billwixey.com

Distractions are essential while dealing with something as serious as cancer treatment.  It's vital to unplug, and just get away from everything.  That's exactly what I did last week, gearing up for my sixth and final chemo treatment.  We escaped to San Diego for a week-long family reunion, which was planned long before I was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma in May. We couldn't have scheduled it more perfectly.



We squeezed 20 of us into this "castle" in Del Mar.  Just a few blocks from the racetrack and a few minutes from the beach, it was a pretty good setup for us.  We stayed in the center "turret", which, as you can see, has a glass roof.  Good for sleeping under the stars.  Not so good for sleeping once the stars go away.  I'm just sayin'.



Will and Gigi had a blast hanging out with their cousins, playing in the pool and on the beach.  



We made the obligatory pilgrimage to Sea World.  Just another day at the office for Shamu.



Color us Sham-Wowed.  Sea World is $55 a ticket.  But they give you 2-days for the price of one.  Which, to me, says a lot about the value of that second day's admission. 

That said, it's a fantastic time.  The kids had a blast.  At the end of the day, I was shopping for a stuffed Shamu for Gigi, waiting for Will to ride the roller coaster for the 73rd time.  I turned to my brother-in-law Claude and said, "This is what it's all about."

Claude has always been one to bust out unexpectedly with a profound saying.  On my 40th birthday, we were sitting in my kitchen, as I was explaining to Claude how I felt like turning 40 was like teeing off on the back nine .  "It's time to evaluate how you played the front nine", I explained, "and make some adjustments on the back".

Claude paused for a moment, measuring his words, and then said, "You know, the key to the front nine is mastering your strengths.  The back, your weaknesses. "
 
I've quibbled a bit about that one with him, arguing that the front nine is about identifying your strengths and the back is about playing to them.  But still, a pretty interesting thought.

So, as I'm sitting there at SeaWorld, marveling in that moment of my children's unbridled happiness, Claude says, "Time spent at work will make you a living.  Time spent with loved ones will give you a life."

I like that one. 

As I've mentioned previously, I have been trying to get my family to eat healthier.  Since being diagnosed, I've become a lot more aware of the role of diet in cancer prevention.  I was somewhat surprised when I asked my doctor about any recommended diet during cancer treatment, and he told me to simply eat a balanced diet.  I kind of get it now.  I'm not militant about my diet right now.  I generally eat what I feel like eating.  I don't need to stress myself out any further right now by forcing myself to eat foods I don't enjoy.  I do make an effort to eat a balanced diet and drink lots of water.

My son, Will, on the other hand, does things a little bit differently. I told him I wanted to get a couple of action shots of him boogie boarding. 



This is what he gives me.  It is technically "action". 

Even though we have talked a lot as a family about making healthy changes to our diet, Will continues to be a staunch holdout.  He is the only person I've ever seen who will carefully read the nutritional information-- on a box of cereal for example-- to be certain that he's not ingesting anything remotely healthy. 



Will feeding the stingray a gummy worm.  I'm joking.  But the healthy eating thing is a work in progress.  For all of us.

The coolest thing about the castle was the music room.  It was a full performance space, with a stage, drums, guitars and amps.  And a ping pong table.  With Hazel Nation in town, we had several jam sessions.  The family is blessed with some very talented, professional musicians.  I am not one of them.



...and the crowd goes wild. They allow me to rock the microphone and play the cowbell sometimes.

The result of some of those jam sessions was a rap song written by Claude and his kids: Justin, Caleb and Brittany.  They surprised me by performing this song on the last night of the reunion.  


We're here to do a little rap
About our Uncle Bill
Just found out he got a little ill
But he's in our prayers, the best type of pill
He's more cash money than a cashiers till

Listen up Seattle
Bill's giving the news
When you're flipping through the channels it's Bill's you choose
If you want the full story and what is true
He's got a better show than the whale Shamu.

CHORUS 
More than just a temporary fascination
Got a special calling to his generation
Sending out his message on the TV Station
Uncle Bill Wixey of the Hazel Nation

Yo this is C-Haze about to give you a gaze
Hey Uncle Bill this is what I wrote on my ill white pages
You got more cool than the Ice Ages
He married our Aunt Catherine
She works at the airport but could be in fashion
Together they're like a chemical reaction
Here's a caption
Uncle Bill, his jokes are outrageous
His personality contagious
It never ceases to amaze us

Yeah, we're takin this time to honor Uncle Bill
We all really love him 'cause he's pretty chill,
He's a thrill, and his cowbell kills.
We loved him when we met him and we love him still
Without him we wouldn't have Gigi and Will.

CHORUS
More than just a temporary fascination
Got a special calling to his generation
Sending out his message on the TV Station
Uncle Bill Wixey of the Hazel Nation

How cool is that? I love you guys.