After Suture Removal

Before Suture Removal

Before Suture Removal

Brain Surgery!!!

Yes so these last few weeks have been a little tough..stopped my chemo on the 30th..

Had a brain hemmorage on the 2nd..surgery on the 2nd and again on the 3rd to reduce swelling. Removed a 3rd of my skull...resected the tumor on the 15th, replaced my skull piece, and back to work on the 17th and trained 5 clients.

Radiation starts in about a week to reduce the rest of the tumor.

Mothers Day

Happy Mothers Day mom! I love you..

Find Your Motivation!

Find Your Motivation!

I must admit.. my motivation is my previous illness. It gets me out of bed now every morning. I wake.. and my first thought is how little time I have. No.. I do not believe my cancer has returned.. just the opposite! But what if? What then? Life is too short .. too precious to waste another second.

I know many of you think that it is no way to lead your life. But I have been given a gift! Another chance at making things right. A friend that has recently passed claimed he was one of the lucky ones. He was given the time to gather his things.. get them in order..

Well I consider myself lucky too! I have another shot.. a chance to get my life in order. A chance to grow.. to prosper.. to live and have fun.. to feel the sun..

Motivations change.. develop.. We may have many. But today mine is strong and unwavering..

Find your motivation in life.. embrace it and follow..

Six Weeks!

Six weeks and counting..

Three weeks left before I receive my last treatment at Dana Farber and then 3 weeks left of orals and I'm done! No testing until September so I have the summer off and hopefully that will be it.. Please send some positive energy my way..and do not forget my dad..thanks all..

Dad...

Received his first chemo treatment today for lung cancer..please add him to your prayer list!

Find Someone that Inspires You!

My dad is my inspiration. A two time survivor of prostate and lung cancer. He's gone through the radiation, the hormones and surgeries. Only to find out he needs more chemo starting Monday.

Yes he's 79(almost).. works every day.. feels the suffering and pain but refuses to let his illness dictate his life. He is my inspiration.. my mentor.. my dad.. Without his strength and courage I would be lost...

Find someone that inspires you.. study them...observe.. and then do your best to be like them! Don't curl up on the couch.. don't let your illness keep you down. Get out and live your life..

New Direction!

It has been awhile since I've made daily postings on this blog. I created this site to keep others informed while I progressed through chemo, radiation and surgery... I had promised to end my writings after my surgery and hospital stay as I had considered myself cured and moving forward, even though I had another round of chemo to complete. I felt that if I had kept writing... I would never let go of me disease.. If I claimed it I owned it and therefore I tossed it from my life and continued on..

I've learned a lot along the way..about myself, the supportive nature of the people around me..about the chemo, radiation and the surgery..and am continuing to learn more every day.

I've lived with the pain of surgery, the nausea of chemo, chemo brain, neuropathy..the fatigue of the radiation.. The disappointment of learning there was more treatment to follow.

Most important though is that I've learned to "Live" through the process. Yes initially I was knocked off track. But I have learned to accept my present state and lead my life..live my life..push forward with my goals and aspirations..

I've learned that there is a distinct difference between being fit and being healthy. I've always been fit..always lead a healthy lifestyle.. Don't smoke, don't drink. Eat clean..

But something was missing. Cancer was growing..spreading.. Maybe laying dormant for years. Was it genetics, lifestyle, environmental..who knows. I didn't fit into the risk categories for esophageal cancer.

So it's taken me some time to find a purpose through this. Taken some time to evaluate my present state and find a direction relating to my journey and I think maybe I can help others.. help them cope.. help them maintain dignity and strength.

So stick with me as more will follow..I'm not totally there yet but I'm formulating a plan..a road map for others to follow so If you know anyone in need.. information maybe.. someone to bounce things off of. Please let me know.

My treatment is ending soon however I'm ready to put myself out there to help others.

For those of you that do not know me yet.. take some time to read through my blog. Yes some, if not all, may be a little boring for you however.. it will give you some perspective of what I have gone through and maybe I can be of some help to others.

This blog was initially created to help others follow in my journey..maybe now is the time to lead others in their journey.

Two Treatments Left!

Just a quick note to those of you that still may be checking..

Two treatments left! Dropped one of the 3 drugs that was causing neuropathy so only taking 2 of the 3 drugs.

Ran into a client the other day playing basketball so now the right side of my face/head, shoulder, arm and hand are all numb...so yeah it was time to drop one of the drugs before the nerve damage remains permanent..

On the positive side...took on another 4000 feet of space and am expanding my business, working again on my web sites...continuing on with work on with my fitness invention and continuing on with my life. Been on hold way too long..so email me if you want to find out more..

Not Dead Yet!

Noticed some of you have been visiting.. and I haven't posted for some time!

So.. I am doing GREAT!

Been back on chemo since Dec 29th. I have 6-21 day cycles..just started my 3rd cycle last Tuesday. Seems though, that my system will only allow 28 day cycles. Every time I go in to Dana Farber for treatment, it's postponed for a week as my white counts are way too low. So a week off my orals brings my counts up enough for a treatment a week later.

So.. looks like I'm on schedule to complete treatment sometime in June.

Still have my hair, still have my spirit and still have the support of my friends and family so.. what more can one ask for.

Email me at michael@michaelchampagne.com if you would like to catch up!

Barking Up the Wrong Tree

OK so I was wrong!! Yeah those words tasted bitter but I have to admit that the DANA 400 is not working for me.. and I am stopping as of today!

So.. for all of you that have "stepped up" and exceeded even my expectations.. I thank you all for your support in accepting and following my challenge.

I've learned that in my present condition(state), it is best for me to do heavy weight training and not "conditioning" training. I physically do not have the recovery capacity to continue with benefit as I am continuing to drop additional weight and am currently around 150 lbs...

The conditioning from the DANA 400 is ideal for most that want to enhance their physical conditioning and is an excellent "test" of your capacities.. however, I have found that I do not currently have the nutritional support nor adequate rest for myself to reap the rewards for my efforts.

I had felt that while undergoing chemo, the challenge would have been an excellent way for myself to maintain a minimal amount of conditioning, however I have learned that as the challenge continued, I was actually accelerating my physical decline.

So I am going back to what I do best.. lift heavy, lift light, vary my routine, play basketball... maybe join Tokyo Joe's next door and have fun!

So for all of you that have stepped up and accepted the challenge(and there were many!), GREAT JOB!! You all are truly amazing and I thank you for your support in following my obsessions..

You are off the hook.. the pressure is off.. and you can return to your normal activities and hopefully you have all learned more about yourselves as I have of myself..

I do believe though, that many of you can still benefit from a modified plan.. pick one or two of your weakest exercises and perform them often at home while convenient to do so.. and enjoy the rewards..

OK SO...

...I did warn you this could get very boring very fast..

Up to 2400 reps not counting today.. more people are joining the effort.. surprisingly as I was not anticipating any company along with the pain.

I must admit I was not able to do any reps Sunday do to lack of sleep.. yeah the stomach spasms kept me awake for a few days but my meds have been changed and now I can rest..

So Monday I had to do 200 reps of each.. usually very easy but no longer...

Anyhow I did manage to catch up so am on target for the 50,400 reps..

Off to the oncologist today for some blood work..

Dana # 3

...1200 reps and counting..

Oh Tereza...make Tony do yours..

Dana Day #2

...800 reps done and counting.. and others are signing up! On our way to 50,400...

oh and yeah... pre chemo/cancer pics

Dana Day #1

My cancer will not rest, nor will the chemo... so why should I??


..my first 400 are done for the day.. how about yours?

DANA 400 Challenge

DANA 400 Challenge.. as in Dana Farber...









Duration: 18 weeks

Exercises:

Body Weight Squats
Plyo Push Up Bar or Modified to Your Level
Body Weight Backward Lunges in Place
Wall Ball Sit Ups (10Lbs)

Repetitions: 100 Reps Each Exercise(all together or broken up into sets)

Short Term Goals: 2,800 repetitions per week. 11,200 repetitions per month

Long Term Goal: 50,400 repetitions for completion

OK, so here’s the deal… my new round of chemo started on Dec. 29th and will last from 3-6 cycles of 21 days each cycle, so minimum of 9 weeks and a maximum of 18 weeks depending on how well I do with the side effects.

So, instead of taking the negative approach and counting down the days, weeks and months until completion of chemo, I am trying to turn it into a positive… counting up to a long term positive goal.

Yes in the beginning it will be easy for me and my reps will come without much effort. But I am expecting there will be days where I won’t be able to do one rep. or complete the cycle. That’s ok, but the lost reps will have to be made up over the week or I will not be able to continue.

Others that choose to accept the challenge, may find it hard at first. That is ok and even expected. Break it up into sets of 10 throughout the day.. 10 squats, lunges, sit ups and push ups. First thing in the morning and last thing at night are easy ways of getting many in.

I can assure you though, the longer you do it the easier it will become.

So I am starting on Dec. 30th… one day after my first treatment and one day before my 51st birthday. The others accepting this challenge can start anytime.

Dark Side..Waiting

Waiting for my old friend to return...hope he's nice to me this time...yeah the toilet-gargoyle...

Happy New Year

Ok so yes I did say I was done with this blog... but, that was before they found 7 positive lymph nodes from my last surgery on Oct 8.

So my choices..do nothing and sit and wait for the cancer to come back. They say with 7 positive nodes, there is a 3-1 chance the cancer will come back. But clinically, I am cured because no cancer is currently detected.

Or do another round of intense chemo and try to kill any remaining cancerous cells left in my body.

With this approach, the cancer could be halted at stage 3 thus preventing cancer from reoccurring in other organs.

If I do nothing and wait, if cancer does come back, it will be stage 4 and the best they can do is treat the disease but not cure it...presently at stage 3, it can be cured with the chemo.

But there are no guarantees... kind of like purchasing an insurance policy that may not be needed, and may not cover you if it is.

So guess what I chose..yup...sitting here at Dana Farber now.. getting my first dose of Oxaliplatin and Epirubicin.

The third, Xeloda will start twice daily when I get home.

So stay tuned, I will not be posting often as I believe that I am cured..and you don't need the details of my side effects.. nausea, hair loss, neuropathy, fatigue..

But looks like another 9-18 weeks before I come out on the other side..

Mom's Birthday

Well Mom it's your Birthday and you are still sleeping so I cannot call and harass you yet..

So.. I have a couple of videos to share with the world.. well my world anyhow...

You have seen them before but.. thought I'd post them here for all to see, and so you may stop by any time at your leisure... so as to remind you of your "Favorite" once again..

Happy Birthday Mom.. Rita.. I love you and could not ask for a nicer "Mom"..