My Thankful List

Published by Kevin Moore, December 30th, 2017

As 2017 comes to a close, I started thinking about all the things that I am thankful for, especially after such a crappy health year. Don’t get me wrong, I give thanks everyday for the good things in my life. But sitting back and counting Blessings is uplifting, calming, and cathartic. I’ve been meaning to put this to paper (?) for so long instead of just thinking about it each day. I’m sharing it in hopes that it may help provide some perspective and reflection to folks that may be experiencing similar turmoils in their lives.

My Wife (Kim)

Hundreds of reasons and deserves a list of her own (hmmm). Perhaps I should write a poem since that’s pretty much how we started 30 years ago. I love her so much and I would be rowing up a muddy stream with a short paddle every day if it wasn’t for her. Thank you, God, for bringing us together!

My Kids (Nathan, Ryan, and Emily)

Their lives, joys, and experiences provide a great distraction to us. I live vicariously through them sometimes as I see a lot of me when I was their age (the good stuff, of course). Nathan has my love of exercise; Ryan has my “techie skills"; Emily has my endless sarcasm and wit. God has truly Blessed us by adding them to our family.

My Family (Susette, Fayne, Debbie, Bonnie, Dave, Glenn, Dawn and Helen)

We’ve gotten closer over the past year and we communicate more. You appreciate the time you get to spend with each other and don’t take moments for granted. They have been wonderful supporters and are truly loved.

My Heavenly Family (Mom, Dad, Gene, Uncle Don, Aunt Frances, Aunt Lindy, Marie, and so many other Angels)

I have a full support group up in the Heavens and I know they are helping me each and every day. There is a calming effect when saying prayers and thanking them for helping our family cope. Kim and I often talk about Gene (Kim’s Dad) leaving this world (too soon) in August so that he could assist us from up above. Thank you, Angels!

My Close Friends (You know who you are)

Along with my family, my close friends got me over a very rough time earlier this year. The love and support was tremendous and it really opened my eyes to how much people care, not just about me, but about my family. We continue to experience this even as we approach the one year mark and I can’t thank them enough for how much they have helped us.

My New and Old Friends

I’ve met so many wonderful people during this journey. Some I knew vaguely, some I knew by sight. But people have opened their hearts to us in so many ways and it was truly a renewal of the human spirit to me. Old friends from Mount Rainier, Northwestern HS, People’s Drug Store, previous addresses, etc. have been in contact with me and it has meant so much to renew these friendships.

My Cousins, Nieces, and Nephews

It’s great when folks check in to see how things are going and my extended family has been in constant contact with us over the past year. We know how busy everyone is but still able to take the time to pass along their thoughts and prayers.

My Doctors (Laheru and Le)

I cringe when I think about where I would be without the Johns Hopkins Cancer Center. Don’t get me wrong. We live in an area with first class health care services. But because pancreatic cancer is such a challenge, we have come to realize that JH is probably the top facility in the world for this disease and it is a reflection of the medical professionals that they employ. I bet I could send Dr. Laheru an email right now (5AM Sunday) and he would respond in 30 minutes. 😉

My JH Support Staff (Brad, Cara, Katrina, Allison, Kim, Gina, Mary Ellen, Brandon, Maria, Kevin, Roz, Jazmine, and so many others)

Each visit to JH can be a myriad of meetings, tests, physicals, and, of course, infusions. All of these folks play a large or small part in our experience and they are always there to greet you with a genuine smile and a hug. To be able to work in this environment day after day takes a very special person and I am forever grateful that they are there helping us.

My Cancer Friends (Barry and Adele, Paul, Myra and Ron, Gina, Fagan, Norm, Raymond, Chris and Becky, and others that we have met)

We come from so many different backgrounds but share a common bond. To be able to laugh, love and lean on people that are going through similar experiences has benefited us tremendously. You can find good in anything, even cancer, and the relationships that we have formed will always be treasured.

Pastor Richard, his wife Sallie, and DRCC

It was a dark, rough time earlier this year and Pastor Richard, whom we did not know, opened his heart, his calendar, and his church to help us over some tremendous hurdles. We talked for hours about faith, love, life, and cancer. Thanks to our neighbor, Amy, we connected to this church and it has filled a void we didn’t know existed until this all started.

Mount Airy Businesses

Living in a relatively small town has huge benefits. Sometimes I feel like Norm in Cheers when I walk in. It’s hard not to shed a tear when I leave when you have so many people pulling for you.

J&P Pizza
Concettas
Cryin’ Johnnies
Ben Gue
Blossom and Baskets
Safeway
Hair Impressions
Spikes Auto Care

Hewlett Packard Enterprise (my job)

I’ve been Blessed to be with the same company for over 30 years. The people I work with have been my friends for many years and they have supported me so much. Sam, Russ, Karl, Mike, Colleen, Steve, and Kathy have jumped in to help me out with my workload when I needed it. Things are back to a normal routine now but they all pitched in to help me and I am so appreciative to each of them.

Technology

Mobile devices, Internet, Amazon, texting, email, applications, Smart devices, you name it. They give me information, needed distractions, and a way to communicate. Say what you want about Amazon, but when you need a supplement, compression socks, medical supplies, or just general weird stuff you can’t find anywhere, they have it and can get it here quickly. Try buying whole wheat fig bars and Izze’s by the case in a store.

Time

When we got hit with this in January 2017, I really expected the worst. This probably contradicts my technology list above but that was due to my stupidity and curiosity more than anything. I didn’t know anything about pancreatic cancer and was hit with a brick. I really thought I had experienced my last holiday season. Well, I was obviously wrong and, one year later, I expect to enjoy many, many more seasons. There are new treatments, clinicals, and procedures happening all of the time. One doesn’t need to be cured overnight per se, but rather, keep moving forward with treatments that keep the disease stable until that magical day when one will rid you of the cancer. It’s coming, we hope, we pray. We just need time.

I’m sure there are many other things to be thankful for but it’s been cathartic putting this list together. Thanks for all of your love and support in 2017! I am glad this year is coming to an end. We are cautiously optimistic that 2018 will open up new and exciting roads for us as we move forward in this journey!