, that’s what that yellow stuff is in my water bottle!)
Another great thing that’s happened is that a bunch of my students have started a Facebook group called “Connor’s Army”. You can go on to www.facebook.com and check it out. Join up and try to spread the word to others of what we’re trying to do. If everyone could send in one dollar for the American Cancer Society that would get us to 20% of our goal!
Lastly, on a more personal note, my beloved Dallas Cowboys played badly against the New York Giants, my wife’s favorite team. I have to tell you life around here has been difficult - especially since certain family ‘friends’ have placed a sign saying “Giants Rule” in my front yard. I’m checking to see if Northport has an ordinance against littering.
Oh well, that’s it for now - with any luck my next installment will be able to tell you we’ve closed in on 20% and climbing - not to mention I hope to hit 1500 miles!
Until then, peace to you all and stay healthy.
Sunday, October 8, 2006
The Road Begins
Hello, and welcome to my very first blog!
I don’t just mean that for the Connor’s Army website, I mean ever. For those of you who know me, you know that I’m only one step above Luddite (sorry, I started as an English teacher so you’ll have to go look that up!) on the technological food chain. My kids at school are constantly razzing me about my “old school” cell phone and the fact that, although computer literate, I still don’t know how to access most of the stuff on the internet.
So, I’m not so good at the techno stuff but I am good at the physical stuff.
I guess that’s why I wanted to find something I could do to give thanks to the American Cancer Society for all they did for my sisters that would use my physical abilities. I had thought about a dance concert but I realized that I wanted something that would be more visible and that could hopefully “recruit” people from many walks of life. I also wanted to start something that might become an annual event.
So once again my Executive Director (a.k.a. wife Amy) came up with a brilliant idea - combining my love of bicycling with a great idea for a fund-raising event for ACS. (Incidentally, she’s also the brilliant mind behind our Theater Club’s annual Bard-a-thon!) As a matter of fact, since she’s a lot more techno-savvy than I, she’s the one who came up with the website and the one who’ll actually be putting the blog page together.
I have to admit, I’m very lucky. I have a fantastic wife, three beautiful and healthy children, and I’m in the best health that I have been in for a few years.
As far as the ride goes, I am still gearing up for January 1, 2007 by getting my body used to the constant commuting. I try to ride at least twice a week - weather permitting. I have to admit heat, cold and wind don’t bother me so much but I hate riding in the rain. I guess a big part of that is because my “Frankenbike” (a Diamondbike compact geometry cyclocross frame salvaged from the trash with FSA cranks, nine-speed Shimano 105 componentry, Bontrager stem, bars and saddle, Weinman cyclocross wheels, Avid Shorty 4 cantilever brakes) has a steel frame and I’m trying to protect it against the damning ravages of rust!
Right now my cyclocomputer (which I reset every year) reads 1,377 miles since last January 1 and 1,225 of those were commuting miles.
Unfortunately, I had to take off two and a half months because of reconstructive surgery I had on my right ankle. Fortunately, my podiatrist Dr. Barney Martin (yes, Doc Martin, for those of you who remember the craze) did an incredible job and I’ve had very little pain since I started riding again last June. I’ve been dancing and riding and chasing the kids, and I have very little discomfort.
A lot of that is also due to the help of Mary English and the staff at Northport Physical Therapy. She really put me through the paces and got me rehabilitated quickly. As a matter of fact, before the surgery in mid-April I had only logged about 400 miles of the 1300, so I’m doing pretty well. My goal is to reach at least 1500 miles this year to get ready for the push in 2007.
I have to say, I’m very excited about being able to actually do something to help my sisters and to give something back to a group that I feel is so responsible for them being healthy today. My goal is to log 2000 commuting miles next year but I honestly think I can do even more!
What you’ll see here going forward is less about my past life and more of a weekly (perhaps sometimes even daily) progress report on how the ride is going, my bike, what I experience on the road (especially in December and January when it’s cold) and any other life observations that pop up.
I hope you’ll join me on my journey - at least on this cyber-journey - and if you feel like joining me on an actual ride, just drop me a line.
I don’t just mean that for the Connor’s Army website, I mean ever. For those of you who know me, you know that I’m only one step above Luddite (sorry, I started as an English teacher so you’ll have to go look that up!) on the technological food chain. My kids at school are constantly razzing me about my “old school” cell phone and the fact that, although computer literate, I still don’t know how to access most of the stuff on the internet.
So, I’m not so good at the techno stuff but I am good at the physical stuff.
I guess that’s why I wanted to find something I could do to give thanks to the American Cancer Society for all they did for my sisters that would use my physical abilities. I had thought about a dance concert but I realized that I wanted something that would be more visible and that could hopefully “recruit” people from many walks of life. I also wanted to start something that might become an annual event.
So once again my Executive Director (a.k.a. wife Amy) came up with a brilliant idea - combining my love of bicycling with a great idea for a fund-raising event for ACS. (Incidentally, she’s also the brilliant mind behind our Theater Club’s annual Bard-a-thon!) As a matter of fact, since she’s a lot more techno-savvy than I, she’s the one who came up with the website and the one who’ll actually be putting the blog page together.
I have to admit, I’m very lucky. I have a fantastic wife, three beautiful and healthy children, and I’m in the best health that I have been in for a few years.
As far as the ride goes, I am still gearing up for January 1, 2007 by getting my body used to the constant commuting. I try to ride at least twice a week - weather permitting. I have to admit heat, cold and wind don’t bother me so much but I hate riding in the rain. I guess a big part of that is because my “Frankenbike” (a Diamondbike compact geometry cyclocross frame salvaged from the trash with FSA cranks, nine-speed Shimano 105 componentry, Bontrager stem, bars and saddle, Weinman cyclocross wheels, Avid Shorty 4 cantilever brakes) has a steel frame and I’m trying to protect it against the damning ravages of rust!
Right now my cyclocomputer (which I reset every year) reads 1,377 miles since last January 1 and 1,225 of those were commuting miles.
Unfortunately, I had to take off two and a half months because of reconstructive surgery I had on my right ankle. Fortunately, my podiatrist Dr. Barney Martin (yes, Doc Martin, for those of you who remember the craze) did an incredible job and I’ve had very little pain since I started riding again last June. I’ve been dancing and riding and chasing the kids, and I have very little discomfort.
A lot of that is also due to the help of Mary English and the staff at Northport Physical Therapy. She really put me through the paces and got me rehabilitated quickly. As a matter of fact, before the surgery in mid-April I had only logged about 400 miles of the 1300, so I’m doing pretty well. My goal is to reach at least 1500 miles this year to get ready for the push in 2007.
I have to say, I’m very excited about being able to actually do something to help my sisters and to give something back to a group that I feel is so responsible for them being healthy today. My goal is to log 2000 commuting miles next year but I honestly think I can do even more!
What you’ll see here going forward is less about my past life and more of a weekly (perhaps sometimes even daily) progress report on how the ride is going, my bike, what I experience on the road (especially in December and January when it’s cold) and any other life observations that pop up.
I hope you’ll join me on my journey - at least on this cyber-journey - and if you feel like joining me on an actual ride, just drop me a line.
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