Between spinal stenosis, leukemia, and being sick more often than not from my medications, I just can't get around very well anymore. If I am on soft ground I can stand up for maybe 20 minutes. If I am in the house, I may go ten, but if I am on a hard floor like in Walmart or Lowes, five is the best I can do. I either take my wheelchair of use one of their supplied motorized buggies. It sure beats sitting in the truck while my wife is getting groceries.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
My WIldlife Viewing Tower
Between spinal stenosis, leukemia, and being sick more often than not from my medications, I just can't get around very well anymore. If I am on soft ground I can stand up for maybe 20 minutes. If I am in the house, I may go ten, but if I am on a hard floor like in Walmart or Lowes, five is the best I can do. I either take my wheelchair of use one of their supplied motorized buggies. It sure beats sitting in the truck while my wife is getting groceries.
A Modern Day Mountain Man
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
A Touch of Springtime Color
Sunday, April 18, 2010
My Puppy has a First Name, It's...
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Professional Refinishing
Friday, April 16, 2010
Hooked For Life Ministries
Ten years ago Trevor Ruble was working part time for the Virginia Department of Fish and Game’s fishing division as a contract writer and trainer. The job entailed writing curriculum and traveling around the state to train fishing educators. It was a cool job, and he really enjoyed meeting new people and working with them.
Then Trevor was asked to work for them full time. “It was a great opportunity,” Trevor explained, “but I felt God tugging at me to create materials churches could use instead. I was sitting in an interview for the state job, which was more a formality than anything, and I felt the Spirit telling me this was not where He wanted me to be.” The game department had already told Trevor he had the job, but he knew God had another purpose. “I know it sounds crazy to some,” he said, “but I wanted to do what would honor God. Working with the state I would not have been able to do that.”
So Trevor declined the job offer and started a fishing ministry called Hooked For Life Ministries. His training as a teacher, his love for fishing, and experience writing fishing curriculum laid the foundation for creating the HFL materials for churches. Using the Hooked for Life materials, churches across the United States are reaching kids and adults through fishing. As the HFL website indicates, fishing and faith share many characteristics. One reason why Hooked For Life has been so successful in reaching many souls is because fishing is not considered a church activity, which can open doors to those who may have had unpleasant experiences in formal religious settings.
Trevor is uncomfortable taking the credit for the success of Hooked For Life Ministries. “The way I see it, “he says, “HFL belongs to God. I just feel honored that He used me and allows me to be a part of it.” As a personal friend of Trevor’s, I feel honored that God has allowed me to know such a wonderful person and witness the work Trevor and others around the country are doing to win souls for Christ.
To learn more about Hooked For Life check out the website at www.hookedforlife.org. You can also contact Trevor personally through the site if you or someone you know would like to be part of a unique and growing outreach for the Lord.
Jeff
Thursday, April 15, 2010
What Else Could He Be But A Communist?
Fishing the Lower James River
In February Trevor Ruble, founder of Hooked For Life Ministries, and I drove up to Richmond for a half day of fishing on the lower James River. We met up with Captain Mike Ostrander of The James River Fishing School who took us out on his 24 foot pontoon boat. First we went to a few spots to catch some shad for bait with a cast net. Capt. Mike sure can throw that thing! I wanted to try it but figured I would tangle it in something or end up overboard. Capt. Mike did just fine without my help and we had plenty of shad to fish with in just a little while.
Big blue catfish is what we were after, but we could not pass up a couple of promising spots for crappie. Trevor and Captain Mike caught a couple nice crappie each. I think I caught every log and rock within casting distance.
Soon we were set up on our first catfish hole with eight poles baited with cut up shad. They decided the first fish would be mine. In just a few minutes one pole bent over double. I quickly grabbed it, set the hook, and watched the reel smoke as the fish took the line and ran to a big brush pile. It happened in less than ten seconds and I was suddenly left with a broken line. That cat had to be huge!
We fished a couple more spots, and soon another rod was dancing in the rod holder. Captain Mike handed me the pole and the fight was on! It is amazing how catching a fish can wash away all your troubles. For a few minutes I forgot all about my pain, and I know I had to be grinning from ear to ear as I fought the fish. After a bout that went a minute or so, the catfish was netted and brought onboard. It was a ten pounder, and it was the first blue catfish I have ever caught. I was tickled to death.
Next it was Trevor’s turn to sit at the poles. When his catfish struck there was no doubt it was a much bigger fish. He fought it for what seemed an eternity before he got it up to the boat. It was to big for the net so Capt. Mike reached down and grabbed it. That blue catfish weighed 31 pounds! We did not do bad for only half a day fishing.
Captain Mike has a website where you can check out his guide service at www.jamesriverfishing.com. He is a great guy, and he will do what ever it takes to get you on some big catfish. He provides everything needed for the day, and it was pleasant not to worry about transporting poles and tackle. I can’t wait to go back and do it again!
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
A New Addition to my Family!
Best Catfish Restaurant I've Visited
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Make an Outrigger for Your Canoe!
Chronic Myeloid Leukemia
When I was first diagnosed with CML it was a total surprise. I had not been feeling very well, mainly fatigued and run down. I also had some soreness in my lower abdomen and blood in my stool. To make a long story short, my doctor did some blood tests and I was diagnosed with leukemia. I also found out that I have colitis which is an inflammation of the colon. It can cause pain, diarrhea, and bleeding. I was admitted to the hospital immediately and that same day the bleeding became severe. Treatment for my symptoms began, and with medication the bleeding subsided after a few days. I was released from the hospital and began my lifelong battle with cancer. As of now, CML is not curable, it is only treatable. That is good enough for me, however.
My oncologist is Dr. Jerome Goldsmidt with Blue Ridge Cancer Care in Christiansburg, Virginia. As I am sure most cancer patients do, I have developed a special relationship with my doctor and his staff. His first move was to put me on the Gleevec. Within a few months we started seeing results. Within a year the leukemia was not showing up in my blood. Then it was time for the real fun to begin. Can you say, "Bone marrow biopsy?"
If you are reading this, perhaps you or someone you know has just been diagnosed with CML and are wondering what to expect. Of all the things one may find out concerning treatment, the thing people dread the most is probably the bone marrow biopsy. I admit I was nervous about it myself. Getting a hole bored through my butt and into the pelvic bone did not sound like very much fun. I looked the procedure up on the internet through Google. I saw the tools used and looked at pictures of the series of steps. The only thing I did not know about it was the level of pain I would have to cope with. As for my experience, I have had worse things done to me. I have had several heart catheters over the years, for instance, and personally, I'd rather have a bone marrow biopsy. The area where the tool will be inserted is numbed. That smarts some, but no more than any other injection. I have never felt any discomfort in my butt where the muscles are concerned during or after the procedure. There is no way to numb the bone so when the tool contacts it, you feel it. As the doctor twists the tool to bore the hole, I did have some discomfort. I never was good at rating pain, but on a scale of one to ten I would estimate the pain at a 50. No! No! I am just kidding! A five at most. I have had several of those procedures done, and I usually tell the doctor to hurry up about three times, argue with him about which of us is the bigger pain in the butt for a few minutes and then it is over. The whole thing lasts no longer than five or ten minutes from numbing to finish. There is never any discomfort to the area when it is over, at least not for me.
During my last visit to Dr. Goldsmidt, I was told that unless it started showing up in my blood again, no more bone marrow biopsies would be performed. That did not hurt my feelings any. I have responded well to the Gleevec thus far, and hopefully it will continue to work for me in the years to come. I am going on my third year with CML. As with any treatment there are trade offs. In my case, although the leukemia is controlled, I have some side effects from the drug. I will not go into detail about them here since those vary from person to person. Some people have side effects initially then they ease up later. Regardless, the benefits of Gleevec far outweigh any discomforts or conditions I have to put up with. To die from CML would not be a simple matter of passing quietly into that good night.
I often think of those who have died from CML just before Gleevec came out on the market. What if I had got the disease a few years before? I would not be here now. For many people suffering from cancer and other diseases in this world it seems their lives often end with too little too late. Thankfully, with Gleevec, CML patients have been given a reason to hope and look beyond the veil cancer often casts over sufferers, keeping them from seeing anything but their condition. Cancer sucks, but I do not have to sit around and worry about it.
Jeff
Welcome!
I went with HJA World. My full name is Henry Jefferson Acord. Personally, I think it sounds sort of prestigious. It has a certain ring to it. I would use my full name if I were President of the United States or some other high ranking government official. However, as I am just an ordinary, run of the mill kind of guy, I go by Jeff, although the government, my doctors, teachers of classes I take, etc. call me Henry. If I ever publish a book and you are interested in finding it, look for H.J. Acord as the author's name. With a cool name like mine there is so much you can do with it. So, with all these things in mind (and so much more) I settled on keeping my blog name simple. HJA World it is. I reserve the right to change it in the future if I can come up with something better though.
A writer should stick with the things he or she is knowledgeable of, and I will attempt to do just that. The problem is, I am what some call a Jack of all trades master of none. I know about a lot of different things, but usually just enough to be dangerous. The only area I could say I specialize in is my life. Funny how it includes all the different things I am not an expert on.
I wrote a song once about being outstanding in a field. It went like this:
I knew a man outstanding, outstanding in his field.
He got struck by lightning, buddy, he got killed.
Now, I've done lots of thinking, and I think that I'm right--
I'd rather be a nobody, than standing in my field at night!
That is also what happens to people metaphorically when someone claims to know something and do not. Others will roast them good. Regardless, I feel I have some credible things to share with many people. It may be an event or an opinion from my personal experience, although I hope to have some generally useful information here as well. A little something for everyone. Of course, this will take me a while, so give me some time. Big things start out small; long voyages begin with a step. This is my first step and I hope you will tag along to see where the journey takes us.
Jeff