by James Ross
The oncology department did their follow-up. They didn’t waste any time with their diagnosis. They called and suggested that he go through chemotherapy treatments as a precautionary measure. That sent mixed signals through Curt’s mind because he was under the pretense that the entire tumor had been removed. He had been hopeful that the pathology report was satisfactory enough to avoid the chemo treatments.
Dr. DV showed up in the clubhouse later that week. It provided Curt an opportunity to pick his brain a little. “How in the world did a nice gentleman like you hook up with a character like Captain Jerry?”
“That’s an interesting story,” Dr. DV started.
“I haven’t been around too much since we met, but you two are like two different peas in the pod,” Curt commented.
“He’s a little off the wall,” Dr. DV continued.
“A little?” Curt said. “He was so loud and obnoxious the other day that I had to get the kids out of here.”
“Did he start going on again about his sexual prowess?” Dr. DV asked.
“Oh yeah,” Curt confessed. “It sounds like he’s into some pretty wild stuff.”
“Actually, he’s fun to be around. He livens my life up a bit. We met after his second divorce and before he met his third wife,” Dr. DV went on. “Another pilot friend of mine introduced us. In fact we took a lot of golf trips together using the perks that they have from the airlines. I bet there would be eight or twelve of us going to Florida or Vegas or Arizona or Texas . . . anywhere where it’s warm in the winter.”
Curt admired the lifestyle. “Good for you guys.”
“We had some great trips and of course, he would fix me up with some flight attendants from time to time,” Dr. DV explained.
“Doing the same stuff that he’s into?” Curt asked.
“Nah, nothing like that,” Dr. DV downplayed his role. “He runs with a pretty wild crowd at times. You know: the jetsetters.”
“Do you have a second? I’d like to run out on the course,” Curt proposed.
“Sure. What did you have in mind?”
“I like to go to the big lake out there and walk around a little. It clears my mind and offers a chance to return to nature. Plus I can squeeze in the exercise that they want me to have,” Curt said. “Care to join me?”
“I’d love to,” Dr. DV jumped on the chance to take a walk.
“And, it will give me a moment to ask you for some advice on a personal matter,” Curt continued.
The two left the clubhouse and continued to the cart barn. Curt hadn’t had much of an opportunity to fire up the utility vehicle in the last few weeks. His stay in the hospital put the brakes on any of the work that he needed to do around the golf course. “It feels good just to be back out here and around all my buddies,” he said as the engine on the John Deere turned over.
“How are you feeling?” Dr. DV asked.
“Not too bad, really, considering everything,” Curt commented.
“You had major surgery, you know,” Dr. DV reminded him.
“The worst day that I had was when the morphine had worn off. That was pure agony,” Curt said. “I don’t want to go through anything like that again.” He pulled the vehicle out of the barn and headed down the cart path by the first tee. The trees and shrubs were in primetime growth. Summer was in full swing. “It’s funny how you look at things in a little different light.” He turned his head to more closely notice the new growth on the plants and the birds chirping and soaring in the breeze.
“You had a close call,” Dr. DV said, “and it sounds like you had great care.”
“I couldn’t be happier with the team of physicians that took care of me,” Curt agreed, “and I think that it may have given me a new appreciation for the little things that we all take for granted.” He stuck his head up in the air a bit to feel the soothing breeze hit his face. A red-tailed hawk soared overhead looking for its prey. He pointed into the sky for Dr. DV to see.
“I’ve fixed a few of those in my life. You know, a broken wing here or a mangled leg there,” Dr. DV said. “But if it had a broken leg, then it probably had a broken wing too.” He laughed at the irony of the injuries.
“Why do you say that?” Curt asked.
Dr. DV pounced on that question. “How else would you catch it?”
Curt smiled at him. “That’s so simple, it makes sense. I can’t believe how territorial they are.” He looked back up in the sky. “That’s the one that lives around here. We were on number sixteen one day looking for a ball that went into the creek. All of a sudden we heard this loud shriek. The next thing we knew, a squirrel hit the ground in a thud and the hawk flew off. I’m sure that he hauled off his prey after we cleared the area.”
Dr. DV smiled. “Life in the wild; it can be cruel at times.”
Curt pulled up to the spot where he had parked the utility vehicle many times for Justin and Keith. It was near the pampas grass. He pointed to the gigantic grass and said, “That’s my finish line. When I’m in decent shape and running around the lake, my goal is to run to that.”
They got out of the utility vehicle and started to walk around the lake. “Let me know if I’m going too fast for you,” Dr. DV remarked.
“I’m still a bit sore, but I’ll keep up. It’s so good to be back out here and enjoying all of this once again,” Curt added. He turned to the vet. “Can you offer me a tad bit of advice?”
“I’ll try.”
“You’re a doctor and probably know a thing or two about surgeries,” Curt started.
“Remember, I operate on animals, not people,” Dr. DV made clear.
“I understand, but you probably know a thing or two about tumors don’t you?”
“I deal with them darn near every day.”
“They claim that they got all of mine out, but the head of the cancer center wants me to go through chemotherapy. I would prefer not to if I don’t need to,” Curt said. “Should I take it?”
Dr. DV responded with an adamant, “Absolutely!”
“You feel that strongly about it?” Curt was mildly startled.
“If they offer it to you, then don’t hesitate to take it.”
“Why do you say that?” Curt questioned.
“Let me give you a human side of the story and maybe the example will provide a good explanation why,” Dr. DV began. “I had a sister that came down with cancer.”
“I’m sorry,” Curt interrupted.
“No problem,” Dr. DV acknowledged. “She was operated on and they took a tumor out of her. She started feeling well and they offered chemotherapy to her.”
“Did she take it?”
“No, she turned it down,” the vet went on. “She said that she was feeling just fine and that she would beat cancer with vitamins and holistic rituals and better eating habits.”
“That sounds way out there,” Curt commented.
“Some people don’t believe what doctors have to say. But modern medicine today can do wonders,” Dr. DV urged. “She wanted her body to do it on its own.”
“How did she make out?” Curt asked.
“We buried her three months ago,” Dr. DV said sadly. “It took two years, but the cancer ate her up. She went down to around eighty pounds.”
“That’s tragic.” Curt felt the anxiety speed up his heart rate as the story hit home. He took a handkerchief out of his pocket and reached up to wipe the sweat off of his brow. The dog days of summer were rapidly approaching.
“The moral to the story, if you don’t know by now, is to take chemo if it’s offered to you,” Dr. DV advised. “More than anything else, view chemo as an insurance policy that might improve your chances and help you down the road.”
“Okay, I get it,” Curt said nodding his head.
“Don’t mess with the big C.”
The words rang home. “Gotcha.” Curt took a deep breath.
CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
Tina dropped the boys off the next morning at sunup. Curt was feeling better
and better but didn’t sleep well the night before. He got up early and beat everyone to the course. When the boys came through the door Curt was sitting at the counter doing a crossword puzzle. He had already gotten the coffee pot going and put the cash in the register. After wiping down the countertop he restocked the coolers. The iron pills that he had been taking were starting to retool his energy level. He could feel the old bounce starting to come back. Maybe there is something to all of the Geritol stuff, he thought.
“Hi, Curt,” Justin yelled. “I didn’t expect to see you here so early.”
Tina followed the boys through the door. She hadn’t had a chance to visit with Curt since he had been released from the hospital.
“I’m starting to feel a lot better,” Curt said. “It feels like my energy is coming back.”
“We stopped in to see you that one day at the hospital and a Do-Not-Disturb sign was on the door,” Tina blurted.
Curt groaned. “Don’t remind me about that day.”
“Why, what happened?” she asked.
“For the sake of a simple explanation, let’s just say that the morphine had worn off. It was a real rough day.”
“Morphine? What’s that?” Justin asked.
“A painkiller, Honey,” Tina answered. She turned back to Curt. “You look great. How much weight did you lose?”
“Twenty-five pounds. Can you tell?”
Tina nodded her head. “It’s noticeable. You’re almost too skinny.”
“I haven’t been this low since I was a sophomore in college,” Curt said with a grin.
“Is everything going okay?” Tina asked. “I mean, you’re back at work and everything.”
“Yeah, just fine,” Curt replied. “They want me to start chemotherapy as soon as possible.”
“I didn’t think you had to go through that.” Tina was visibly upset. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
Curt challenged her. “Why do you say that?”
“That’s just a way for the hospitals to make money off of cancer. It kills your good cells you know.”
“Sure,” Curt agreed. “It kills all of the fastest growing cells in your body.”
“How much hair did they say you would lose?” Tina continued as the boys found their way to the bananas and cereal.
“Don’t eat too much before we go and run,” Curt reminded them. He turned back to Tina. “They said that the doses that I would be taking would be small enough to where I wouldn’t lose my hair.”
“Ha! Fat chance of that,” Tina argued. “We’ve had a couple teachers at work take it and they all lost their hair.”
“I think it depends on how severe the situation is,” Curt said, “and what type of cancer you have.”
“I think that it’s just a way for the hospitals to make more money off the insurance companies,” Tina reiterated.
“Gee whiz, let’s hope not.”
“You’re only a number to them,” Tina said, sure of herself. “You need to go to this seminar that I went to.”
“What seminar is that?” Curt asked. He couldn’t wait to hear what kind of advice she was going to throw his way.
“It’s a Dr. Wang or Chang or Hu or some other Chinese name. I’ve got the number at home,” Tina began. “You know they give you all sorts of holistic remedies that allow the body to cure itself on its own.”
Curt weighed what she was saying against what Dr. DV had said the previous afternoon. He was curious to hear what she was going to say next. “Like what?”
“For one, they claim that meditation works very well,” Tina went on to explain.
Curt played along. “How’s that?” He went to the coffee pot, raised it in the air, and offered some to her. “Want some?”
Tina always drank coffee in the morning. “Yeah, I’d love a cup.” He placed a Styrofoam cup in front of her and offered her cream and sugar. “Black is fine.” She picked up a magazine and threw it in his direction. “You know that!”
Curt grinned and looked at the boys. “You never know. Women are notorious about changing their minds.” He winked at Justin and Keith. “So tell me about this meditation method for controlling cancer.”
“They claim that meditation and yoga will help to make the stress in your body go away,” Tina started. “The doctor at the seminar said that visualization and relaxation were acceptable methods used to ward off cancer.”
“I don’t doubt that stress plays a major part in the disease,” Curt agreed.
“I only say this because I don’t want you to go through chemotherapy,” Tina said. “That’s too hard on you and it kills a lot of good cells.”
“That doesn’t surprise me,” Curt stated. “I would rather not go through with it either.”
“But there is so much more,” Tina stressed. “You can use acupuncture and vitamins and herbs and massage.”
“So, what are you trying to say, Tina?”
“There are a lot of alternatives available to you besides chemo. That’s just a way for the healthcare industry to make tons and tons of money,” she pleaded.
“Maybe so,” Curt agreed, “but it is also proven that the chemotherapy treatments work.”
“But they hurt you just as much as they help you,” Tina shot back. “Don’t you see my point?”
“Well, yeah, but it’s my life that I’m making the decision on.”
“This Oriental doctor urged all of his patients to take Echinacea or ginseng or even extract from shitake mushrooms,” Tina continued.
“Not interested,” Curt said firmly.
“Then I don’t guess you want to hear about the extract from mistletoe and the Venus flytrap,” Tina continued.
Curt shook his head back and forth. “No.”
“Then, what about the food remedies?”
Curt rolled his eyes. “I guess if I’m desperate, then I could try lots of things.”
“Green tea is supposed to help. You can put some slippery elm bark in there or add rhubarb and thistle and watercress and roots. They’re all supposed to help.” Tina wouldn’t shut up.
“Tina, it’s my life that we’re talking about. I have to make a decision on chemotherapy right now,” Curt said.
“Don’t do it Curt. It’s bad for you. It kills good cells!”
Curt looked at the boys more amused than frustrated. He winked at Justin. “What else do you think might work?”
“Aromatherapy is supposed to be great for you,” Tina said.
“That’s food for thought,” Curt commented. “Enlighten me.”
“Different aroma oils help different senses,” Tina began again. Curt nodded. He waited to hear what was next out of her mouth. “There are all kinds depending on what part of your body you want to treat. There’s geranium and rose . . . and lavender. Or you could choose eucalyptus or sandalwood or French basil or even sweet fennel.”
“Does it have to be French?” Curt asked.
“What has to be French?’
Curt smiled at her. “ . . . The basil.”
Tina picked up the bar towel and flung it at him. “Quit making fun of me! I’m trying to help you out!”
Curt backed off, and with his tongue in his cheek, he remarked, “No, I find all of this very interesting. I had no idea.”
“It works!” Tina shouted.
“I just don’t think that it’s what I need at this point in time,” Curt said as he defended himself against her suggestions. “Is there anything else you’d like to recommend?”
“Yes! Organic blueberries! They kill cancer cells on contact,” Tina blurted.
Curt picked up the coffee pot and refilled her cup. “Then what am I supposed to do? Am I to pick up a handful of organic blueberries, rip these stitches out, and rub them on my colon?” Curt raised his voice a little. “Come on Tina, this is my life that we’re messing around with. If I’m forced to take out an insurance policy and try to get my body back to good health, I think that right now . . . today . . . I’m going to choose chemotherap
y over organic blueberries!”
Tina glared at him. “Well you can do what you want. But chemotherapy kills good cells and is a way for the healthcare industry to make mega, big bucks.” She got up from her chair. “I’m going to go now.”
“Thank you for your help. I’m glad that you have so much concern for me,” Curt said as he walked her to the door. “I appreciate it.”
They opened the door and walked outside. “I’m sorry if I sounded too overbearing,” Tina apologized.
“Don’t worry about it,” Curt said as he grinned at her.
“I just want you to be around for Justin and help him grow up.” Tina reached up and wiped a tear from the side of her eye.
Curt put his arms around her shoulder and gave her a hug. “Don’t worry about things so much. I’m not going anywhere just yet.”
CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
Curt organized the boys shortly after Tina exited the parking lot. After coaxing them into the utility vehicle he made a path straight to the maintenance shed. Justin jumped out and immediately made his way over to the bowl of water and bowl of food that had been placed out for the cats.
“Have you been keeping an eye on them?” Curt asked as he grabbed a bucket of white paint, two brushes, and several rubber cones.
“I feed them every day,” Justin replied. “Do you think Puddles knows me?”
“If you’re feeding it I’m sure it remembers,” Curt stated. He called the cat an “it” because he wasn’t sure if Puddles was a male or a female and he wasn’t particularly interested in finding out. “Have you seen them catch any mice yet?”
“They dart after them, but I haven’t seen one in their mouth,” Justin answered.
“What’s the paint for?” Keith asked.
“A little project after we run,” Curt said. He placed the paint and other items into the back of the vehicle. “Hop in you two. Let’s hit it.” They followed Curt’s lead and the three of them charged toward the lake.
“Are you going to run with us today?” Justin asked.
“I’m feeling good enough to give it a try,” Curt responded. “At least I’ll run a little and walk a little. Dr. DV and I walked all the way around the lake yesterday afternoon.”