There are just some days where you are so happy to be alive and thankful that you can meet new people and share in their lives, if only for a short time. My girlfriend Alli and I made the trip out to Richmond yesterday for a conference held at the Radisson hotel by the Brain Tumour Foundation of Canada. For those of you that may not be aware, Alli was diagnosed with a brain tumour and was subsequently (and successfully) treated. Ten years later, having just begun going back to school, she heard that the conference was being held and well, we absolutely *had* to go.
Now let me go on the record right now and say that in the 10-11 months that I've been with Allison, I have never really seen her disability. Let me rephrase that. I have seen it, but it has never been a dominant aspect of our relationship. I see past it to the beautiful woman she is. Having said that, yesterday was an amazing eye-opener for me, as I sat in a large ballroom with people who are survivors of brain tumours, and their supporters.
The stigma surrounding brain tumour survivors is grossly undeserved. The people I met yesterday are a lot like Alli - upstanding, intelligent, contributing members of society. I was blown away by the outward display of love and bravery that these people exuded. It is my understanding that the life expectancy of people who have suffered a brain tumour is drastically shorter, depending of course on the severity of the tumour.
I guess I didn't know precisely *what* to expect out of yesterday's conference, but I was extremely moved by what the survivors had to say. One man, Peter Hicks, probably displayed the most severe symptoms, as his motor control, speech, and walking skills were moderately compromised as a result of his operations and radiation treatments. However, after climbing the stairs to the stage with assistance from the MC, he proudly stated that "that was one small step for man, one giant step for Peter Hicks!" Obviously the one thing that is never damaged is the human spirit, no matter how many surgeries one goes through.
Another man that spoke was Mr. Jim Wise. Despite never having any symptoms of a brain tumour until his grand mal seizure woke his wife in the night, and then the rollercoaster ride they experienced over the next three years (he was diagnosed in 2000), as he spoke yesterday, the only outward symptom he displayed was the shaved section of hair on the left side of his head. He was very articulate and empowering, even though he said, "it's frustrating when you have to slow down your thinking and read things twice...or when you realize after a lifetime of giving speeches with no notes, that you have to have every word written down."
The whole experience was amazing for me, and it made me realize what Alli and her whole family has gone through in the past ten years. I write this with tears in my eyes and I thank the good Lord for giving her the second chance on life that she deserved. It's just phenomenal what she has had to endure for this long.
Brain tumours, more often than not, claim the lives of their victims not too long after they're entrenched. Be it 10 weeks or 10 years, lives are usually drastically slashed. To all the survivors, I raise a glass and a prayer that your lives will continue to touch and change so many people that you meet. I know Alli changed me. |
