This is a Love Story

Mt. Blanc on a great day of riding

If you are not interested in motorcycling, adventure touring, love as it impacts a relationship, or dealing with cancer then read no further.  

I have to tell this story to move on.

This post covers the following:

·         50 Years of Motorcycling

·         43 Years of Marriage

·         15 years of Adventure Motorcycling together

·         And dealing with Cancer

This year is my 50^th anniversary of motorcycling. When I was 13 ½ yrs. old my parents took me to Europe. This was just after the Beatles hit North America and within that year I was in London and eventually Liverpool as well as western Europe and Soviet based Yugoslavia, yep 1964!  

By that time they had already taken me, my sisters and grandmother on a driving trip from Edmonton Alberta to Guadalajara Mexico. That was in 1958. I think my adventure genes were bred in to me don’t you think?  By the way, I nearly died on that Mexican trip, but that is another story. Actually I nearly died on the Europe trip to, and left my father in a hospital in Ireland and brought my mom home in a wheelchair.

My European distraction was all the scooters, mopeds that congregated at every street corner and raced off. How could I get one of these, and my dad began thinking. Later that fall he found a Suzuki 80 which was the make and size I had wanted, and I bought it and brought it home. You could licence under 100cc @14.  Who would think that would lead to this kind of behavior?  And my schooling excelled as well from the travel.

Six years into motorcycling, I met Sandra; we fell in love and were married before my 7^th season of riding.  I took her for rides on Sunday’s when we could. Sandra was a natural on the bike, and while I sold my bikes at different times for money to fund other projects I was never a season without one.  I taught both our kids to ride, and even rebuilt a father and son project bike and took my son riding as well.

Spin forward many years to 2000.

 I had restored a Wes Cooley replica

Suzuki and ridden it for a number of seasons. This was in the early days of Kijiji or Bargainfinder on-line. I told Sandra that I was going to sell the Wes Cooley and she asked what I would replace it with. I said I was bored and hadn’t really thought of a replacement. She emphatically replied “ No way, I don’t know you without a bike.”  

I admitted I had seen a Suzuki Katana 1100

in Rosemary, Alberta in Kijiji but I had made no enquiries. 2 Weeks later the bike was in my garage and within a year we had toured eastern Canada and the US.

After European trips in 2004 and 06 on rental BMW R1150RT’s we planned a 5 month retirement trip which was delayed until 2011 for family reasons. The 2011 trip is well documented in the archives here as are the 3 additional trips thereafter.

Spin forward to this year, coincidentally my 50^th season of riding.

CANCER should be a four letter word

After spending some of the winter in southern California

and getting in good shape for a spring Europe trip again this year I had booked and attended my annual physical, lab tests and then an ultrasound with the Doctor.

 I will never, ever forget walking back out of his office to the waiting area where Sandra sat, waiting. I told her the suspected diagnosis of kidney cancer, an extremely large tumor that would require a specialist to intervene, and more tests. Unpleasant tests. 

We drove home in  total silence, and sat dumbfounded. We cried, called our kids and families, and cried a lot more. This couldn’t be happening to us and yet it was. I saw the pain Sandra was in, but wait, it was me that had this cancer, no pain, it was probably just bad tests results right?  Talk about rationalizing/bargaining and then quickly coming to terms. Yep that was me, the change management specialist trying to manage change!  I was perfectly healthy I thought until they slid me from a gurney to an operating table, removed one kidney, cancer believed intact. The days that spanned the initial diagnosis, to the confirmation and operation spanned 3 weeks. Amazing by the stories we hear today on healthcare.  

During this time we were both restless, and didn’t sleep well, but the one treasure that I came to appreciate was every morning being able to kiss her “Good morning” and every night hug her good night.  I want this love to go on forever.

I could see how much this impacted her, her love manifesting itself in her emotions, thoughts and sharing with others and I made it my responsibility to relieve her pain by getting better fast. I needed to live for her as well. 7 Weeks later (they had told me 12 before I could do anything) the surgeon and GP both remarked on my recovery. I asked if I could consider travel again and they gave me the go-ahead. 

One of many special notes of thanks goes to Susan and Grant Johnson from Horizon’s Unlimited the adventure motorcycle travel website. Grant and Susan had gone through a similar experience with Prostate cancer and provided so much great information and direction for resources. Again the brotherhood of motorcycling coming through. The other special notes of thanks go to Dr. Johannes Olivier (GP) and Dr. Kevin Morrison (Urologist/Surgeon). Thanks for saving my life!  And to my son and daughter-in-law who surprised us the evening before my surgery by driving out from Calgary and supporting us both the day of and until I left hospital after visiting us only 2 weeks before.

This trip therefore is considered the bonus trip. Whatever happens next we will deal with it, but this 43 years of love is stronger than ever. Even cancer can be a love story. Hope you will continue to follow us.

43 years of Marriage 4 mths after surgery