For the love of skiing
My wonderful brilliant oncologist said to me I should never ski. He felt like skiing could possibly endanger my bones. He takes such good care of me. He helps me get into clinical trials and is at the forefront of the newest medical care. However, he is very cautious and feels that skiing is not in my best interest.
He always asks with concern, “You don’t do blue or black diamonds on the slope, do you?”
I always say, “Well, you know, I’ve skied my whole life and maybe sometimes I do the black diamonds.” And I’m always thinking, “Come on, what does cancer really do to your bones?”
Intellectually, I know that cancer weakens your bones from the treatment to the cancer itself. Emotionally, however, I kept asking myself: Why is he so worried about skiing of all things? Am I really going to snap open my spine?
I don’t want to brag but…. I’m a really good skier…. I always say skiing is the only thing I am actually good at.
But I’m also a good patient so I started out the season listening to his advice. Steve and I would drive up to Sugar Bowl almost every weekend and not go skiing. Eventually by New Year’s I would ski an hour a day or so. Think Nob Hill instead of Lincoln. If you know Sugar Bowl, you know that’s a big difference between these two mountains.
What you have to understand (and so many of you know) is that skiing was the core of my childhood. My family spent so much time going up to Tahoe and back. My family would sing to Janis Jopin, the Beatles and Kingston Trio on 8-track tapes. My mother drove a Jaguar with no four-wheel drive. I can’t tell you how many times we had to be plowed out of a snow bank! My memories of that time in my life are truly wonderful.
Now Oliver, Claire, and Benjamin ski faster than we do. They only visit Sugar Bowl when they come home from their east coast lives. So really, it’s just me and Steve on those drives. I appreciate that he always does all of the driving:).
But back to my love of skiing. All season I kept wondering and asking Steve in one way or the other: How does one reconcile something you love with something that can harm you?
Well, eventually, my love of skiing won. While I knew skiing was a risk, I started to find my groove again. We ended the season on such a good note. The last run of the season we always look back at the bowls of Sugar Bowls with such gratitude.
Here’s me and Steve after the drive home this past Sunday. Yeah, we look like a mess! Only Pluto looks good.
I’m sad the season is over but I’m excited to spend a few weeks in July where I’ll spend my time hiking, enjoying the wildflowers and swimming in lakes. I can’t say we look any better on the drive during those hot summer months–but we certainly have a good time!
I hope to see you soon.
Jessica
PS This Saturday, Steve and I are headed to Boston to see Oliver run the Boston Marathon on Monday, April 21st. I’m feeling terrible about not seeing Claire but we will get to visit Ben in NYC the next day. My East Coast kiddos–for now!!