Catching up with Chemo and Mr. Motivator is taking shape.

Murf, all hooked up for his Chemotherapy

This week was my 'Toxic Tuesday', all deferred from last week, so glad I'm now on the back foot of this. The little things, of being in a very pleasant atmosphere (within the day Oncology unit) in the Bon Secour hospital can and of course does mean a lot. Yes, it's an every day occurrence to all the staff here, but the trick is, they treat me and all the other patients there as if it's our special day, which now that I think of it, it is ! That extra week (no 4) of a break at the Chemotherapy (infusion) worked and my bloods were back up. A pleasent chat with my Oncologist, Dr. Breathnach and I feel he's really only getting to know me now which is good. I think at this stage of our relationship, we both see a decent dose of common sense within each other's mindset. And we all know that common sense ain't that common, right ?

Myra (the esteemed Oncology day unit health care assistant) was of course there and in fine fatal. Every time I go in, Myra asks me in her brilliant upbeat chant and smile "what are ya having to eat, drink Aidan me auld flower, tea, latte, coffee ?" And I always give (out loud) my same answer, "Ah Myra, my usual pint of Carlsberg please". The looks I get get here from new patients are so funny. But here's the thing, I can always spot that glint in Myra's eyes, I know, I just know, if there were a way for that pint to find its way to me, it would be just done, done with the no fuss, no attitude, zero big deal, done and by the signiture Myra way.

With Toxic Tuesday morning/afternoon done and dusted, Alison has me home here at 3:15pm and I literally collapse in to the bed. The Chemo poison has well and truly travelled thru my veins. My muscles are exhausted, my mind is mindless. I collapse into the bed immediately. If there were a crocodile in it, I just would have shouted at it to 'move over big guy'. I slept non-stop in a deep sleep till 7pm that evening, when I was woken up for tea and my meds. My cousin Brian drops up for our weekly Tuesday night chat, which everyone in the house is welcome to stay in on, but the topic of conversation nearly always and very quickly turns to aviation or I.T technical, or both and indeed where both of us are found equally at home.

Of course with every dose of Chemotherapy, comes (at no extra charge) my post Chemo 3 day intake of steroids. So Tuesday night, after Brian headed for the hills, I slept from 12am till 1am, then stayed awake the whole rest of the night. My mind was racing with ideas for my next move to keep myself occupied while off sick. With all the feedback I'm getting from my Facebook page and also more privately and indeed more poignantly from my blogs, the penny has dropped a little more with me here. In that as I bunny hopped from age five to next year approaching 50 turns on the cog, I appear I did and still do things that little bit different than everyone else. From grasping my losing sight in one eye, flying the balloons, flying the helicopters, upping my game back in the balloon as I (and my brilliant and most competent close friends who are also my trusted balloon crew) grasp the concept and accquire our CAMERON BALLOONS custom built wheelchair accessible basket. The actual balloon and burner were factory modified and indeed I modified myself to lose that very awkward 5 stone in weight so the balloon had room for that extra take off mass it needed, to lift that bigger basket WITH that extra piece of vital kit, that all important wheelchair. And you all thought I cleverly and astutely lost all that blubber for the good of my own health ? 😜

So where's that last paragraph going. I know one thing, it's calling me in a tangible direction. With the latter paragraph being the exception, I have got to (seriously) recognise that message that's coming thru my blogs. I'm touching on things that's not just resonating with me, but it's connecting (and connecting most definitely) with others. And here's the twist, it's very rarely Oncology based. It tends to steer in the direction of the mind. As I keep saying here, I am no expert (and don't intend to be) in the complex world of other people's minds. I'm still learning my own and very quickly too as of late, but I do know how to talk about how I got thru my earlier life challenges and I do know how I am grasping my present inoperable Gastro Cancer cross and how I am carrying it while being able to take and disseminate it to the public. It's this that is apparently ticking boxes for others. It's pushing a button for these people. And it's that button I want to formally lift off my 2 dimensional blog (now on 83,000 page views) and bring to that 3rd dimension that is holding it's hand out for me to encroach on. That office/work environment, that school, that college, that club. Others call what I am doing as 'inspirational' but I personally like to call it 'the catalyst click'. I see it, that I'm bringing that insightful button to the table but it's how how you click it is what I strongly consider what produces that all important word, 'inspiration'. So it's a very real team effort, I bring the button, you push it, you reap the inspirational measure of yourself. For me, I get to meekly and quiet humbly see a smile on a persons face and I quietly get to realise that I put it there. It doesn't reality matter to me after that, does it? I've done what I have wanted to do, now it's up to you.

So, I am busy fine tuning my theme for my purpose led talk. As appears to be my style, I throw the book (I have it flung already) totally out the window. The bottom line I am trying to get at here is the Inspiring bit. That takes two (as I see it), but I'm totally committed to bringing my best bit to the party. I have mentioned here before in my blogs, how over the past 10-15 years I have listened to this little voice on my shoulder say "Aidan, read this, buy that, learn this, apply for that, register for this, ask that person would they like to fly and on and on it went and indeed still does". Two years ago that voice was sitting on my shoulder and it was SHOUTING at me. It was telling me "Aidan, do this 6 week course, do it, do it". The course in question was what some might call unusual or even unorthodox (so what's new for me huh?). It was a professional course in 'Public Speaking'.

Not that easy to find a reputable or even current course of this type, that is expertly organised and delivered, Oh, and that's accepting bookings for a new term at this point in time. So what did I do? I simply googled high profile people's names who are within the Irish/Dublin public domain and who in my opinion were/are are at total ease with themselves being interviewed on TV or speaking at that public 'town hall' meeting. I simply followed their name in the google search box by the text 'Public Speaking Course'. When the results popped up, I would start a new search, but this time that newly found college/course name I followed by typing that one simple word 'review'. This pulled up, what I considered the cream of the milk on what exactly I was looking for, and indeed and more importantly what I wasn't seeking. Within 20 minutes, my course was picked, the call was made and I was booked and registered.

In hindsight, this is one of the best courses I ever did. If you think about it, the soft skills you pick up and learn or perhaps even fine tune here, can be parachuted into so many areas of your day, let alone life. You can see now, how beautifully beneficial it is to me now.

Always have an open mind to and listen to that voice in your ear.

It's there for a reason..

and so is your ears.

Very Best !!