Tappy needs a new set of lungs

CBC radio SYDNEY will be airing a three part series starting Tuesday, July 3rd.  Part one includes an emotional interview with Mom and Dad about their situation.  Part two, airing Wednesday, will discuss just how expensive this process is and part three (Thursday) is an interview with the Health Minister discussing what the government will or won’t do.  If you don’t live in Sydney, you can tune in to your computer and listen live by clicking this link http://www.canadianwebradio.com/nova-scotia.html , and choosing the second station listed (CBC Radio One 1140) at 7:40 AM Sydney time.  The producer will notify me of any changes and I will post them here. If you miss the interview, let me know and i’ll send it to you by email.  jeanmarie1255@yahoo.ca

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Our daughter Jean Marie and her son Kyle, aged 7, arrived in Toronto on Monday for a week long visit with Nanny (Georgie) and Tappy (me). We were thrilled to see them, the first time since we left the Cape on November the 5^th.

The evening they arrived we were sitting around the apartment talking about the various attractions they would like to see when someone suggested going to the CN tower. It was about 5:30 and we thought most people would be home getting ready for supper. Jean Marie phoned the tower to see if it would be friendly for someone on oxygen and was assured it would not be a problem at all . She also asked how long the tour would take from start to finish and judging by what they told us, I took a full tank of oxygen with us and left several in the trunk of the car for back-ups. (Geez you know what’s coming right?). Under normal circumstances a cylinder of oxygen will do me almost two hours so I felt that would be plenty.

So the first thing we faced getting out of the car was a very long and steep ramp followed by stairs and more ramps. Then we ran into two school bus tours formed up in lines in front of us. After doing the Hymalamazon simulator (a log ride simulation) we finally get in the elevator and head for the lookout and glass floor. (the big bulge in the tower) By this time there is concern as to whether my oxygen is going to get us to the space pod and back to the car. But I assure Georgie and Jean Marie that we can do it.

Up we go to the space pod. But when we get there, there’s another 17 steps to climb in order to see anything. (amazing they forgot to tell us about all these steps and ramps) By this time I was pretty well exhausted and couldn’t muster up the strength to go any further and now even I was getting a little concerned about my oxygen supply.

When we went to the elevator to get back down, the school tours were already waiting. We explained to a teacher what was happening and he graciously allowed us to go ahead of them. Now on the return trip, the elevator takes you to a gift shop below ground level that looks for a moment like there’s no escape. Exit signs everywhere, pointing in all directions but finding a way out or someone who could guide us was impossible. When we finally did get out of there we faced another long ramp and at this point Georgie managed to find a wheelchair.. By this time I was exhausted because I was using a low flow rate to conserve what oxygen I had left.

We came out on Bremner Blvd., south of where we went in. The Rogers center was off to our left and that’s where we parked but it was on the other side of that huge complex. Georgie decided it would be best if she went alone to get the car and so I told her to head off west and go around the Rogers center. Five minutes after she left I realized I sent her in a direction that was the long way around and that she could have walked north, around the tower to the parking garage.It would have taken four or five minutes at most. By this time even Kyle realizes that the situation is getting a little serious and keeps asking me if I’m” going to live”.

A few minutes later we see Georgie coming back from the direction I sent her with a young, well built man by her side. She recruited him to help her find the parking garage but he was at a loss since we didn’t know what street it was on and there are many parking garages in that area. The man was Steve Spencer, a former Newfoundlander who lives near the Rogers Center and CN tower. By this time I have only minutes left in my oxygen tank Georgie knew she would recognize the parking garage once she saw it. So she hailed a cab and her and Steve went around the Rogers Center and located the garage and the car. In the meantime Kyle spied an ice cream stand and wanted a cone. Jean Marie asked me if I’d like one, “death by chocolate” she suggested. I don’t know where she gets her warped sense of humour. It was such a relief to see Georgie and Steve pulling into the curb. Thanks Steve, Thanks Georgie.

Now you’re probably asking yourself “how many times does that idiot have to get caught in that situation before he catches on”.

Well there’s more at play here folks than my stupidity. A week before coming up here Jean Marie reactivated an old neck injury and just a couple of days before the flight fell and injured her hand.

On Tuesday She and Kyle went to the Ontario Science museum. Luckily I decided to stay home. While they were there a thunder storm rolled in knocking out the power. (I’m not making this stuff up). They ended up having to walk up four escalators to get to the main floor.

Thursday Jean Marie, Kyle and Georgie went to the Toronto Zoo. Fearing I might get bitten by a giraffe or impaled by an elephant’s tusks, I decided to remain in the comfort of our little apartment. They took the train around the perimeter of the zoo to get an overall view and plan their afternoon. Guess what?. The God Damn train broke down. Friday we all went to the African Lion Safari……..I feared for my life. You won’t believe it, everything went without a hitch.

Jean Marie and Kyle got to visit with some cousins they haven’t seen in a long time and even got to play a few hands of tarbish. While she was here we had a visit with some great friends from down home, John and Natalie LeJean.

A week is much too short though and before we knew it, it was Monday again and time to say good-bye. The words on my computer screen and the letters on the keyboard are blurry reliving those moments. I’ve said enough.

Another elevator story: They are in the process of changing over to air-conditioning in our apartment building (none too soon) but it hasn’t been going all that smoothly. They have run into a few problems that have forced them to knock out portions of walls on several floors to try to find the problem.

Lately I have been wearing an oxygen mask that covers my nose and mouth (you know the kind) but it also has an air bag attached that hangs down my chest. The oxygen flows through this setup from a cylinder which I haul, on what looks like a golf cart. This is the gear I was using last Thursday when Georgie and I and our son Mike got in the elevator to go to our apartment. There was a worker there looking pretty worn out and sweaty. I lifted the mask slightly so I could still get my oxygen and allow him to hear me clearly. I asked him if he was one of the guys working on the air conditioning. He said yes. Then I asked him when he thought it would be up and running. He said today or possibly tomorrow “but don’t hold your breath”. I assured him I couldn’t hold my breath at about the same time he realized what he had just said. The look on his face told us that he felt like crawling under the elevator door. But we immediately broke into a gale of laughter and his look changed to one of tenuous relief.

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There’s only one thing my Brother Barry loves as much as music…..that’s cooking. And anyone who has tasted his wares will tell you, the only thing Barry does better than cooking is perform music. Some might even say it’s a toss up.

Barry works with many choirs here in Toronto including the famous Amadeus choir directed by Glace Bay native Lydia Adams. He is also the organist and choir director at Richmond Hill United Church . He teaches music and is in demand as a vocal and instrumental soloist.

For many years Barry has wanted to put together a cook book of his favorite recipes but something always kept getting in the way. His busy schedule didn’t afford him the time to sit down and do it, that is, until I came along with my illness. Now while I’m not thrilled about having Pulmonary fibrosis I am happy to say that I am the catalyst for Barry finally getting his project on the road. You see, Barry has donated the proceeds of the sale of this book to Georgie and me so we can maintain life here in Toronto while waiting for my transplant. Barry has sold the book to members of all the choirs he is and has been associated with and to members of his congregation at Richmond Hill. Barry has more friends than anyone I know and many of them have been extremely generous in helping us out. Sale of “A Bunch Of Barry’s Best” has reached almost 300 copies and he is still getting orders. Thanks to all who bought the book and a special thanks to those who helped him put it together.

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The transplant count up to June 6th is 40. I have now been waiting seven months and I’m among the longest on the list.

These flowers adorn our table in our dining/living/bedroom/den at 50 Rosehill. They were made by ten-year-old Tanner Barnard, Georgie’s Great-Grand Nephew. Tanner has taken a keen interest in my health and well being. Thanks Tanner, the flowers are beautiful.