keith’s new self

I’m out of the hospital and back home again. Glad to be back home. Last week I was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma. And so begins a new part of my journey. After a bit of Googling, I found a someone named Andy Michaels, who blogged extensively about his (successful) treatment of Hodgkin’s. I was astonished by how similar his initial symptoms were to mine, and already I feel like I have a much better idea of what lies ahead. Inspired by his example, I’ve decided to blog about my experiences as well, so that others might benefit from the information. I’m sure it will be therapeutic for me too. Here we go…

posted: 7:17 pm

  Comments Off

I’m writing from a bed at Vancouver General Hospital. Last night I had a biopsy done of a large tumour that was found in my chest, and I’m waiting to hear the results of the biopsy, to know what kind of tumour I have and what the treatment will be. This is my first time undergoing an operation (or having any kind of serious health problem really - I’ve been blessed with good health until this point). It’s been quite interesting - seeing the inner workings of a large hospital, being poked and prodded and tested and tubed. A strange reality.

One very positive part of this experience has been the VGH staff - they are truly incredible. Efficient, professional, kind and caring. I’ve had everything I need (tests, biopsy, etc), happen very quickly and efficiently, but always carried out with a personal touch. I’ve rarely had an impersonal interaction where I felt like “just a number”. So I don’t quite understand the media stories about our health care system - they make it out to be something that’s going downhill or always in crisis. I heard from one nurse that they are short-staffed, and need to hire more doctors and nurses (she had just taken double shift - two eight hour shifts in a row - because of a shortage), and I heard from another that the hospital is desperately in need of money. Yet despite these problems, I feel like I’ve received top-quality care - I think this is mostly due to the very dedicated workers here. Also, it could be the shortages are more visible in other places, like emergency wait times. I can’t speak to that, but I can say that my expectations have been surpassed on a regular basis here.

I’m planning to write some letters describing this experience to newspapers and perhaps others who might be interested.

I’ve been entertaining myself with a stack of DVD’s and music and my PowerBook. Also I’ve been meditating a lot and doing visualizations - visualizing the dark energy of the tumour being pulled out, and filling in the space with with my own healing gold-colored energy. I feel very positive, and am staying in the present moment with it all, taking the everything as it comes.

I hope to be out of the hospital today or tomorrow.

[Listening to North Twin by Adham Shaikh]

posted: 10:31 am

  Comments Off

Wow - I haven’t blogged in over a month.

A lot’s been happening. My band played a gig at Just Dance, a monthly dance night in Vancouver, to a large, appreciative audience. I did a talk on meditation and spirituality on a local co-op radio station - which was a quirky and amusing experience - click here to listen.

The Ecovillage cabin has a new door, and we’re planning a two-week cob building workshop for the end of the summer, to build our first structure!

I had some strange health issues enter my life recently. I’ve had edema, night sweats, strange lumps, and various other things for the last month or so. I’ve gone through a whole battery of tests, and I’ve been working from home a lot to take it easier on my body. The latest from the doctor is “we’ve found something in your chest, but we don’t know what it is”. Not good news exactly, but it is what it is. Hope to know more soon.

Squeegee Media Co-op, an organization I founded with three others a few years ago to be a webhosting co-op, is no more. Lack of energy and synergy among the founders/operators just made the thing not happen. I’m very relieved - it was a project begun when I was quite a different person, and it’s been feeling like an energy drain for quite a while. I want to work on projects I’m passionate about, with people I get along well with. Anything else is probably not giving back as much as I put into it. So yay for change.

Soon my hard to type/spell squeegeemedia.com address will become something new. Perhaps nearlyfree.org. Seems more appropriate. Nearlyfree.org and Lightwork.ca will soon be hosted at netsign.com, courtesy of my buddy and co-sxipster Weston.

Been downloading tons of good music. Lots of late-90s techno and triphop stuff. Kindof my musical heyday. Got DJ Krush, DJ Cam, DJ Shadow, DJ Food, Amon Tobin, Orbital, FSOL, plenty of “Back To Mine” albums. Also grabbed some Meat Beat Manifesto, which I haven’t really got into before. Damn fine stuff. “Satyricon” is brilliant.

And I bought a juicer!

posted: 9:23 am

  2 Comments