The Results are in....

I went to the Doctor today to get the results of my tests from last Friday. The news was good as everything turned out to be fine. There were no apparent problems with my liver, pancreas or gall bladder. The blood work did identify evidence of a parvo-type virus....the Doctor believes that this has something to do with the Fifths disease that our whole family had...he noted that the blood work indicated that my body had begun producing the necessary antibodies to protect my system from any further complications and that the chest pains were likely caused by this disease.

Fifths disease is a full body, highly contagious rash...in children it pretty much covers them and passes along like nothing...however, in adults, it can be more serious...Tanya still has swollen and sore hands and feet from her bout of the virus...in my case it caused the shortness of breath and chest pain....the good news here is that once you have had it your system becomes immune to it.

So it was good news all around. For that I am truly thankful.

Perspective on Life....

Have you ever been in a situation where you have felt completely helpless? Did it put things into perspective? Did you get a "wake up" call? Well, for me this occured this past Friday.

At 1:15 Friday morning (June 22) I awoke from a dead sleep short of breath and with massive chest pains...I managed to get up stairs to the living room where Tanya happened to be sitting on the couch (she couldn't sleep)...I sat down on the couch but immediately began to shake...my breathing did not get any better and the pain was still very intense...I thought I was having a heart attack...Tanya called 911 and the ambulance came and picked me up and took me to the health centre...I immediately went through a battery of tests (ECG, blood work, etc..) and they quickly ruled out any cardiac problems...their attention immediately shifted to my gastro-intestinal system...they gave me some "acid reducer" drinks in an attempt to reduce the acid levels in my system...that did not work and the pain persisted....they then hooked me up to an IV and did more blood work....once the IV was hooked up and the blood work completed the pain started to subside...I still had chest pain but not nearly the same intensity...the blood work came back and almost everything was "normal"...the only "abnormal" results were some elevated blood counts for my liver, pancreas and gall bladder...nothing off the charts, but concerning still the same...I managed to get into the Radiology department in Dawson Creek that afternoon where they conducted a series of other tests....we are awaiting the results...I am on some medicine right now that seems to be helping but I know there is something wrong and am now hoping to find out what it is.

The only thing that kept running through my mind as I was hunched over in pain is"Lord, I am not ready to go yet!!" But the funny thing is that we just never know when our time will be! God has a plan for us and when he is ready to call us home it will be on his terms and not ours. My eyes were quickly opened to the fact that we need to live each day like it will be our last...committed to the Lord...loving our family...and being the example that we are called to be as Christians! I make a concentrated effort every day to let my wife and kids know that I love them...You just never know when your life might change and you won't have an opportunity to say or do things that you had always wanted to do.

Gone but never forgotten....

I still remember that early morning of June 14, 1991 like it was yesterday....I was summoned from the cafeteria at Western where I had opened up for breakfast...that phone call is one that I will never forget...being told that your grandpa passed away was one of the hardest days in my life...losing a loved one is never easy...It is even harder when the one who passes is your mentor and spiritual example.

You see when I was younger there were really only two things in my life that were important...hockey and my grandpa....at the time of his passing, he was only 59 years old and there were so many things left in life to enjoy...he wasn't only my Grandpa, he was my father..he treated me like a son more than a grandson...there were many special moments that I was able to share with my Grandpa including going to Regina to watch the Roughriders play, watching hockey of any level, driving in the truck or something simple as a game of crokonol (sp) at christmas time.

In the days and weeks after the funeral people would tell me their story of how my Grandpa influenced their life and what a wonderful person he was....the more people I talked to the more I realized the impact he had on others. If it had not been for the influence and example of my Grandpa on my life, I don't know where I would be today...through his committment to the Lord, he led by example.

Grandpa, the love you exhibited for your family, for me but most importantly for the Lord, has been forever engrained on my heart. You are a big part of who I am today and I wish that you were here to see how things have worked out thus far...I can't wait until the day we meet again.

I am truly blessed that I had 15 years to learn from and love the greatest father in the world...so on this day I remember and reflect on the life he lived and the example he was...Gone but NEVER forgotten!!

Trevor