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Long Road in St Paul. A gotta read!
Dear PJ:
I respectively request you play Long Road this Sunday in St. Paul. I ask you to play Long Road for a 35 year old friend and fellow Ten Clubber, Peter Pearson, who is battling cancer for the second time in less than 2 years. I ask you to play Long Road to bring an epic moment to someone who has not had many epic moments lately. I ask you to play Long Road, because he needs it and deserves it.
Barring a change in his treatment or a significant set back this week, Pete will be at the show on Sunday. He was lucky enough to draw GA tickets, but his lack of strength at the moment will probably have him sitting in a reserved seat. Pete will be the guy with the shiny head and no eyebrows jamming out the best he can, considering his condition.
In February of 2014 Pete finished up his treatment for his first round of the "C" word. He wrote the below journal entry on his caring-bridge page at that time. With his permission, I have pasted it below. I ask you read this very personal and touching entry. You will see he walked the Long Road. Unfortunately, he is still walking the Long Road. Make sure you read all the way to the end to see the emotional connection to the song.
Thanks for your time and we'll see you Sunday!
Don Soderlund
---------
Journal entry:
By Peter Pearson — Feb 13, 2014 9:11am
As I sit in the chair for the final time (the new chairs have massagers, could have used that for the past 6 mo), I have been envisioning this moment for a long time. I AM DONE WITH CHEMO! I am so excited to get through the next couple of days and begin the true healing process. I am excited that Allison will get her real husband back and Blake and Isaac will get their daddy back, too.
With all of my Prednisone induced insomnia, I have been thinking a lot about the past year. I tried to narrow it down (there was a lot of time to think), but it may be a little rambling.
Here goes:
It seems strange that a person with cancer would say that they are thankful for their health, but I realized that very thing going through this process. I have spent a lot of time in hospitals and clinics. There are a lot of very sick people that are fighting for their lives every day. To see the struggles that they go through on a daily basis, makes me very thankful for my overall health and future prognosis. I have had some bad days, but those have helped me to enjoy the good days. I pray that going forward I am blessed with restored and sustained health.
The month of November was a very difficult time for me. I had no answers for what was medically happening to me. It was then I realized how much I missed the feeling of being carefree. I first felt the lumps in my neck a year ago in January. For 6 months, I was in a silent struggle waiting for the other shoe to drop. It was almost a relief to get a diagnosis and begin. treatment. Once the fever and fainting happened I was taken back to that scary place. Every moment I was hyper-vigilant to the slightest change in my body. Plus, every time there is a thud noise in our house, Allison assumed I was laying on the floor. So, it has been difficult for all of us to get over those feelings. That brings us to what happens next, Dr. Laudi explained that the period after chemo can be very disconcerting for people. During Chemo, with all it's glorious side effects, it still feels like the patient is in control/taking the fight to the cancer. After treatment, it can feel like you are again waiting for the other shoe to drop. Knowing that feeling all too well, I am going to celebrate this victory. I am also going to focus on getting a balance of that carefree pre-cancer bliss, while still acknowledging the struggle of the past year and the realities of living as a person who is a cancer survivor.
I lost most of my eyebrows, eyelashes, and even some back hair. My beard and hair thinned, but seem to be making a comeback. I guess all that dye and perm solution more than prepared my hair for the toxins. Also, watch out for next fall's beard, it has to make up for some lost time. One of the more annoying side effects is cramping under my jaw. I yawn, the muscle contracts and I spend the next few seconds wondering if I will ever open my mouth again. This proved to be a minor setback as I haven't had too much of a problem opening and closing my mouth since I managed to gain about 25 pounds. To get my dress pants and slim fit shirts to fit might be a stuffed in sausage casing scenario. Are track pants and a t-shirt unprofessional?
A few months ago my brother posted lyrics to one of my favorite songs in my guest book. Here they are:
And the wind keeps rollin
And the sky keeps turning grey
And the sun is setting
The sun will rise another day
I have wished for so long...
How I wish for you today
Will I walk the long road?
We all walk the long road
I definitely walked the long road, but at no time was I walking alone. God blessed me with each of you in my life. 14,000 times during the past 6 months my caringbridge site has been visited. 14,000 times you have joined me as I walked the long road. All through this incredibly humbling process, I have struggled with the words to adequately express how much your support means to me and my family. Early on, I settled on Thank You, with the understanding that those two small words carry a tremendous amount of gratitude and love. So, I say again, Thank you. The sun is setting on this very long and surreal day. The sun will rise another day. A day that I am cancer-free, finished with treatment, and thankful for the blessings that have been bestowed on me.
I leave you today with this promise; when you are walking your long road, you will not be walking alone.
Peace,
Peter
KCCO
I respectively request you play Long Road this Sunday in St. Paul. I ask you to play Long Road for a 35 year old friend and fellow Ten Clubber, Peter Pearson, who is battling cancer for the second time in less than 2 years. I ask you to play Long Road to bring an epic moment to someone who has not had many epic moments lately. I ask you to play Long Road, because he needs it and deserves it.
Barring a change in his treatment or a significant set back this week, Pete will be at the show on Sunday. He was lucky enough to draw GA tickets, but his lack of strength at the moment will probably have him sitting in a reserved seat. Pete will be the guy with the shiny head and no eyebrows jamming out the best he can, considering his condition.
In February of 2014 Pete finished up his treatment for his first round of the "C" word. He wrote the below journal entry on his caring-bridge page at that time. With his permission, I have pasted it below. I ask you read this very personal and touching entry. You will see he walked the Long Road. Unfortunately, he is still walking the Long Road. Make sure you read all the way to the end to see the emotional connection to the song.
Thanks for your time and we'll see you Sunday!
Don Soderlund
---------
Journal entry:
By Peter Pearson — Feb 13, 2014 9:11am
As I sit in the chair for the final time (the new chairs have massagers, could have used that for the past 6 mo), I have been envisioning this moment for a long time. I AM DONE WITH CHEMO! I am so excited to get through the next couple of days and begin the true healing process. I am excited that Allison will get her real husband back and Blake and Isaac will get their daddy back, too.
With all of my Prednisone induced insomnia, I have been thinking a lot about the past year. I tried to narrow it down (there was a lot of time to think), but it may be a little rambling.
Here goes:
It seems strange that a person with cancer would say that they are thankful for their health, but I realized that very thing going through this process. I have spent a lot of time in hospitals and clinics. There are a lot of very sick people that are fighting for their lives every day. To see the struggles that they go through on a daily basis, makes me very thankful for my overall health and future prognosis. I have had some bad days, but those have helped me to enjoy the good days. I pray that going forward I am blessed with restored and sustained health.
The month of November was a very difficult time for me. I had no answers for what was medically happening to me. It was then I realized how much I missed the feeling of being carefree. I first felt the lumps in my neck a year ago in January. For 6 months, I was in a silent struggle waiting for the other shoe to drop. It was almost a relief to get a diagnosis and begin. treatment. Once the fever and fainting happened I was taken back to that scary place. Every moment I was hyper-vigilant to the slightest change in my body. Plus, every time there is a thud noise in our house, Allison assumed I was laying on the floor. So, it has been difficult for all of us to get over those feelings. That brings us to what happens next, Dr. Laudi explained that the period after chemo can be very disconcerting for people. During Chemo, with all it's glorious side effects, it still feels like the patient is in control/taking the fight to the cancer. After treatment, it can feel like you are again waiting for the other shoe to drop. Knowing that feeling all too well, I am going to celebrate this victory. I am also going to focus on getting a balance of that carefree pre-cancer bliss, while still acknowledging the struggle of the past year and the realities of living as a person who is a cancer survivor.
I lost most of my eyebrows, eyelashes, and even some back hair. My beard and hair thinned, but seem to be making a comeback. I guess all that dye and perm solution more than prepared my hair for the toxins. Also, watch out for next fall's beard, it has to make up for some lost time. One of the more annoying side effects is cramping under my jaw. I yawn, the muscle contracts and I spend the next few seconds wondering if I will ever open my mouth again. This proved to be a minor setback as I haven't had too much of a problem opening and closing my mouth since I managed to gain about 25 pounds. To get my dress pants and slim fit shirts to fit might be a stuffed in sausage casing scenario. Are track pants and a t-shirt unprofessional?
A few months ago my brother posted lyrics to one of my favorite songs in my guest book. Here they are:
And the wind keeps rollin
And the sky keeps turning grey
And the sun is setting
The sun will rise another day
I have wished for so long...
How I wish for you today
Will I walk the long road?
We all walk the long road
I definitely walked the long road, but at no time was I walking alone. God blessed me with each of you in my life. 14,000 times during the past 6 months my caringbridge site has been visited. 14,000 times you have joined me as I walked the long road. All through this incredibly humbling process, I have struggled with the words to adequately express how much your support means to me and my family. Early on, I settled on Thank You, with the understanding that those two small words carry a tremendous amount of gratitude and love. So, I say again, Thank you. The sun is setting on this very long and surreal day. The sun will rise another day. A day that I am cancer-free, finished with treatment, and thankful for the blessings that have been bestowed on me.
I leave you today with this promise; when you are walking your long road, you will not be walking alone.
Peace,
Peter
KCCO
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