Dying Dann’s Adventures With Death #4

I often wonder if some of the things I do are strange or eccentric.

For instance I will play music of any genre while writing two books and playing Mahjong at the same time.

I cannot say what genre is my favorite. Depending on how my day goes, the weather, my mood and other daily interactions cultivates my moods.

Explore my playlists and you will see what I mean. Song one could be The Beatles, two may be Jedi Mind Tricks, followed by JellyRoll or Struggles Jennings. They may be followed by trench town rock, or true reggae and the next song could very well be Mozart. Don’t be surprised if the next are Gregorian Chants or Brian Eno’s Taking Tiger Mountain.

I appreciate and love all music and songs that tell a story or relay positive messages. I appreciate talent and lyrics that teach deep positive words. In days long before, mankind depended upon traveling minstrels to pass on the news from town to town.

Music has no race. Music has emotions. Happy, sad, dancing or making love – music enhances our emotions.

Just wanted to let you see what goes through this old Urban Viking’s mind.

Dying Dann’s Adventures With Death #3

Sooooo, I am still here. Defying all the odds. Slow dancing with the Grim Reaper in a burning room. (Thank you Leonard Cohen)

But, enough of that talk. Have you noticed the Number One side effect of Covid 19 virus? Even the scientists have missed it.

It is “Stupidity“. Remember I tell you this. In my 62 years and 7 months walking on this Big Blue Marble I have never seen so many stupid souls.

They have redefined “Sheeple”. They are now “Sheeple 3.0″. They are oblivious to common sense. The teenagers believe that they are indestructable. The wealthy think that their bank account is a vaccine. At least the stupid ones have their lack of knowledge as an excuse.

Rant over. I am hanging in still. I have a CT Scan next Friday. Cancer clinic on June 11th. An MRI the 29th of August. I suspect that all these appointments will change shortly after the CT Scan. Things are not going well inside me. Not well at all.

I have been procrastanating about my heart for 7 months now. Judging by my swelling I would chance to guess that I have what my generation calls, *Dropsy.”

Never had dropsy before. I fight each day to stay alive. Alive for my family, my loved ones and, of course, my beautiful fur daughters, Pringles and Ruffles.

My main reason for staying alive is that I LOVE living. I love my family too dearly to hurt them by dying.

We will have to see what happens after the tests. I will fight whatever comes my way like the true Urban Viking I am.

Till next rant…… Pray it forward People.

Dying Dann’s Adventures With Death #2 Frack Cancer!

It is 2 in the morning. I keep waking to scratch my self. Morphine itches. Side effect of living a life without pain.

I have had to up my opiod intake to fight the pain.

My neck is swelling. Not good at all.

Unlike my face, hands and feet this swelling does not go away. (My goatee has been doing a good job hiding it, though.)

To many I appear healthier. That is the bloating making me appear fat faced. An illusion.

I am at the worst stage I have had to deal with. I do not feel well at all.
There are numerous things I can no longer do. A flight of stairs is a challenge. Carry groceries home is no longer possible.
The neck swelling seems to be accelerating. Almost flush with the tip of my chin.
Which scares me. A couple of months ago I was more than willing to ascend.

Not now. I want to live.
No if’s, and’s or but’s.
I have to go on.
My wife, my sons and my pups need me.

I need them.

You can see the shape and massiveness of the tumor at the base of my tongue. Much larger than the camera made it appear as.

I can feel my airway getting a little smaller each day. A true cause for concern.

Soon people will notice my swollen throat. It is getting too big to hide.

Hence, this blog.

They will ask, “Is your cancer back?”

“It never left.” I will reply.

And cancer takes another of my dearest friends.

I lost another very dear friend today. Callng her “friend” does not honour her enough. She is/was my “sister.”

Over 40 years of knowing and loving each other. I would never have met my beautiful wife if not for Dawn Thomas (Doncaster).

Cancer finally won. She battled it three times in the past few years. She fought like a true Urban Viking.

I am outliving all my childhood and lifelong friends and relatives. That is not an easy experience.

The older I get the more sorrow I bear.

Some is our age. Some is not.

It is a heavy yoke of sorrow I wear.

Am I outliving all these Blessed souls as a form of penence?

Or is my mind making a mountain out of a molehill?

This ancient LightHouse is feeling old.

Dying Dann’s Adventures With Death

Life is full of surprises

Life is surprising

How many times must I add another volume to my autobiography?

At the time I wrote my “Walk With Dann Collection” I had not expected to live much longer.

My kidneys were a mess.

My congestive heart disease was at stage 4.

Things were not looking well for me.

Then I got diagnosed with the non treatable cancers.

So I wrote “Old Man With The ‘C’ – A Cancerous Walk With Dann”.

At the time believing my story had come to an end.

The cancer diagnoses led to me writing Old Man With The ‘C’ – a C Walk With Dann”.

After a horrible 15 month battle I thought once again my life was over.

As did all my various doctors.

We were wrong.

I did die twice through the battle, but alas, the Viking within me refused to lay down.

My Cancer team at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre are baffled that I live still.

They use words like “miracle”.

All I know is now I am writing another volume detailing the life and times of The Last Canadian Cosmonaut.

And I will continue writing this, my newest adventure, “Dying Dann’s Adventures.”

Give thanks for the life you have been given. Things can change in a flash.

Until next time, I remain, Dann – just as I am.

A Room To Die For

Since I began my cancer battle on October 22, 2018, my life has been trapped in a chaotic circle of good and bad.
By far the worse of everything that has happened to me was becoming homeless.
33 and a half weeks in and out of the hospital last year did not help.

With great thanks to my Brother-in-arms, Gordie Jones, my Brother-from-another-mother, I was Blessed to obtain a room in the same house as him.

It is not too often you can find a clean, well maintained rooming house anywhere. I have thanks to Gordie.

God Bless him.

This house is QUIET. This house is CLEAN.

This house is now my home.

It will be my last home. For never shall I allow myself to fall victim to homelessness again.

What pleases me the most about the whole scenario is the mixture of souls we have living here in peace and respect for each others Faith and Cultures.

We have myself – a fifth generation Canadian born Irish Catholic. As is Gordie.
Then we have an Aboriginal woman – very much into her Culture. A very pleasent soul.
Three Muslims who are well educated and very grateful to be Canadians.

It is much like we have our own little micro-country. And I LOVE IT!

In this time of racial tensions and bigotry it is a pleasure to have such a place to lay my head.

Once you enter this dwelling all religion, all racism, all ignorance and all disrespect remain outside.

So, if the lot of us can co-exist even while in lock-down due to the Covid pandemic, why can’t the whole world follow suite?

Think about it.