Category: Onwards and Upwards

Onwards and Upwards No. 8

Hello my healing team,

I hope this update finds you well.

We currently find ourselves in sunny Pambula on the south east coast of NSW.  It is a gorgeous little place, but it has a slight sour taste in that it is the last stop of our holiday.  The caravan park here is quite large. It is a treat that it is set right up against the beach, but the best aspect is the packs of kangaroos bouncing through the place. There are also ducks walking around, unaware that the park residents are eyeing them off for Christmas dinner which is just a few days away ;).  Ahhhhh the serenity. 

Over the past week we left the Blue mountains and landed in Sydney, then shot south down the coats to Broulee then Pambula.  What an amazing place the Blue Mountains is.  Every mountainous outlook seems to have a jaw dropping vista, and there seems to be a thousand walks, with each of them uncovering another gem.  Whilst most of the tracks are established with steps or boardwalks, you still feel as though you are in the middle of nowhere as you see numerous lizards running across your path, fresh water crays abound in the pools of the streams and the forest grows largely uninhibited.

 Sydney was great fun. We caught up with my uncle and aunt, my brother Jerome, his partner Josie, and his fabulous outlaws. We were out of the caravan and into normal beds for the first time in a month.  Glorious!!  Jerome and Josie have just moved into their new pad in Paddington, so paint brushes were flying left and right as the renovations were being completed in earnest.  As you experience with all renovators, you arrive at their house at the agreed time to spend the first hour cleaning up painting equipment only get to the promise of “I’ll just finish this last skirting board”, then spend the next two days talking about the endless opportunities for renovating improvement.  Ahhhhh….I was that person not so long ago, and will be again soon I am sure.

Now I sit here by the beach typing out my last update before Christmas and I begin to contemplate our rush into the ‘Silly Season’.  I have recently read a couple of great emails and Facebook posts talking about how the most important aspect of Christmas is ‘being present’ as opposed to ‘giving presents’. With the year we have had, that totally resonates with me because more than ever, I treasure the opportunity to be present.

I also think about people who are not feeling so flash at this time and what we can do for those people.  I reflect on all the support that I have received over that past 10 months and how there were times when I needed propping up, or to receive reassurance and comfort, not only from friends and family, but occasionally from strangers (many of which whom are now part of my healing team). It made a huge difference to my recovery.  So I urge you to hunt down that person or people that is struggling and jump in give them a hand. Set a goal for yourself!  Stop for one minute today, perhaps now, and think of someone who may be unwell or struggling a little, then do something for them. That something may just be giving them a call to say hello.  Or it may be you going and doing something to help them, to lighten their load. Can I recommend, rather than asking them ‘what can I do for you’, make suggestions for things you will do for them. When you are a person in need, you actually feel bad making suggestions for ways people can help you.  You feel as though you are imposing. However, if someone offers you something specific that you can use, it is far easier to accept.  

Did you know that the hormones serotonin, dopamine and endorphins are released when you receive love and support. Oxytocin, also known as the ‘cuddle hormone’ is released as a result of physical touch.  These are the same hormones that are critical for healing. And with this, I wish you and yours a very merry Christmas and a happy new year.  Please stay safe!!

Take care 

Geoff

 

Onwards and Upwards No. 7

Hello me healing team, 

I hope this update finds you well!

Our last update two weeks ago had us sitting in the hills of Adelaide where the 30+ deg Celsius weather set in.  Just fab!  We have done a lot since then travelling north through the Clare Valley wine region, up to the Flinders Ranges, then across NSW through Broken Hill, Dubbo and to Blackheath in the Blue Mountains where we sit currently.  We have seen some truly amazing scenery, tried some awesome food and met some great people!! It seems to be Riley and Georgia who blaze the trail in meeting new people.  As soon as we get to any caravan park, Riley gets on his Richmond Tigers mountain bike, and Georgia on her Barbie BMX, and they do the reconnaissance on whether the games room is any good, whether the toilet facilities are clean (for Sarah), and whether there are any other kids in the park.  Invariably, within four minutes, recon is complete and they are on the jumping pillow with any kids they have managed to round up. Scarily they typically have the same success as the pied piper at attracting other kids.  The upside is that we are soon yakking with the other kids parents, and in this way, have now made many new friends, people who we hope to stay in touch with for a long time…….you know who you are!

The Clare Valley was relaxing and beautiful.  It has the benefit of historic little towns, wineries and great food set in a very country Australian setting.  It was stinking hot most of the time so until we acclimatised, we experienced a lot of it from the air conditioned comfort of the car. However, we were brave enough to get out and taste some of the boutique wines (with Riesling the specialty) that the region had to offer.  Sevenhills Winery is the oldest in the region as it was established in the 1800s by the Lutheran Church.  I was amazed that they have Alter Wine on the cellar door. It was the cheapest wine they stocked!  It took me back to my childhood days when we went to church.  If they sold alter bread we would have considered staying for lunch.

The Flinders Ranges was nothing short of spectacular. It is situated in outback South Australia and features a rugged mountain range with amazing geological escarpments. The flora and fauna were something special.  There were plenty of lizards, kangaroos, families of emus, wild goats and eagles to name a few.  The biggest challenge was keeping the kids under the illusion that all of those kangaroos on the side of the road were ‘just sleeping’, especially when there were emus, kangaroos and goats all sleeping together. We stayed at a camp set up on a dusty old sheep station where we met some great new friends which was refreshing for us and the kids.  We did plenty of awesome walks and scenic drives visiting deserted historic mining camps, stockman settlements and taking in the views of the mountains! All just awesome.  It was recommended that we go to the town Parachilna for specialty cuisine. I thought to call one single pub sitting by itself in the middle of the outback a ‘town’ was a bit of a stretch, but who am I to judge.  At the pub they had a ‘Feral Plate’ made up of emu, kangaroo, croc, drop bear and few other iconic Aussie animals.  Luckily I no longer eat red meat.  

From the Flinders Ranges we dashed through Broken Hill where we were intending to stay a few days. Unfortunately one of the pubs that we visited had an Abba cover band so we quickly left the pub and Broken Hill.  Dubbo was nice, however, I really don’t think there is much there other than the zoo. It has me baffled as to why they set up an open range zoo in the middle of nowhere.  I guess it gives the truck drivers and grey nomads something to do on their days off.  Helps break up the drive.

Now we find ourselves in Blackheath in the Blue Mountains.  We left Dubbo at 10am and it was 37deg cel to arrive four hours later in Blackheath to 20 deg cel, thunder lightning and pouring rain.  Actually, it didn’t start raining until half way through our ‘quick walk to use up the kids energy’.  It quickly turned from a forest walk into a ‘rainforest walk’ (bbbwwwwaaahhhh excuse the dad joke).  The views, walks and scenery are every bit as good as you see on TV.  Just great!!

I have included a handful of picture representing our trip thus far. A few from each place.  Next we head to Sydney to visit family and friends, then our adventure continues south along the SE coast of NSW.  Stay tuned.

So now for my reflection of the week.

Since being diagnosed I have read widely and one consensus for staying well relates to keeping your mind well.  Pivotal to that is maintaining a positive disposition, a positive outlook for the future.  Over the past six months of me sending updates, many of you have commented to me on how positively I represent myself.  I think back to when I was first diagnosed when things didn’t seem so positive. I stated then that I was going to beat this disease and I firmly believe that now.  I think I have the right things in place to kick cancer, or at least live with it to a very old age.  However, sometimes I do sit back and my science brain pulls out the statistics.  The stats that say I don’t have long to live (well not long enough for my liking). I think ‘am I just bluffing myself by using an aura of positivity in unrealistic defiance of the statistics’? Some doctors would say I am.  

I think NO!!  I’m not bluffing.  I am positive about living a long time!  I’ve made a decision and that decision is to live long enough to see my kids have kids, to see my kids get old, to see retirement age and beyond, to enjoy my post work years.  To get to a passing age that most think is normal. Whilst I do think that I am going to have a hilly road ahead of me dealing with cancer, i won’t be taken unreasonably early.  Why do I think this??  Firstly, I am positive because it is in my genes. I was raised in a positive environment.  Secondly, I am positive because my intuition tells me I am doing the right things.  Whilst I am in a space with many unknowns, I feel that I am doing it right. Lastly, I have the right support.  My healing team support me by being positive and by enabling me to do what I need.  For that, I thank you.

Take care 

Geoff

 

Onwards and Upwards No. 6

Hello my healing team, 

I hope this update finds you well.

Today we find ourselves in sunny Adelaide, the city of churches.  The weather here is a clear 26 deg cel and improving to mid 30s over the weekend.  This will be the first really nice weather of our trip. We are in a caravan park nestled at the bottom of the Adelaide Hills. The kids picked this ‘Holiday Park’ because it has a jumping pillow, indoor and outdoor pools, and it has a water park with water slides. Who was I to argue? I think it’s time to unleash the mankini!! Well I would if there was a sun smart version!  I could get a Thorpedo body suit…….

Thanks for all of your recommendations on places to travel. On your recommendation we stopped into Beachport, Robe and Meningie. All of them had something to offer.  But what no one told us about was the Big Lobster in Kingston Se (not sure what the ‘Se’ stands for – possibly named by a drunk dude). Apparently the Big Lobster, which is about 10m tall, has specific open times which we missed.  Oh well. I was equally impressed with the jetty at Beachport. It currently sits at 772m long having previously been nearly 1.3km long.  Seriously, there are 37 people that live in Beachport and it hosts one of S.As longest jetties.  Money well spent??  Also interesting is the Obelisk that they built in Robe to help ships avoid wreaking on the nearby rocky reefs.  When built, they found that the only problem with it was that it was made from white limestone, the same limestone as the cliff that it was built upon. Apparently ships continued to wreak on the rocks until they invented ‘Robe’ red paint. Hence it’s current colouring (see photo).  What I also learnt was that when ships did wreak on that coast, they invented catapults that would throw huge limestone boulders with ropes tied to them out into the ocean to help the drowning seafarers!  Apparently the flying boulders saved more than they killed. Impressive.

We are set up well with the caravan.  We have got most of what we need to continue exercising, eating well, meditating and resting. I am reading the book Radical Remissions by Kelly Turner. It explores the wholistic approaches that hundreds of cancer survivors have implemented to provide longevity. It is interesting that many of those interviewed all adopted their own unique approach to wellness. A key theme for each survivor is that they have actively taken control and used their intuition to guide them on what is the right plan for them. They took control by researching about their disease, researching about wellness and then they used their gut feel or intuition to guide them on how to proceed. 

When I was first diagnosed, I looked to the ‘all knowing’ doctors for the cure.  However, modern medicine is yet to find a cure for Myeloma.  So Sarah and I researched wellness and wholistic therapies. With all of our research, I now think the cure sits more with me. What’s critical to me being cured are the decisions that I have already and will need to make to manage my mind and body in order to stay well. I need to continue to take control of my wellness plan. I need to continue to research, then using the available knowledge around me I need to use my intuition to guide me on what’s best for me.  I need to back myself.  I recognise that I may make mistakes along the way. But as I gather more information, i can evolve my plan.

If you are reading this at your desk, on the train, or at home, you may ask yourself, how does this relate to me??  Well, I think using your intuition and gut feel extends far beyond wellness.  Intuition and gut feel will hold you in good stead for most decisions you make, both at home and at work. Listen to your intuition to make those decisions. Go with your gut feel. Back yourself. Just make sure you are doing research and obtaining knowledge to feed you intuition.

As one of my mentors offered to me on many occasions, ‘Geoff, back yourself!’.  So I did.  So far so good!

Take care 

Geoff

 

Onwards and Upwards No. 5

Hello my healing team,

I hope this update finds you well.

So I am not the only one willing to write about me.  My neighbour and kind friend Steve has pulled together a witty and funny update summarising my last 12 months, my 40th birthday year.  I thought you would enjoy it as much as I did! I have also added a few photos of our travels this week.

Enjoy!!

Nyssen version 4.0 – A Review

Looking back on the year 2014, the Nyssen version 4.0 has had an annus horribilis. All started swimmingly in January of this year, with the much talked about and anticipated launch from the ever stable 3.9 to 4.0 on the 25th January. With all the previous versions, the signs were there, that this should have be another great year. After all, an earlier version had gone through a successful merger with Sarah and had the spinoff of two champion hybrids, with excellent potential, namely the Riley and Georgina. This blossoming company was rock solid and had moved to new premises, which had recently had fantastic upgrades. What could possibly go wrong?

Some industry veterans had warnings that for no apparent reason, things can take a slight downhill trip when version 4.0 is launched. This was to be largely ignored, as it was believed to mumbo jumbo not built on fact.

However, a slight glitch in the system did emerge with the hardware, during the first quarter of 2014. It was seen as something easily fixable, with a quick road to recovery. On further prudent investigations, the situation was diagnosed as dire, as an inexplicable and aggressive bug had crept into the system and had replicated exponentially. It was showing signs of destroying the platform and rendering the software and hardware to obsolescence. This was a deadly serious catastrophe, and something had to be done fast, very fast, before it spiraled out of control.

Industry experts were consulted in rapid succession, and with a cool, calm plan of attack, an aggressive counter campaign was launched, to rid the system of this unwanted house guest. Version 4.0 was temporarily withdrawn from the market for the rest of the year and the race was on, to save it and get it back into operation….or face consequences no one wanted to contemplate. The strain was palpable and the effect on those close by was devastating and distressing to see.

During the majority of 2014, Nyssen 4.0 was subject to intensive therapy and received brilliant inputs from the industry‘s best, like the Nan. Slowly but surely the Nyssen showed promising signs that the bugs had all been detected, quarantined and relegated to the trash heap, where they belonged. By early November 2014, independent audits had confirmed the news everyone was holding their breath for; the Nyssen 4.0 had made a full recovery. This exciting news was made available in a series of media releases and an in depth radio feature.

All is now set for Nyssen to be re launched in January 2015 with version 4.1.

So what can we expect of Nyssen 4.1 in 2015 which is different? For one, the hardware will be 10% lighter and aerodynamically streamlined, with a very smooth and rounded top end finish. The software will not have lost its razor sharp, intelligent and quick personable features, and will be as user friendly as ever. Some say the software will be the best ever, time will tell?

Back at Nyssen HQ in Mt Eliza, the Nyssen 4.1 will continue to be the flagship of the Nyssen Group. A change in direction will see Nyssen be used more recreationally on weekend’s home and away. Much needed retreats and sabbaticals will now be an emphasis, to ensure a healthy balance. This has been a nightmare experience at Nyssen HQ and all credit to Sarah for keeping the Group together. It speaks volumes for the quality and selfless dedication, one would be hard pressed to find elsewhere.

A weary and vigilant gatekeeper will reduce the inputs of potentially harmful bugs. The system will simultaneously be rejuvenated from within using organic inputs. No need to beef up the system, it can do just fine without it.

So let’s all celebrate the strength of character of the indomitable Nyssen, and the unfailing support of all those close by. The Nyssen 4.1 will go from strength to strength, mark my words.

From Steve

Steve, your a legend!!  Thanks!

Take care

Geoff

Onwards and Upwards No. 4

Hello healing team,

I hope this update finds you well.

After my last visit to see the nutty professor (Spencer), it appears that I don’t have any more doctors appointments until January.  So my focus for now is to recuperate from the Stem Cell Transplant, and improve the strength in my right shoulder. With very little consideration, and given the crap year we have had, Sarah and I decided that the best place for me to recover was on the road!!  So we hooked up the caravan, stole the kids out of school and ‘flew the coup’.

We are now Day 6 of a six week road trip.  Yay!!  We got on the road with all of the grey nomads and Swedish backpackers and headed off West. In short, we will follow the coast all the way to Adelaide, head up to the Flinders Ranges, cut across Central NSW to Sydney, then swing back down the east coast landing back in Melbourne on the 23rd December. We get back just in time for the family to arrive for Christmas, and with enough time for me to get to Myer at 11:30pm on the 24th to get Sarah a perfectly timed Christmas present. I welcome any of your ideas on nice places to visit while we are travelling, or nice Christmas gifts I can get Sarah upon our return.

Today we find ourselves in Mount Gambier, having already stayed in Warrnambool and Cape Bridgewater, and done day trips to the Twelve Apostles, Portland and Nelson. We plan to stay in each place for 2-4 nights so that we balance the jobs of packing up/down the caravan Vs driving too far on any given day. It also gives me plenty of time to rest when my body / temple tells me I need rest. I find meditation helps me to supercharge my rest times and I also find that it helps me better understand what is going on in my body.  Whether I have 10 minutes or an hour, travelling in a car or sitting on my bed, I find I can do some beneficial meditation.

I started doing meditations for several reasons:

1. all of the Wellness and Conquering Cancer books suggest meditation is the primary pillar to Wellness;
2. Professor of Integrative Medicine Prof. Avni Sali advised that meditation is one of his primary pillars of wellness;
3. Much of the Eastern world routinely does meditation for wellness as one of their primary pillars of wellness.

…………….so who am I to argue?

I recently attended a meditation clinic with Naturopath and Wellness professional Lisa Jolly (https://www.facebook.com/oneskywellbeing). She explains the benefits of meditation as something like this; Your mind is like a spiral that becomes tightly bound, and if bound too tight, can manifesting itself as stress that can effect us mentally, emotionally and physically. Symptoms of this can include feelings of anxiety or of being overwhelmed, or physiological issues including elevated blood pressure, headaches, backaches, shortness of breath etc. For many of us, that spiral gets too tight, and has too many layers of stress. Meditation allows you to actively remove tension from that spiral providing more tolerance to deal with daily challenges  and life challenges.

Before I understood meditation, I thought that sleep or relaxing in front of the TV was how I got my best down time. However, it was put to me that ‘sleep is a parked car with the engine running whereas meditation is a parked car with the engine off’.  In my experience, meditation is more than just rest. It gives you the opportunity, while resting, to focus on what’s going on in your body. To get in touch with the feelings you are experiencing in your body, but often overlook or ignore. If you are aware of those feelings you can address them.  If you don’t acknowledge them, you tend to store them away so they add tension to your life spiral. Quoting from the book Happy for No Good Reason (http://www.shivayoga.org.au/happy/) “the outer world effects us. By working on the inner world we develop independence and strength so that we can return to peace or happiness no matter what happens on the outside.”

Rereading what I have written above, I feel like a bit of a w@nker. Twelve months ago, I would never have written this, let alone send it to hundreds 😉 of my closest friends. The reason why I have put it out there is because I have found meditation beneficial to my health.  Strong influential people throughout history have benefited from meditation. You can too if you give it a go……….assuming you are not doing it already.

Take care

Geoff