They Call Me Galvez

It has been a rough week.  My mind has been all over the place.  I’m trying to balance satisfying the curious-adventurous overachiever with the cautious-rehabilitating brain tumor survivor.  I’m constantly reminding myself to slow down.  I really think if I continue this pace, I will burnout.  I am just now starting to get tired.  I really haven’t had a break since everything happened.  To complicate things, I finally ran into a situation that I couldn’t logically explain.  This made it more difficult to except.  It hit me pretty hard, and was honestly one of the most difficult things I had to deal with since my diagnosis.  Unless you’ve been in that situation, it is hard to fully understand.

Tomorrow I go to Boston for the first time.  I am a panelist at a conference.  I also have a book signing at BU the following day.  I’m gearing up for a 5K in 2 weeks.  This one also holds a special place in my heart.

Ran across this while surfing the web.

Please join us for this first-ever event in Southern California to raise awareness about breast cancer among the Filipino community.

WHEN: Sunday, October 5, 2008, 11:00 AM - 2:00 PM

WHERE: Eagle Rock Plaza, Center Court (in front of Seafood City Supermarket, Ground Floor)
2700 Colorado Blvd.
Los Angeles CA 90041

WHY: Cancer is the leading cause of death among Asian-American women; and Filipinos have the HIGHEST DEATH RATE from breast cancer than any other Asian-American group.

Our goals for this free community event are to:
1) Provide breast cancer education and resources (i.e. risk factors, self-breast exam education, early detection and treatment information);
2) Provide referrals for screening and medical care to those at risk; and
3) Raise awareness about breast cancer among Filipinos.

For information, call (818) 409-8100.

This event is being held in memory of Ms. Alva Marie Argonza. She passed away within one year of being diagnosed with stage IV breast cancer (June 18, 2008). She was only 35 years old.

I took the train up to LA again on Thursday.  Even if I could drive I would still take the train up there.  I went up there just to get away from all the craziness here in San Diego.  Next week I go to Boston as a patient panelist for the Meningioma Awareness Day Conference.  The following day I have a book signing event at Boston University.  I’m gearing up for another 5K charity walk.  Tumors Suck Day 2008 in Oct.  Book signing at U of M 10/5.   Plus some other stuff… whew!  I just needed to get away and blow off some steam.

I got in on Thursday night and visited my friend from grad school.  He and his wife just had a baby.  She is only 3 weeks old.   It was something I had to see to believe.  They actually let me hold her.  She is a tiny human being with so much potential!  After holding her I was thinking “Holy crap!  How do you guys know what to do!”  I have no doubt she will be in good hands.  Her mom and dad are some of the smartest and most caring people I know.  After seeing how much my friends have grown up, I went to the bar with my buddy.  We have the distinction of being the last two bachelors standing.   hahaha!  It was the latest I’ve stayed out on a week night since my surgery!  Ah yes… I’m almost back, but looking around… everyone has moved on.  It seems like all my friends I used to hangout with are gone.  Had a couple pints, and was feeling good the rest of the night.  The following morning something happened that hadn’t happened in a long time.  It was so nice to wake up next to someone.  But then I got my face licked.  I crashed on my friend’s couch and his roommate’s dog was lying next to me.  I didn’t care.   I miss my dog back in Michigan.  The kind of dogs, that I like, need yards.  Here in San Diego I don’t have enough space for a dog.  So anyways, I spent the day at my friend’s place and caught up on some work.  I tried to get away from everything in San Diego, but it followed me to LA.  Later that night we went to costco to pick up some stuff for a bon fire.  I love going to costco and target just so I can drive the electric karts…hahaha! btw they don’t go very fast.

Anyways, the bon fire was really fun.  It wasn’t a huge turnout.  Very chill and low key.  Just my style.  My friend Christine picked me up and we just hung out all day.  We kinda got a late jump on finding a fire pit, so we ended up sharing one with another group.  These events you can’t just throw together.  They actually take planning.  hahaha!  It was really cool just hangin out.  Can’t wait to do it again!

Summer has come and past… this fall is going to be busy.  When will I be able to take a break?  I’m starting to get involved in things I know little about!  Dude, I can’t wait to test out my new projects… I may not know exactly what I’m doing, but I have a pretty good idea.

This past weekend I went to a wedding “by myself” for the first time. Actually, a wedding that I wasn’t involved in without a “date”. It was fun! I am getting stronger every day, and now I’m starting to feel the parental pressure to find that nice girl again. Uh… I still have a lot on my plate right now! Things are almost back to normal. Anyways, I made it out to the dance floor and I’ve got a few new ideas. My hips do not move as fluidly as they should, so what can I do to move my hips… HULA HOOP! hahaha! My left leg doesn’t contact the ground as much as it should. What if I threw some weight on it when walking? I’m experimenting with a 5# cuff weight right now. early indications are proving my theory right so far. I feel like I am bearing more weight on my left leg now and helping to control the ataxia. This is the first blog post I’ve typed with two hands since the surgery!  I need more practice.

Wanna focus on this for now

http://www.firstgiving.com/ericgalvez1

After that is done I will explore driving more seriously. Surfing is on hold till end of sept.

Check this out.  This is an online article from one of the premier cancer treatment centers in the US.

Today I went back to the hospital to restart OT. This time I am more focused on what I need to do to progress. When I was a patient there last, my goal was to get back on a surf board. I did it, but I should have been focusing on the more basic stuff like using my left hand to eat or type. A year later and I am still making slow and steady progress. I just had my eval today and I will be seen 3xs/week for 1 month. I am starting a new project. The goal is to finish under 2 hours and 15 mins.

http://www.firstgiving.com/ericgalvez1

I’m building up the team so if you want to support us you can show up on 9/13 or make a donation. We had a lot of fun the first time so come if you dare! ; ) Anyways I’m forcing myself to use the cane now. When OT is over I will be looking at getting a driving assessment. look out!

I’m back. The Philippines was awesome! We got to meet members of our family we never knew existed, visited parts of the island we’d never seen, and learned a little bit about our family. I now have a better idea of why my mom and dad are the way they are. It was pretty cool seeing the environment they grew up in. I really have an appreciation for what we have here in the states. We really take a lot for granted. I was reading a paper over there and I was shocked to see that 59% of people self reported themselves as poor. Now I don’t know how valid the survey was, but if you look at the streets in the provinces you can see all kinds of poverty. We stayed in Los Banos, San Pablo, Bagiuo, Banuae, and Manila. We really got to see more of the main island of Luzon. The last time I was there I was only with my family in San Pablo and Manila. My brother and I “interviewed” our uncles and aunts cause we wanted to find out more about our family history. We got a little carried away and it turned into a uncle/aunt expose… hahaha! Well, originally we were looking for answers about our grandpa. We found them.

• He was 1/2 Chinese… making my bro and me 1/8 Chinese!
• Got a scholarship to finish high school in Minnesota in 1921. Went on to get his BS in Chem from University of Minnesota in 1925. Went to The University of Guitenheim in Germany for PhD in Soil Sciences. He’s considered “the Dean of Filipino Soil Scientists”
• There is a Dr. NL Galvez Hall at the University of the Philippines-Los Banyos
• There will be a huge Dr. NL Galvez Memorial National High School in Bay (his home town)
• There is a huge Galvez Mausoleum where him and my grandma are buried in Bay
• He spoke 5 languages fluently
• Was very strict but liked to tell jokes
• He really liked music

I don’t know why my dad never told us any of this. Plus we finally got to meet members of our grandmas family. We’ve got a huge family! We ended our trip in Manila. It felt so good to take a warm shower and sleep in a room without cock roaches as big as your thumb. I personally like being out in the provinces. That is the real Philippines to me. I need my air con and internet though. hahaha!

I never really knew my grandfather. I keep hearing that I have a lot in common with him. Apparently I bear a similar physical resemblance to him as well. I have only met him 3 times, 2 of which I remember. I remember him pinching my cheeks all the time making me want to avoid him. Now, that is the last thing I want. I recently found out that he was a Professor Emeritus of Soil at the University of the Philippines-Los Banyos. There will be a formal room dedication ceremony for him at UPLB on 7/28. We’ll be there for that! I also found out that he donated some land to the city of Bay so there was a NL Galvez High School! What… whoa! He finished high school in Minnesota and went to the University of Minnesota for his BS in Chemistry in the 1920s. That means he was one of the first Filipinos in the Midwest! What! How an islander ended up in cold Minnesota… I have no idea. Then I found out he went to pre-Nazi Germany for his PhD! A Filipino in Europe in in 1930s…cool. I’m descended from him even cooler. He must have really stuck out too! I wonder why my dad never told me any of this. This is a surprise to most of my cousins as well. Our parents don’t tell us anything. My brother and I will be investigating. We leave on Sunday. I want to see if I really do have a lot in common with him.

S: “I have a good feeling about today”

O: Overcast at La Jolla Shores 7:30 AM. Poor waves 1-2 feet height. water temp 68 degrees.

A: I felt like a little kid on Christmas morning. I’m not a morning person, but today was going to be different. I even woke up before my alarm clock at 6AM! Preposterous! Had an apple and waited for my friend to pick me up. The sun is out already at my place. Today will be the day I catch my wave. Well, we got to the beach and it was cloudy and there were no waves. I’m the kid who got clothes for Christmas. The air was cooler, but comfortable. Since we didn’t see a whole lot of action, we went a little further out than I anticipated. I didn’t get to catch the more frequent and consistent white wash waves. Instead we worked on paddling independently. I am very inefficient with my rapid shallow strokes. We also initiated sitting turning. I am considering prone turning for safety reasons, but I question if that will be fast enough to spot a wave, turn around, and paddle. I am realizing now that in order for me to catch the wave my stroke needs to be more fluid in the left ataxic arm. To “catch” a wave you have to build up speed for it to pick you up. I did get to ride a few waves with a little push-off from my assistants. I didn’t realize they were doing this before. My quest to catch my wave just got harder. Dude, there were not a lot of waves to play with today, but it was still fun hanging out at the beach with my friends. I took a little 20 minute break and went back into the white wash to try to practice popping up in the few waves there. I was exhausted!

P: Attempt pop ups 1st in whitewash at onset of next session for energy conservation regardless of condiions. Continue paddling practice, sitting balance in line up with incoming waves, sitting turning, sitting<->prone on board . Energy conservation/nutritional prepartion.

Eric Galvez DPT CSCS

I should have listened to people. The past two months, I have made huge improvements in my physical rehab. People were telling me I was spending too much time on my extra curricular activities: writing the book, promoting the book, touring, advocacy. Things really have been nonstop since the surgery. Things definitely haven’t been boring! I don’t know if it is time healing my impairments, or if actually putting my rehab as the primary focus of my day that has made the difference. I notice a change and feel re-energized when I see the improvements. This summer was supposed to be my vacation, but with all my lofty goals there really is no time for a vacation. How do you take a break from improving yourself?

This summer I’m going back to the Philippines for three weeks. It is where my parents grew up. I’ve only been there twice. The first time I was 11 and curious about going to a foreign country. The second time I was 20 and curious about my Filipino heritage. This time I’m 32 and I’m curious about my family’s history. Both my parents left the Philippines to start new lives overseas. I never really got to know father’s parents or my extended family in the Philippines. This is going to be a cool trip. Most of my Dad’s 10 brothers and sisters are going to be there so me and my brother will be “conducting unscripted interviews” lookout! hahaha! I feel like I’m just now discovering who I am. But more importantly I’ll know where I came from.

I hit the beach again on Sunday. I have good feeling I will catch my wave. All the ingredients are there… i’m ready.