Tag Archives: life

So many good things

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The last couple of weeks have been been busy, and full of wonderful good things!

I celebrated my 4-month “getting out of the hospital” anniversary! Man, it still feels odd to say that. Not the “getting out” part, but the whole hospital thing. I mean, it’s still so much to process, and sometimes it almost doesn’t seem real, like it’s just something you read about, or might see on TV. But, I’m getting better, getting strength back, and have found myself more and more grateful for my life, and the people in it, every single day. That’s part of why today I’m posting about all sorts of good things!

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Stuff to celebrate:

*I’ve been able to stop dialysis! While not 100% healed! my kidneys have healed enough so that I don’t need to have my blood cleaned three times a week! This is such a giant weight lifted off my family and I, it’s hard to even describe. It’s a good thing.

*Getting to see 3 terrific pieces of theatre recently. The Last Romance at The Purple Rose, Carousel at Encore Musical Theatre, and Hamlet at The Michigan Shakespeare Festival. Had a great time at them all, and hopefully will see more soon!

*Getting a visit from Laura Thaisen! Laura was one of Williamston Theatre’s first apprentices, and she’s gone on to become a professional stage manager in Minneapolis, and we’re extremely proud of her. It was so great to have her visit, and to meet her significant other just weeks before they became officially engaged!

*We broke our yearly attendance record at Williamston Theatre! This is a wonderful thing, and we’re hoping that it’s a trend we’ll keep doing for the next few years.

*I did ten push-ups. Yes, ten. Go ahead and laugh, but a couple of months ago it was all I could do to hold myself up. This week I walked over a mile with my son and my dogs, and I did ten push-ups! Little steps, but they make me wanna take more steps.

*Guardians Of The Galaxy. Awesome. I am Groot. Enough said.

*We had a fabulous family weekend “up North”, playing games and napping and chatting and eating. We went to an entertainment center where we got to race go karts, and drive bumper cars, and I’m not gonna lie, I had a moment. A moment where I was driving my bumper car around, and I couldn’t stop smiling. I look up, and my parents and wife are sitting and watching (and taking video!), and they were laughing, and so happy, and every bumper car was filled with family: my kids, my sister, my nephews… We’re all smashing into each other and laughing our fool heads off, and the sense of wonderfulness was just, overwhelming.

This is the part where I want to write something about not taking things for granted, and celebrating life every chance you get, and how many times since getting out of the hospital I’ve said to myself “I almost missed this!” – those lessons and more are bouncing around in my head, and my heart, and I’m still processing them in so many ways, many times each day. Maybe someday soon I’ll be able to write coherently about them…

Until then, friends, remember to tell the people you love how you feel, take joy in every well spent moment, and revel in how many moments truly are well spent.

Progress is good!

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So many good things going on. I’m slowly starting to get back to work, it’s been a good week – I got to be involved in some creative stuff, which is always fun, and man did it make me realize how much I miss directing! Haven’t done it since last Fall, but I’m scheduled to do “Sirens” at Williamston Theatre next season, and I’m looking forward to it. I’ll be working on a staged reading at the Lansing Renegade Theatre Festival in August, also, which will be fun.

I have been able to read a bunch of plays, see a lot of movies, which has been a nice way of “refilling the well”, as they say. Also saw “Book of Mormon” at the Detroit Opera House, which was hilarious, irreverent and fabulous. And let me recommend the films “The Rover” and “Snow Piercer”, both of which are out now and both are really, really terrific! “Chef” was fun and sweet, also.

And, just for fun, here’s an interesting breakdown of “Visual Comedy In the Films Of Edgar Wright” that I really enjoyed, and I think there’s a lot there for stage directors as well.

Now, I’m off for some arm surgery. Wish me luck! Have a good Tuesday everyone!

Random Good Things On A Sunday Night

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Father’s Day with my family was great. I’m a lucky man.

The first part of my arm surgery was smooth and successful. Part two will be in July, and a couple weeks after that I should have a working fistula for dialysis. That’ll be a lot nicer than these tubes in my chest.

I’ve been able to be at work a few times this week, slowly getting life moving towards the new normal. We had some callback auditions, and next season will be cast in the next week or so.

Rice Dream. No, I’m not dreaming about rice. Rice Dream is a pretty good non-dairy replacement for milk when I need something to put on cereal. (Dairy is pretty limited in my dialysis diet because of the phosphorous).

The Edge Of Tomorrow was a pretty fun movie. Having a day just hanging out with my son and seeing it was even better.

“Love Letter” is a fun, simple, fast-paced and family friendly card game that we just started playing. check it out!

Happy Sunday everyone! Hope your week was as full of good things as mine!

Hi Blog, We Meet Again…

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Well, it’s been 4 and 1/2 months since I’ve written here.  This will be a long entry about why. 🙂

Many of you who read this blog regularly already know, but for those who don’t, from January 19th to April 1st I was in the hospital.  The last post on my blog leads right into this one, because I was writing about fighting illness, and 2 days later I collapsed and was taken to the ER.  It turns out that some of the problems I was having were due, at least in part, to bacterial meningitis.  While in the hospital, the bacterial meningitis caused my brain to swell up, and my breathing trouble turned into pneumonia.  The pneumonia turned into Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome, and they wound up putting me in an induced coma state, which I was in for 4 and 1/2 or 5 weeks.

Waking up was a slow process.  I started to wake up around the 28th of February, my wife Jeanne says, but there was about a week or so where I was awake but not very responsive, but slowly started asking some questions and responding to some questions with witty one-liners , but shortly after that I got a secondary infection that wiped me out for a couple more days, and I don’t really have any clear recollection of anything until early March when I started to become a little more lucid.  Once they’d determined that I hadn’t suffered any brain damage from the bacterial meningitis they started me on a series of different rehabilitation therapies (physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, swallow studies, things like that) which I did for a while in the acute care ward, and then moved to the rehab ward for a couple more weeks of PT and OT.

Shortly before being released back into the wild on April 1st, Jeanne helped me post on Facebook – what I wrote is here, if you’re interested.

Once I got home, I spent a month going to out-patient physical therapy, which I finished in early May.  I’m still going to dialysis 3 times a week, due to the damage my kidneys took during my illness.  There’s still hope they could rebound and heal themselves, but right now we have to move forward as though I’ll need dialysis forever, just to be safe.

SO.  Life has changed a lot in the last 4 and 1/2 months since my last blog post!  🙂  Now I’m doing physical therapy exercises at home and lots of walking to try and get my strength back.  I’m almost to the point where I don’t need a nap daily.  I’m using my cane for walking less, and soon won’t need it (although everyone wants me to get a cool cane with a sword in it!).  My kids can still beat me in arm wrestling, and we’ve had to buy me new pants because I lost 47 pounds in the hospital!  Still, life is darned good.  I’m slowly starting to do some work back at the theatre, getting better at the new diet I’ve got to live by, and trying to gain some muscle weight back!

This has been the most amazing experience, even though there is a huge part of it that I have no recollection of at all.  (I remember Jeanne taking me into the Emergency Room on January 19th, and I threw up.  The next clear memory I have is waking up in early March with people looking down at me, wondering what happened.)  During the time I was down, my family and I received the most amazing amount of support and love from friends and family… it was, and continues to be, simply overwhelming.  Cards, food, messages, chores, errands, money, prayer quilts, helping with kids and their travel needs, the list goes on and on.  My friend Emily started a thing called “Team Tony”, and created a t-shirt with my image on it for people to buy as a fundraiser to help my family cover medical bills.  That took off and, amazingly, 693 shirts were sold and $14,000 was raised.  Everyone started posting pictures of themselves wearing their Team Tony shirts, and it was the most wonderful, uplifting thing in the universe to wake up in the hospital and have my wife and family share this amazing outpouring of generosity and love with me.  I truly believe this massive positive energy helped me recover and heal, and it’s been the most life changing experience in the world – I’m so incredibly grateful.

So.  This is the longest post ever.  I’ll end it here.  But I’m hoping to be posting a lot more regularly – this experience has been such an eye-opening journey.  I have so many people to thank, and so much more I’m looking forward to sharing about it and, to be honest, I’m still processing it all.  Not a day goes by that I don’t re-realize how lucky I am to be here right now, and how all of this time with my family and friends is a gift that I almost didn’t get.

It’s good to be back.

Okay 2014, let’s shape up a little.

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It’s been a while since I wrote on here about the adventures of Wheezy McCoughCough, The Bronchospasm Kid.
(I think the last couple times were here and  here, if you’re interested.)

Some of that is because I didn’t feel like using this site to complain about health issues, and some is, well, I guess that’s really the reason!  The last few weeks have been a challenge, though, and I feel like it’s worth writing about.

Just after Christmas, I was hit by another bout of breathing issues, (wheezing, coughing, bronchospasm, fever, chills, shortness of breath) which knocked me flat on my behind for a while and, unfortunately, kept me there more or less since then.  I’ve had better and worse days, and managed to fit in a fair amount of work, but the last two weeks have been particularly hard.  I’ve felt sort of like this:

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Well, I guess I haven’t felt exactly like that, since that’s a fictitional gnome hurling rainbows.  I pretty much just wanted to use that image, because no matter how lousy I’m feeling it cheers me up a little.
(And the video of it is even funnier, if you’re interested!)

My doctors, thankfully, are working diligently with me and I am eternally grateful for the awesomeness of my wife, kids and co-workers who have helped me.

It’s very hard for me to lay on the couch taking medicines wondering why I can’t breathe and not be doing something at the theatre.  I dunno, I’m a little bit of a control freak, I like to make sure things are happening, but I also love my job.  At the same time, if I’m not there I feel like I’m letting people down.  Thankfully, my friends at the theatre can certainly run the thing without me for a while.  If that wasn’t the case, we would’ve been doing something wrong these last 8 years.  But at the same time, I don’t like feeling useless, or like I’m putting the burden of what I should be doing to earn my paycheck on everyone else.

Still, the lesson here is “When your doctor tells you to rest, and your wife tells you to rest, and your coworkers and friends tell you to rest… You should shut up and rest.”

So, I will.  And I’ll be grateful for the amazing people and opportunities in my life… and I’ll hope that the cure to whatever this medical mystery tour I’ve been on the last year presents itself soon.

In the meantime, everybody have a great start to 2014, and take care of your health!  🙂

 

A nice early gift.

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With family scattered all over, sometimes the act of getting everyone together can be a challenging task that happens a lot more rarely than we’d appreciate.

This week, my parents came up from Florida for the holidays.  They spent a couple days with us, and then we all piled in the car to make the drive to my brother’s house in Orchard Park, NY.  My brother Dominic and his wife and kids moved there this Spring for his job, and so our family is more separated around the country than we’ve ever been.

As we drove the 6+ hour drive, the sun set and the weather got a little rainy.  It was a very fun family trip, lots of laughing, games were played, and as we were passing through Pennsylvania it occurred to me that it had been many, many years since I’d had a long car trip with my parents.  And now that my kids are getting older, who knows how many more Jeanne and I will have with them.

So, I was driving… and there was this wonderful, perfect moment.  My daughter, tired like teenagers get, was sleeping and gently snoring in her seat.  My mom was reading, quietly engrossed in her book.  My wife and son were in the far back seats, watching (for the first time ever) episodes of Firefly on the DVD player and wearing the headphones so that, although we couldn’t hear the show, we could hear them laughing and exclaiming things to each other as they watched.  My dad and I were talking as I drove, just chatting about life and health and schedules and a million things.   Just as we came to a lull in the conversation, something happened on Firefly that got Jeanne and Max laughing, and they shared a look and a moment that I caught in the rear-view mirror, and as their laughter settled Maggie sighed loudly and contentedly in her sleep.  I looked back at my Dad, and he was just smiling, looking out the window, as my mom continued reading.  That little moment, all of us together, headed to spend time with more family, was just perfect.  Then, of course, it faded away – I had to change lanes, we started chatting again, snacks were passed around, and we continued down the expressway on our journey.

But that moment – I’ll hold onto that for a long time.  Who knows if we’ll get one of those again.

That’s the best gift I could’ve asked for this season.

Five Things Friday!

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It’s Five Things Friday!

SO: 5 random things from my life:

1)  When I was a little boy, I used to play the accordion.  It was almost as big as me.

2) Most days of the week, I have an ongoing “group text message” going with my younger brother and sister that is normally pretty hilarious. Say what you will about the pros and cons of texting, but I love that – although we all live far apart – we can still chat and make each other laugh this way.  dtgfunny

 

 

 

 

 

 

3)  My first car was a fire-engine-red Ford Pinto.  I loved that car.  One time when driving it, the stick shift came right out of the floor in my hand.  I handed it to my buddy Spencer, who was riding with me, and said “Here, hold this” and then drove about a mile back home in 2nd gear!

4)  I wore a bow-tie to kindergarten.  A clip-on one.  Nearly every day.  Because I wanted to.

5)  I have a tattoo.  It says “Maggie” and “Max” in a band around my upper right arm.

 

 

SO Much To Be Thankful For!

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Happy Thanksgiving!  Here in the USA, it’s a great day to take a look at and appreciate all the reasons we have to be thankful.

And boy oh boy, do I have things to be thankful for…

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First and Foremost – these three people!  Just look at how awesome they are.  I am constantly amazed at how strong, talented, thoughtful and wonderful they are.

My parents and brother and sister, my whole extended family and in-laws.

The amazing technology that lets my family stay in touch and talk/text/share photos daily, even though now we all live far apart.

The doctors who are helping me solve my breathing and lung issues.

The Williamston Theatre, and the amazing family of people who I get to work with there.

Zombies:  Specifically, tv shows and games about them.

The fact that our power came back on after only 3 days of being out after the recent storm, and we have a warm place to live.

Our pets.

The wind storm that blew most of the leaves out of our yard.

The theatre industry in Michigan – thanks for letting me have a career for 20+ years.

Science Fiction!  Books, movies, games, tv shows!

The wonderful friends I’ve got, some who I’ve known since 1st grade, and some I’m just getting to know.

The fact that we can get a new coffee maker, and that I can have decaf coffee.

The fact that I’ve been able to mostly eliminate caffeine, and still enjoy decaf coffee.

The incredible people who donate time, money, energy and positivity to Williamston Theatre.  In the middle of our 8th season, it’s still amazing to me that it exists and prospers.

TV Talk, and getting to host a fun show there with my pal Joe.  A little extra income, a lot of fun, and a great new experience to learn from.

Those moments in the middle of the night, when I wake up and walk the house just to check on doors and kids, and the gentle breathing and talking-in-their-sleep sounds that my family make when they sleep.

My Fitbit Flex, which helps me keep motivated to stay in shape, and the LoseIt! app on my iPhone, which helps me track calories and glucose!

Major League Baseball!

Turkey and Stuffing.  With Gravy.

Slippers.  Man, I love wearing my slippers.

And pajama pants.  Warm ones.

Our elliptical running machine, and the “Zombies, Run!” app that I use while exercising! (Nothing like a good interactive zombie story to motivate you to lose some weight and get in shape!)

Almost 20 years of marriage to an amazing person.  The life we’ve built together.  It’s not perfect, but it’s pretty darned great, and it’s ours!

 

Monday Morning Pic Post

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Random pictures from the life of a random guy who is also a dad, husband, director and nerd.

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This is the glass blowers studio across the street from Williamston Theatre. Folks who came to an evening performance of The Woman In Black had a little surprise waiting for them after the show. It was so much fun to see who would spot it, and what their reaction would be!

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Sometimes you put stuff in a desk drawer, and it slips behind the drawer, and maybe under it, and just gets lost in the desk. Then after a while, sometimes after years, you open the drawer and that something that you’d forgotten all about falls out from under the drawer. Sometimes that something is a few pictures that your kids made for you when they were little… Like this collection of all my favorite superheroes that my son, who was probably in first grade at the time, made for me because he knew I liked them…

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…or this picture and note that my daughter made for me. I won’t lie, working on the play that I’m directing now (which is all about family, and parents/kids/grandparents and growth and change), finding these pictures from years ago was a little bit of an emotional moment. Now the kids are teenagers, busy all the time, and the days of wanting to write notes to mom and dad is gone. And I guess the bittersweet thing about that is that I don’t remember exactly when it happened. *sigh*! Still, their are more parenting adventures on the way!

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My Klingon Piggy Bank went as a leprechaun for Halloween.

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This creepy doll is from The Woman In Black. Spooky.

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Maggie planted an apple tree several years ago – this year she got to collect her first crop of apples from it!

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Aaaaaaand I’m just sharing this because it makes me laugh every time I see it!