Tag: super hero

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My Hidden Superpower

Jothi

I was walking my dog Yukon the other day. We go for a walk every day, for my benefit and his. Most days, Yukon needs to have a bowel movement along the way, much to my chagrin. But hey, it’s part of nature, and I’ve let go of my timing preferences.

His perfect moment for this day was way at the other end of our street, in front of a deaf guy’s house. Yukon was doing his business, not in the guy’s yard but in front. Suddenly, the door flies open, and the guy starts yelling at me in a way that I couldn’t understand, since he was deaf. But it was pretty easy to tell he was not happy about Yukon’s choice.

“I’m cleaning it up” I said.

He kept yelling, not hearing what I said. Obviously, out of habit I spoke, since I don’t have much experience communicating with a deaf person.

I showed him the dog poop bags, he understood that, waved and slammed his door.

Now, I’ve never left a mess behind, anytime or anywhere, from my dog. I hate stepping in dog poo and it’s a lame move to let your dog poop in someone’s yard and leave it. His reaction would have been fully justified in my mind if that’s what I did. But I didn’t. He must have been having a bad day and this was the last straw.

Lucky me, it’s not like I can control my dog’s bowel movements. OR CAN I??? It’s something that I’ve wished for more than a couple of times.

REALLY?!?!

You are going here?

I have to carry this now for 2.5 miles, back to a garbage can!?!

It would be a super handy, but super lame super power.

Recently, I was standing in a circle in my superhero group. You see, an Alien race was starting to invade, and it looked like the end for humanity. We were its last hope.

“Let’s review everyone’s powers before we head out” Colossal man said.

“I have super strength and speed” one said.

“I can teleport” said another.

“I don’t have a superpower, but I’m really rich and can make gadgets” said the third.

“I can create and control fire” chimed another.

It was my turn and everyone turned to me.

“I can control my dog’s bowel movements”, I said.

Invincible Woman turned to me and said, “I’m so jealous of your power.”

“I know right, it’s pretty awesome” I replied. 😜

Oh well….. I guess I can cross off getting scolded by a deaf man off my bucket list.

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You’re a Cancerer

Jothi

It was a cold and windy night. My cousin Soren had decided to take his wife and family on a holiday. They had a spare room in the house they rented and invited me to come along. It was an odd vacation home. You had to take a boat to get there because it was on a tiny island the middle of the sea.

After we got warmed up and our arms recovered from all the rowing, we started settling in. I found my room, it was on the second story of the house overlooking, well of course, the sea. I dropped off my belongings and headed back down stairs. The rest of the family was sitting around a tall dining room table on black stools.

“What should we have for dinner”, Soren asked

“I want pizza!”, cried my niece. 

“I want roasted vegetables with quinoa!”, cried my nephew (yeah right, good one).

“I want a drink”, cried my cousin.

All of a sudden, there was a roaring boom and the power went out.

“It’s probably just the gfci breaker” I said (of course the whole house is gfci protected being on a tiny island, surrounded by water, safety first).

I got up to check the electrical panel, but I stumbled backwards, because there was a big hairy man standing there, check that, this is my story, a beautiful woman standing there. (Hmmm…. My wife might read this, never mind, a big hairy man it is).

My eyes met the big hairy man’s eyes.

“I’ve been looking all around for you, Jothi” he said.

“You have?”

“I need to tell you something” he replied. Hmm… I thought to myself, what could it be?

“You’re a Cancerer” He said.

“Wow, that’s great news” I exclaimed. Of course of was lying, having no idea what a Cancerer was.

“Well, can I be one too?” asked Soren

“No, you are a Nuggle. Non-cancer folk”

“Jothi, We need to get you to Perpendicular alley and get you all signed up and ready for the adventure forthcoming”, said the man.

“Perpendicular Alley! Wow, that sounds incredible!” Although quietly in my head I was thinking it would be nice if it was a more interesting or flexible shape. “Let’s go!”.

And before I knew it, I was all signed up and on the program, I didn’t even fully know what exactly was going on, my life forever changed.

Please excuse my silly story parody. It’s been bouncing around in my head for awhile.

Have you ever noticed how people treat you different once they know you have cancer? It seems like either they can be overly sympathetic because they think you’re about to die and pity you or they suddenly don’t want to have much to do with you. “The very thought of your cancer make me feel so uncomfortable, that I can’t be around you”. Just like that, people can just melt out of your life. Which is fine, truthfully it’s best not to be around people who are like that. Their problem is within themselves.

I really like the song “Best Fake Smile” by James Bay. There is nothing like getting a fake smile. Please take it with you and go find what makes you happy and have a great life.

Well, to be fair, I’m not the same person as I was prior to cancer. Things seem clearer, simpler, to me. There is a new level of appreciation and gratitude for life. I also don’t seem to have patience for pettiness, selfishness or complainers. Not that I don’t have those things show up within myself from time to time, I don’t have patience for them there either.

I have met some amazing, chronically ill people in the last few years. Their ability to keep going with a gusto and still keep smiling with the challenges they go through on a daily basis is inspiring.

I recently watched a show about a 12 year old boy, who has sickle cell disease. Sickle cell disease is a condition where your red blood cells are not round, but in the shape of a sickle.

The consequence of that are fatigue, early cell death causing anemia or blocked blood flow causing pain.

There is no cure for sickle cell disease. Treatments include chemotherapy and blood transfusions.

Towards the end of the program, the interviewer asked the boy, “Do you wish you never had sickle cell disease?” The boy sat there quiet for a minute in thought and said “No”. I think that surprised the interviewer and he asked why. The boy said “sickle cell made me into the person I am today and it gave me a greater appreciation for life and what I have.”

“Wow”, I thought to myself. This kid is my hero! He is wiser than half the people you see walking down the street. Amazing people are everywhere and come in all sizes. Some light bulbs just burn brighter than others.

So the next time you pity or decide you aren’t comfortable with a cancer person (or other chronic illness person) in your life, look inside yourself and remember you could be losing out on someone who is truly remarkable.

If you have cancer, you’re genuinely amazing!

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Jumping Jolting Jane

Jothi

A few weeks ago, our family went and saw Thor, Love and Thunder. Spoiler alert, this post will contain spoilers. If you plan on seeing it and haven’t yet, stop reading now.

It was the first time I had gone to a movie theatre in over four years. Like many cancer patients, I was sheltering in place long before covid.

It was a pretty good movie, although I feel like marvel movies aren’t quite as witty or polished, since Disney bought them. I feel they should have gotten a little more out of drunk Thor and it would have been funnier and more in character if the Guardians of the Galaxy ditched Thor, instead of just leaving.

Anyhow, the movie was a bit bold and took on cancer. Jane Foster has cancer. Stage 4 (make up your own kind of cancer), no treatment will work, and is told to get her affairs into order cancer. 

I did think it was funny that her IV in the infusion center wasn’t running. Oh, the things you notice after being in the system. Obviously, they shouldn’t infuse even saline solution for a movie, but they could have had it drip in a bucket on the floor with a bit of creativity. Moot point, just nitpicking.

Thor’s hammer chooses Jane as its new wielder and she is a super hero, healed while in Thor form but still dying. Towards the end of the movie, Jane is really struggling and is taken back to Earth to get hooked up to an IV with chemo that apparently doesn’t work?!?!?! Umm ok? But this time Thor, God of healing, um I mean thunder, is there and it will be different? Forehead slap 🤦🏻.

But WAIT!!! Thor has to leave Jane and go save the day. Jane can’t come because she needs the chemo that not working.

The movie does redeem itself at the end with Jane saying screw this, transforms into super hero Jane and saves the day. She goes out in the blaze of glory and passes away the way she wants to pass. Now, I don’t know about you, but going out in the blaze of glory sounds pretty good for any chronic cancer patient. Overall, it was an entertaining enough movie. I was just happy and grateful to go with my wife and kids to a movie.

Superman was my guy growing up. As kids we would ask each other, if we could have any super hero power, what would it be? I usually picked flying or being invincible. I was thinking about it the other day (random thoughts) and now for sure, I would pick the power of being to heal anyone from anything. Then I could heal you! I can’t think of a better power to have. Mind you, I probably have a bit of a superhero complex 🤪.

Eat your vegetables!