mike comments on the ride.

My pre-op appointment with Dr Haughey was yesterday afternoon and Karen asked me to comment on "The Ride." I guess I was expecting to shake hands with Dr Haughey and listen to him say, "Surgery is on the 5th, show up at 05:30. Any questions?" The only thing similar to my expectations was shaking hands with Dr Haughey. Karen, Sharon Mayfield (long-time St Louis friend, now mine too) and I spent the next 5 hours with Dr Haughey and his staff as they gathered more detailed information in preparation for surgery. The afternoon included a laryngoscope to view the cancer mass, ultrasound of the lymphnodes and FNA (Fine Needle Aspiration) of a lower neck lymph node. Following this we checked in with Barnes-Jewish Hospital's Center for Perioperative Assessment and Planning. Questions, blood work, more questions, nurses assessment and finally...more questions. At one point in the afternoon Karen asked me how I was feeling. The thought that first popped into my mind was "Marines, check your magazines, lock-n-load." Then I thought of the scene from Saving Private Ryan as the landing craft are ready to land and you hear the LCVP pilot say: Clear the ramp! Thirty seconds. God be with ya! There's no longer a question of what we're going to do, it's time for action. There's kind of a lump in my throat...not the cancer kind...the nervous kind. Gulp...ok...here we go. Sharon dropped us off at the home of Tom and Janice Vespa where we would be staying the night. Sitting around the fireplace, we were reflecting on the day and Janice asked, "So Mike, where are you on the ride now?" In order to understand my response I have to back track and fill you in on where we got the blog title "Mike's Long Ride." Long before Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson had their Bucket List. I was working on mine. 1. Own a Harley 2. Drive a BMW 3. Skydive and 4. Ride my bicycle arcross the United States. I have yet to make the ride across the U.S. but I figured this cancer journey might be a comparible trip. Responding to Janice's question I said, "I left Portland and I'm at the Washington state line." Janice replied, "And next week you'll be at the Grand Canyon." That...my friends...is a great picture of where I'm at on the ride.