In my last post I mentioned going on a cruise with my wife, and we went last week! I originally scheduled it for September, but moved it up as I was feeling pretty good and we don't know how Robin's FSHD will progress. The cruise was awesome! We went on the Carnival Magic out of Galveston and visited Roatan, Belize City, and Cozumel. The weather was perfect in every port, the ship beautiful, the food yummy, and the company could not be better. We stuffed ourselves silly, drank too much, and held hands a lot.
I bought a "spa package" because the ship has a "thalassotherapy pool", which is basically a giant hut tub with sea salt, mineral, and vitamins in the water that is supposed to be healing. I went in in every single day and although it felt great, I am not convinced it did much good. The ocean, on the other hand, seemed to help more and my skin was significantly better after the cruise. Before and after photos of my usual left hand is below. We have been back a couple days as I write this, and my skin seems to be regressing back to its pre-cruise state. This tells me that I am medically required to live by the ocean! Next time I see my dermatologist I will see if she can write me prescription for that. :-) Robin and I are both drawn to the ocean and are considering that in preparing for an eventual retirement.
The first year anniversary of my mom's passing was while we were in Belize, and I could not think of a more appropriate place to be. One of my mom's lasting legacies was to treat her entire family (more than 30 people!) on a family reunion cruise, not once, but twice. Once in 1993 on the Majesty of the Seas and once in 2000 on Zaandam. The cruises were incredible and my Mom was glowing (even more than usual) in her loving generosity. I feel her presence whenever I am near a lake or ocean, thanks to a lifetime of great experiences with her. Perhaps her being Norwegian makes the ocean a genetic draw, and I never feel quite at home unless I am near, in, or on it.
I still have a ways to go with my TSW, but I feel alive again, perhaps more than ever. To my TSW Warriors, this cruel endurance test will make you a better person, and certainly more appreciative of those little things that you once took for granted. Like holding hands.
