Dear Friends and Family,

This blog has been quiet for a bit because, happily, there hasn’t been any new news on my health. So I wanted to share an update that’s simply about some things I’ve been enjoying during these many months between procedures.  (In my next post I’ll update you on upcoming medical stuff.)

Saying goodbye to my godmother and appreciating my big Allen family

My dear Aunt and Godmother Shirley passed away in February after a long, full life.  I was able to fly back to my hometown for the funeral to honor her memory and be with family.  Shirley was a key influence on my perspective to find the joy and funny things in everyday life.  I can still hear her irreverent, bursting laugh, and it makes me smile.

Funerals are sad occasions of course, but they do bring loved ones together.  I found myself appreciating my big Allen family more than ever.  (My dad had 7 siblings.) Even though I’ve lived in Seattle for over 25 years, I can always return to the warm embrace of my extended family.  In the Allen clan, everyone is loved and everyone is welcome, even if you haven’t been in the midst for a while.  It’s so easy to be with my aunts, uncles, cousins and their kids.  It felt so good to comfortably slide into the silliness, running jokes, and reminiscing of the Allens.  I am truly blessed.

After all the ups and downs with this medical journey, I currently look pretty “normal,” (at least for me 😉) and I was glad that my aunts and uncles in particular were able to see me looking and feeling healthy.  

Over the years the big Allen family tree has grown many more buds and branches, and it’s wonderful to see when a new child or spouse is added, they’re welcomed with joy and love (and eventually some good-natured Allen teasing. 😊 )  This warm family embrace inspired me to create  a Facebook group for our extended family to make it easier to stay in touch with everyone.

I was able to stay in New England after the funeral and spend important time with several old friends from childhood and college.  I also had the special experience of a day trip with my cousin Ron, Uncle Ray, and Uncle Don to Moody Beach and York Beach, Maine where my family spent every summer vacation with the Allen clan.  It was a wonderful walk down memory lane, and my heart was full.

Returning to the Annual Chilly Hill Bike Ride

Ever since I turned 40, I’ve participated in a beautiful annual bike ride called the Chilly Hilly.  Each February, thousands of bicyclists fill the big ferries for a trip from Seattle to bike around beautiful, woodsy Bainbridge Island.  There’s lots of elevation change on the bike route and it’s usually, well, not warm.  I just love this big event of bikes, boats, and beautiful PNW scenery.  When I’m riding Chilly Hilly I feel most like myself.  😊   I’ve done it every year with the exception of when I broke my leg, when COVID cancelled the event, and when I was recovering from liver surgery in ’22 and ’23. 

This disease has tried to knock me down a few more times this year, I said “f%$# you!” to my adversary and wouldn’t let it keep me from doing  my Chilly Hilly!  I was able to ride 28 miles that day.  It took me much longer than in the past, but I was happy and proud of myself to do this ride that means so much to me.  I was on my chemo pills that week, so I had that usual fatigue.  I took many more rest breaks than usual, and was hankering to take a “Dave Nap” next to the road, but I was concerned that the event’s support vans would have called the EMTs to scoop up this cyclist sprawled on the side of the road!

Not Getting Murdered by a Falling Tree

On April 20th, a big tree fell in the forest exactly where I had been standing when it started to fall! 

It's so crazy that I think it sounds like I’m making it up.

I took my friend Dave N. for a walk through Schmitz Park, an old growth forest near our house    where I absolutely love spending time.  Dave was visiting from the East Coast, and I was happy to point out some of my favorite spots such as a massive fallen tree. “Looking at this, you can just hear the gigantic crash when it came down,” I mused to Dave.  The forest cycle is evident in these woods by the many snags and fallen trees, so several years ago I made sure Bennett and I talked through what to do if you ever heard a tree starting to fall.  We decided that you 1) scan the area and identify the falling tree 2) if the tree is nearby, quickly determine its trajectory, and 3) get out of the path of destruction because you can’t run further than the length of the impact zone before the tree hits the ground.

Back to our lovely walk. It was a calm, sunny day.  The conversation flowed easily.  The winds high above had quickly picked up, and we suddenly heard a sharp, continuous “craaaaaack!”  The noise grew and continued.  A tree was falling down!   Those mental drills with Bennett kicked in.  I identified the tree, determined it was heading right toward us, and quickly ran down the very steep trail we were on.  I made it about 20 feet before I lost my footing and fell head first onto the ground like Pete Rose diving into home plate.  For a moment I laid there in a bush as the tree continued to fall, it crashed into another tree, and they both hit the ground with the sounds of crashes and smashes worthy of the best theatrical surround sound systems.   All I could do for that last moment was hope that I had calculated correctly and I had made if far enough away before I hit the deck.

I did.

It was one of those times when you don’t think your time here on Earth is up.  And I was basically unscathed, save for a few minor scratches and a banged-up knee.  I was lucky that I didn’t fall headfirst or chest first into a rock, tree, or piercing branches.  As I emerged, I saw that I was about 15 feet away from the mangled heap of trunks and branches.   That ain't far, but it was enough.

My next thought was, “But where’s my friend Dave?   Like, is he dead?"  He was not.   Whew! I would've been the worst host if he had been killed because I invited him for a walk in the woods. 

I promptly called Bennett, who loves a good story and a great adventure.  After confirming I was ok, he deemed that I had both the former and the latter.   He described the tree falling, the run for my life, and my dive into the brush as “something an action hero would do.” 

I’ll take it. 😉

Ben added that with this disease I’ve been fighting for a while now, and with that day’s homicidal tree, I’m really showing death that it can’t get me! 

That’s right!  Today I feel even more that while I may get knocked down, I’m not gonna get knocked out!!    You can’t get me, baby!!

Every Day is a Great Day

Well, my friends, to quote my oldest friend’s dad Tommy Potenza, “Every day is a great day.  Some days are just better than others.”  

Have a great day.

Love and appreciation,

Dave, Kathy, Monique, and Bennett