For 50 and over....

I recently took the first step in losing my “cancer weight”. I joined The Summit, a health club for Grand Prairie residents 50 and over and I was told cost over $20 million to build.

Rhonda and I took a tour of the facility today and all I can say is wow! This place is incredible. It is located off Hwy 161 and Warrior Trail, just across from the Dubiski Center.

Rhonda, even though she’s not of age yet – she is constantly reminding me too – joined too since she is married to an old man. The price is reasonable for one year and the first year they were giving you an extra two months.

The swimming area is awesome and there is a vortex pool I can’t wait to get into. You can walk/swim against the current and I understand this will help in building the strength back in my leg as well as my bad knee on the other leg.

There is naturally an indoor walking/jogging track and a nice weight room featuring Technogym equipment, the same equipment used in the Olympics. But another cool feature is the outdoor walking/jogging trails around count ‘em, five ponds stocked with fish.

Add to that an outdoor horseshoe area and a patio for concerts. We don’t fool around in Grand Prairie!

There are other features such as an arts and crafts room, a Wii fitness room, a pool hall, a movie theatre, massage therapy and a café. In other words The Summit is a first class facility.

I’m looking forward to losing the 20+ pounds I gained in the last year. I call it my cancer weight. My goal: lose 10 pounds before our summer cruise in six weeks. My ultimate goal: get back to what I weighed when I was playing softball for Graham Central Station.

However, that was over 25 years ago and – gulp – almost 50 pounds. Needless to say, I have a long way to go.

One year later....

I haven’t blogged in a while – over four months. A lot has been going on in my life, mainly trying to get back into the groove of things following my cancer treatments.


I finished chemo treatments on February 18 at 2 p.m. My life is, well, almost back to normal. That is if I had a normal life to begin with.


I still feel the affects of the chemo some three months later and was told by my oncologist it could take as long as a year before I wouldn’t feel anymore affects. Maybe longer.


So in the meantime I’m just trying to gain my strength back. It’s hard to believe it’s been a year since I was diagnosed. Actually one year ago today, May 21, 2009; the tumor in my left calf was malignant.

Synovial Cell Sarcoma is a rare type cancer affecting soft tissue. It very rarely strikes someone my age but it did and the surgery to remove it was quite complicated. The surgery, which included a “free flap”, took over seven hours – an hour to remove the tumor and another six hours for the plastic surgeon to do his thing. Free flap is a fancy term for a skin graph and was taken from my back.


In the last 12 months I have had major surgery, chemo, radiation and hyperbaric oxygen chamber treatments. I have had numerous shots, blood drawn and a blood transfusion. But now I’m better and despite walking with a limp I’m alive and I still have my leg.


After being off from work for six months I am now back in full swing and contributing at my job. The AirHogs, Grand Prairie’s minor league baseball team, have started their season and I am a part time employee operating the scoreboard.


And on Monday I start at a new health club in Grand Prairie called The Summit. It is for Grand Prairie residents 50 and over. It’s time to get rid of my “cancer weight” the 20+ pounds I gained while on medical leave.


I will also be a grand father in September. My oldest daughter Amanda is pregnant with my grand son. Yes it's a boy.

Life is good again.