Getting the confidence to go out and it rings my bell.


 
'Capt. Murf'


With last Tuesdays blast of encouraging news (rather than a blast of chemotherapy), I have been running around the place. Here, there, sorting out my latest and newly acquired security gadget, a networked doorbell that pushes our front doorbell to my iPhone with inbound HD live picture and two-way live audio. I read about this product in one of Richard Branson's posts on his LinkedIn page, where he listed his own personal choice of best 16 startups in 2016. I figure, if it's good enough for Richard Branson, it's good enough for me. 

With this product I can literally answer 'the doorbell' from my bed (if resting up)  or indeed live from the hospital during my next (Toxic) Tuesday if the doorbell rings. All HD camera video captures are also automatically recorded and sent instantly to the cloud where I can replay that footage immediately via the app on my phone. If you take a look at the below short film piece, you can see (pun intended) that it's a pretty hi-tech piece of kit. It even comes with its own proprietary security mounting screws, custom screwdriver, min-spirit level etc. Now you know why Sir Andrew of Blagdon (St. Pio's co-pilot) christened me Capt. Gadget. Lol. 

 

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With that 'green shoot' of news (as I call it) being well received last Tuesday, it has given me a brilliant boost. According to my good lady (and hero), Alison tells me I've been running around the place, bouncing from one thing to another. So yesterday lunchtime, I just felt crap, that low and sickly feeling in my stomach had come back. Nothing for it but go to bed, curl up under the duvet and sleep. I forgot I was still very sick. I need to chill, relax and take it easy. All duly noted to myself and thankfully after a 90min sleep yesterday afternoon, my body gave a thumbs up and let me go out for a few beers last night. During the course of the night, a pleasent young lady comes over, they are selling lines to raise funds for a Cancer Treatment department in St. James's Hospital in Dublin.
 How coincidental is that ? I immediately emptied my pockets of Euro coins. "One line will do me but take the lot please" I inform her.  With a look of wonder in the lady's mind I owed her and duly gave the 2 min version of my current journey. A close relative of hers suffered this dreadful disease hence her involvement in the fundraising. She wished me well and left, wearing one of my Support Lapel Pins. 



 
First time out in my local for drinks with good friends. 
(L-R: Capt. Murf, Liam Dunne, John Craigie). 


I think getting that positive news last week gave me the confidence to go back to my local hostelry last night. My first time there since I got sick. You see, up to now, I shy'd away from being seen/noticed in public. I'm sure I'm just being paranoid here but up to now I had this terrible feeling of people subconsciously pointing to me in their mind and thinking "Oh look, there's Aidan Murphy, he's in a bad way with gastro cancer". I know that might sound silly but that's what I would be thinking. Now, (knowing more) that kind of thought in my mind is very much diluted. It has morphed to "I'm Aidan and I got a shot of good news during the week". Last night was very enjoyable. It's a nice feeling to be welcomed back. It got nicer too as George the barman waved my wallet away when I went to pay for my first round of beers. 


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Receiving that book and personal message from my icon Richard Branson during the week was a perfectly timed injection of serious encouragement and inspiration to me. Thanks so much again to Domhnall Dervan, Anne McLoughlin and the rest of Dunshaughlin Harvest Festival team. For your information and on an update on this,  I've just bought and downloaded the kindle edition of Richard's book. Why ? Well I had no choice really, the real deal is gone in to get custom framed. Thats how genuinely important this gift is to me. I'm planning ahead here too, so when the Chemo Demons visit me, I'll be able to glance at the wall and read Richard Bransons words to me:
"Aidan, wishing you ALL the very best- keep fighting". 
I can assure you all right here and now, this is the real inspiration to me as my blog here might possibly be to you. 

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This week coming sees a 'Toxic Tuesday' in my patch. Yes, my next chemo is on it's way. It. will be during these next few days that my mind begins to wander. Will my chemotherapy hit me in its usual aggressive way? Will my mind travel to it's demonised corner when the chemo toxin races thru my veins? Please no. But this is not an Ala Carte menu. I'll be relying on my balloon flight training again, substituting my Chemotherapy for the inflight weather. It is what it is, it's a given. I just have to fly the balloon around it. For example, if and when I would be unlucky enough for the breeze to pick up just before the landing phase of the balloon flight, I would re plan my final approach options and look for a cluster of mature trees or the leeward side of a hill, and allow the balloon to sink behind it. This bleeds off most if not all of my airspeed and would usually allow for a 'stand up' landing as opposed to a drag landing where the entire basket and envelope drags along the ground which generally results in a tip-over where all concerned ends up in the horizontal position usually in a giddy and giggling state of mind. So this week coming, I'm hoping I don't need to look for those trees or that leeside part of that hill. But you know what ? If I do, I do. I'm trained to do it and have done it before, I'll do it again. 

So bring on my Toxic Tuesday, Capt. Murf is standing by for the flight. 




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If you would like to wear your support for me, please ask me to send you one of my 
lapel pins which feature my St. Pio Hot Air Balloon. 
All I ask is that you make a donation of your choice which goes directly 
to the replacement cost of my pins.


 

Click here to donate for a pin. 
Remember to include your mailing  address with your donation. 

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Thanks for reading my blog. Much appreciated. 

 
Happy to help if you are going thru similar.  
Just click on my email link hello@aidanmurphy.com to send me a secure email. 

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