Isabelle wins series Grand Champion at Chagrin Valley Farms 18" jump divisionClick here to see the 2:30 film

Frederik Back to Normal

I just saw what a gruesome picture I left as the last post and I think that Frederik deserves better. He has healed up great and is really back to his old self. The other eye works fine and you could say you can't tell the difference. Except for people who meet him. There is something about an eye that seems special. If he lost half his ear there would be much less reaction. Particularly because routinely 2/3s of the ears of Great Danes are chopped off anyway. Now if only he would bear weight on his left rear leg. Not much we can do about that. He was 5 last December 16th.

Frederik loses an eye

Our Great Dane had a progressive cataract in his left eye for the last year. In the last few months the eye had become irritated and his vision reduced to shadows at best. Then he started rubbing his eye and sleeping a lot. He seemed like he was not comfortable. So Wednesday we had his eye removed and he is feeling much better and just looks to be winking. Hard to see him getting older.

Swim Chronicles

Meet Connor. Freshman in highschool. For years he played baseball and soccer. But when highschool came along, it was clear that the local experience in those two sports would not be enough to get him on the HS team. So we made a deal. If he did swim team, he could buy himself an Xbox and all the first person shooter games he wanted. Little did he or I know thatit would result in him having a shot at earning a varsity letter as a freshman after swimming 16 hours a week since September 6th. Now on the eve of JV champs, Connor is in the shape ofhis life and shaved and ready to go fast in Canton tomorrow. So proud of his efforts and zero complaints. Thanks to Dan McGovern for pushing him in summer swim team to go for it and Matt Davis and staff for getting him through his first season.

Cancer Never Wins

I have a childhood friend, Fritz, whos sister Jane has been battling rectal cancer for years now. She writes an amazing carepages update which is often filled with very powerful, insightful thoughts on living with cancer. I want to post a quote from Jane I read today which I think is important and makes a strong point. Here it is:

"So I battle. Not with cancer - I have a problem with that word, "battle," when it comes to the cancer experience. It is an obvious and useful metaphor - battle, war, warrior, soldier - I get it. But then what happens when one passes? We say they "lost the battle" or "after a long battle with cancer" or words similar. Believe me, anyone who has had cancer doesn't need to be saddled with being named a "loser" in any sense of the word. What does that make cancer? The victor? Yuck. Cancer is never victorious."

I liked to say battle cancer. But I just might change that thinking based on Janes comments. I will still say survivor, because to me that denotes winning. Heidi gets her 1 year scan results back tomorrow and I am happy to say I can attend the appointment with her to support whatever we hear. It is one thing to be along with the cancer survivor to hear the results, it is completely different to be the cancer survivor getting the results. I will try to remember that.