eric byrne
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Posts posted by eric byrne
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Congratulations Carol,heres to many,many more second birthdays.
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Good Evening Susan,
Posts into LCSC are becoming scarcer seven days a week,not just at weekends,missing so many of our regulars (hope its not me putting people off?).
End of a busy Saturday for me,1 am this morning I completed the Glasgow Dream Walk as a Steward accompanying about 500 woman along the town centre at the River Clyde.It did rain most of the journey but it did'nt dampen the spirits of the lady walkers,who for an additional bit of fun were all wearing their pyjamas.Prior to the walk setting off,the everyone was entertained by a womens drum band who were just great,there were also warm up Zumma? sessions.I did take lots of pics of course,not very successfully this time,I had to delete many due to being out of focus due to not using a tripod for the night scenes and some problems with the auto focus in my camera?.One of the bridges we crossed over the River Clyde at the outset of our walk was closed off on our return leg,not just to pedestrians but to traffic in both directions,as we detoured that bridge we could could see all the police cars blocking the bridge,and a focus of police at the highest point of the bridge,obviously working at persuading the person male/female to come down from the parapet.I have'nt since watched any of the TV news progs about the outcome, as yet.
I attended the Guiness Book of World Records attempt today at the Glasgow High School ( a fee paying private school),myself, along with a couple of other men amongst approx 350 women,we performed a Bryan Adams song called When Your Gone,early returns show that over 9000 persons throughout the UK participated,which is approx a 1000 more than the current record,so a little bit of history has been made today,it was real fun to do.
ABC tomorrow,then to sister Dots,some fun and games with the grandkids Jack and Emma,then off to the Cluthie Inn to see the Morgan Lee Band perform at 6.00pm,home to see the TV recording of Italy beating England in the Euro Soccer Championships Quarter Finals,well,that would be my dream scenario for a perfect end to a wonderful weekend.I do hope you all have had a super weekend too,bye everyone.
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Hi Ronnie,
Thanks you for letting us know you are still about,we miss your posts.I do think about you too and how you are getting on.Good to hear that you still have Erica with you.Keep in touch.
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Hi Jerry,
Thanks for sharing your thoughts,I really enjoyed reading your post,so insightful and enjoyable .Thinks you have been a successful parent,take a bow.
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Hi Petunia,
Another weird thing,I scan the posts daily and will reply to something current,seems I missed your original post in March,so why would I have even looked at an old post,and replied to it is beyond me,unless it was flagged up again somehow?.Is'nt it strange?
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Hi Alchemistra,
Thanks for the update,I have been following your posts,you were wondering how to make things easier for everyone, I know you are doing all you can for everyone,so never reproach yourself that you could have done more.Your father is so fortunate to have such a caring daughter in his corner.My best wishes to your father as his treatments continue,that he is restored to good health.
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Good Afternoon Everyone,
No posts over the weekend?,everyone out having a great time I hope.my weekend was certainly enjoyable,two events attended on Saturday, The Friends of the River Kelvin and my bowling clubs open day.I decided to fit both in,I picked up my friends Jim and Vic,first to Kelvin park,beautiful place,unfortunately weather spoiled the proceedings a bit by being interupted by heavy showers,however living in Scotland means being well prepared for such weather,so off to the car to don my waterproofs and my big golf brolly,a wee drop of rain wont spoil my day.Highlight of the day was the appearance of many folk music bands,including the Morgan Lee Band,I did enjoy their company before their performance,got some nice pics with them,after the the band completed their performance it was off to my bowling club,I did expect to find everyone in the clubhouse,due to being rained off,unbeliveably,when we arrived the greens were full of people bowling in blue skies and warm sunshine,rain? what rain? this club is only about 15 miles from the Kelvin Park,but they had missed all the showers.We enjoyed a super afternoon there,taking full advantage of the provided hospitality,the food and home baking provided by the lady members was scrumptious,are'nt women wonderful ? if this had been left to the men to organise,we have been limited to packets of chips (crisps in the UK).
Sunday up to sister Dots,big event there,which I deliberately missed was the demolition of the first multi-story housing block by explosives,Dot and kids attended,as I expected they had to make a sudden departure to the shelter of their car to excape the hugh cloud of dust created.
My niece Lyndsey,has invited me to Anniesland College end of term Art Exhibition tomorrow to view her work,slightly inconvenient for me,as the European Soccer Championships are in full swing,seems I am going to miss two games,maybe get them on catch up TV,and hope I dont run into some blabbermouth who devulges the scores before I get home LOL.
Wednesday,I have an invite to attend rehearsals for a world record attempt of most people to perform a song,its by Bryan Adams,forget the title,I was told I would know when I hear it,wrong,I have'nt until now.You might guess, Tracy, the girl who invited me,waited until I said yes,later tells me I will be the only guy amongst goodness knows how many women?,think I am going to enjoy myself.
Talking of women,theres no ecaping them for me,I have an invite on the 22nd of June by the Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation to act as a steward for a 8km midnight walk through Glasgow,all the participants will be ladies,dressed in their pyjamas,should be fun.
Enjoy the rest of your day everyone,bye.
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Best Wishes to your husband Donna, for his surgery next Wednesday,hoping the procedures go well and a successful outcome.
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Hi Petunia,
Welcome to LCSC,I am so pleased that you have managed to find us .There are so many here, who with their individual experiences with lung cancer, will be able to help support you through this difficult time.I am really sorry to hear of your Mothers diagnosis,this does take some time to adjust to,starting out on this new journey is at the most difficult time,but I promise you things do get better.
At the time of my diagnosis,it took me quite a while to come to terms with my new situation,and like you, desperate to find some re-assurance that this disease can be beaten.I set out firstly to read up on lung cancer and the treatments available to eliminate it from my body.The next step was to search out people who have this disease and who were living proof it can be beaten,one day,I picked up a newspaper which had an article in it about a guy starting up a lung cancer support group in a hospital near to my home,it really caught my attention the more I read about this person,he was diagnosed with SCLC in 1993,given only two months to live by his medical team,he was hospitalised for his chemo treatments,and on more than one occassion, his family were called to his bedside,as his doctor did'nt think he would see the next day,well, to his doctors amazement,Robert,responds to the chemo and makes a full recovery,then in 2007,Robert is now diagnosed with NSCLC,he receives surgery and chemo this time,and goes on to make a full recovery.I just had to meet this superman,so I joined his support group,since Robert Lowe and I have become great friends and I take an active part in helping him run the support group,Robert today is 73 years young,fit,physically and mentally,enjoying life to the full.Thats now 19 years he has survived both type of lung cancer,and if he can do it,why not everyone else?.Please pass on to your Mum my best wishes for a speedy recovery.
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Good Evening Everyone,
A friend just sent me this pic.
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Good Morning Everyone,
Think you might like to read this article my daughter sent me that was published in the Guardian in the UK.
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Good Afternoon Everyone,
Weather dreich today,missed the gym,too many other things to catch up on,lung cancer support group meeting this afternoon,always a fun time.
I lost my internet connection this morning which is so annoying,contacted my ISP virgin media,got transferred to a guy in New Delhi,gosh the hoops he made me jump through,pulling plugs out here and there re-plugging them into different ports,eventually he tells me there is no problem with their provision,its my router thats broke?,well he has arranged to send me a now one,well its not really a router in his words, its called a "Super Hub" wow,seems he has also upgraded me from 10 something speed to 30 something speed at no extra cost to myself,double wow.Funnily enough,when I reattached my router everything is working fine now,as you can see,since I was supposed to be offline until my super hub arrived next Wednesday,I am so relieved.
Its open day at my bowling club on Saturday,so I have invited two of my friends to attend,free game of bowls,food and drinks,think they will really enjoy themselves.Downside, I have just discovered after making the arrangements with them,Saturday is Friends of River Kelvin Day,I had accepted an invitation to attend this event some weeks ago,and forgot its this Saturday,it starts at 11am until 7pm,its an outdoor folk music day,my friends the Morgan Lee Band are appearing with several other groups,there is canoe trips,wild food foraging walks,all kinds of stalls,food,drink,oh dearie me how do I get round this one,trying to figure out how I can attend both?.
I have received a lunch invitation from my former admin assistants Liz and Rhoda, its tomorrow,Bill is invited too,the colleges training restuarant is fully booked up until the end of term,so we are going to a super Italian one next door to the college,there goes the diet again.
Got to go,support groip time,bye, everyone hope you are having a great day.
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Part 2 Everyone,
I do hope you enjoy these also.
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Good Morning Everyone,
I did hesitate about sending these pics in,wondering if they would be of any interest to you?(I did put them into facebook) I do hope you enjoy seeing them,part 2 to follow.
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Thanks Everyone,
LCSC is my first love and home and will always remain so,despite the other organisations I am involved with.I want to take up the fight against lung cancer using any means available,so if anyone can offer me a platform to voice my concerns about the lack of progress in research,funding,improved treatments,survivability,etc I will be available.I recognise the downside of pushing myself forward,people who dont really know me better might say,"He's really only trying to project himself".I am not really that shallow a person,I am more concerned about the added disadvantage of the loss of strength to our campaigning due the passing of so many lung cancer survivors,voices who can no longer be heard,in Scotland since the time I was diagnosed in 2008,there have been over 14,500 Scots who have passed away to lung cancer.How many in that same time frame,have passed away in the USA?.With such losses it rests on us remaining survivors to stand up to the mark and make our presence felt,we owe it to all those friends we have lost.
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Hi Susan,
I would say you are making remarkable progress with your treatments.I do know that Senator Andy Hill has made a wonderful reponse in receiving Xalkori.Best wishes.
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Good Evening Everyone,
Ol' bighead just had to post this one,did'nt he? I promise this wont change me,I will still talk the "ordinary people".LOL
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Hi Judy,
Since my dx,I think I have changed so much from the person I used to be,my family agree,I became more gregarious,relishing the company of others,making new friends,becoming blind to faults in other people,just to enjoy and think of them in positive light,goodness knows how many flaws I have in my character.There are times when I think I have overstepped the mark, perhaps in being too opinionated,there are cultural differences in Scotland and America,so like you,I am not sure sometimes,if my posts may be interpreted differently from what I had intended.
Personally I do find some posts here and in other places that go " against the grain" to my particular viewpoint,but it dos'nt really upset me,each person is entitled to their own opinion.However, again like you,if I do err,feedback for "reallignment" would be much appreciated,that I can still make a positive contribution to the LCSC.
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Good Evening Everyone,
Home at last,its been a hughly busy few days,the good thing its been just super.Liverpool on Thursday,the Roy Castle Lung Foundation Award ceremony,it was held in a conservatory in Stanley Park,a beautiful location,lovely sunny evening,they actually had out a red carpet to welcome the guests,pics to follow of course,there's no escape for you LOL.I think there were over 200 guests,we had a lovely meal,cabaret and a TV celeb MC ( well he was a TV celeb in Liverpool).Award time,these were for 9 different categories,best corporate sponsor,best team,best fundraisers,best volunteers,physical challenge award,retail supporter award,inspiration award,ambassador award and unsung hero award.Having listened to each nominee's biography I guessed nearly every one of the eventual winners,but certainly not my own,I was chosen for my category unsung hero,I did'nt even prepare a speech,I promise you,so it was given,off the cuff,think it went down OK.So I an home with a A4 size framed certificate and a smaller version sandwiched between two sheets of glass.I am now a dog with two tails.
I stayed in Liverpool all day Friday to do some sightseening,never been to this city before,I took the bus tour around the city,by co-incidence the olympic torch was passing through there at 5.30pm,I enjoyed watching it being paraded through the city,watched by thousands of others,it was a great occassion,the torch will pass through Glasgow next Saturday,I will be there.
I arrived home on Friday at 11pm,tired off to bed almost immeadiately,I have to be up and out by 7.15am,I have to board a coach at Viewpark at 8am,along with 300 + women,all bound for Millport,its the Noreen Davis Hikers and Bikers charity walk around the island ,yeah.Each coach,was designated for fancy dress of a country of the world,we had China,Mexico,Holland,France and the UK,our bus SUMO,(Susan and Maureen) they organise its decking out,register check,raffles,etc,they are absolutely brill in their organisation skills,ensuring we all have a great,safe time,they both appeared respectively as Prince Phillip and the Queen,Claire (the boss) appeared brilliantly as Dame Edna Everidge .At the end of the walk,we get dressed in our best bib and tucker to go to a pub which is reserved for our group,we have a meal,one or two wee drinks and the karioke machine,everyone had a splendid time. In the grounds of the hotel next door a hugh Marquee was set up for a wedding,the bride was an American would you believe, they invited our Prince Phillip and our Queen to join them in a celebratory drink and photo opertunity.
Today,its Jack's birthday,(7th)had a great day,BBQ and fun and games,soccer and water gun fight with all the kids there,I finished up absolutely soaked,but happy.
Enjoy the rest of Sunday everyone,bye.
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Hi Cat127,
Thank you for sharing such an uplifting post,loved the Paris themed party idea.October this year sees my forth year of being a LC survivor,despite my GP only giving me two.
Just thinking, I live in Scotland,Paris is not that far away,I've never been to Paris,so howsabout sending me a wee invitation to join in your sisters 10th anniversary,it will be my pleasure to buy (and share) a bottle of bubbly with her.
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Good Evening Everyone,
Lots of thought provoking comments to consider,thank you everyone,gosh, wish I had made up a list to remind me of them all.
Whats in a name,Just for Fun?,surely a rose would smell as sweet if it were named differently?did someone in history say that before LOL?.JFF has been my loyal friend since I arrived here over three years ago,its title may not quite embrace all what it is,but its sentiment represents to me something most important,particularly for post dx lung cancer survivors,that life is meant to be enjoyed.The range of posts there may not fit the title,since in a family of friends sharing their lives here,things are not always fun,sometimes we need to just share our innermost feelings to help us through a difficult time.
Long live JFF,one comment that stuck with me,was that this forum was difficult to break into?for the life of me I cannot think of a single reason for anyone to harbour that view,yes I dare say there are long term postees to this forum,but it is not a "Clique" and never will become one,its strength lies in its accessibility to everyone,regardless of whether you are a survivor,carer or supporter of LCSC.
Please if you are a reader of JFF,but for whatever reason are reticent about posting in,for whatever reason,please pick up the quill and write in,there is nothing we enjoy more than welcoming a new writer,your thoughts can stimulate and encourage others to reply.
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Hi Paldridge,
Welcome to LCSC,it will a pleasure to get to know you,this place was such a blessing to me from the moment I arrived over three years ago,the buddies here are so supportive,caring and experienced in every aspect of this disease.Each of us have different experiences,no two of us share exactly the same dx or type of treatments,but collectively we can make a positive contribution in supporting a postee through sharing with them the difficulties they face in fighting this disease.
Where you require some advice on more technical aspects of lung cancer you can refer to www.cancergrace.org,by sending a question to a team of lung cancer oncologists,they will respond promptly to answer your question.
Please pass on to your husband my best wishes and my admiration of him for his courage in the face of this disease,I do believe having this attitude helps enormously in the fight back against lung cancer,best wishes.
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Good Evening Everyone,
Weather today overcast,perhaps its just as well, as following a remarkable spell here of wonderfully hot summer days,my entire body is as red as a beetroot,hopefully this will eventually turn me into as brown as a berry.
Been out of doors most days,enjoying myself,today however, I have been working in the garden,I had to take a couple of breaks whilst mowing the lawn,I was so getting out of breath, could have done with Bud helping me out.
Monday evening,another successful night at the outdoor bowling,my partner and I beat all comers to win first prize,we both share the astounding sum of £10 LOL,wonder what I will spend it on?.Our team were just pipped at the post on the bowling clubs quiz night by two points,grrr.OK for you quiz buffs out there, the ones we did'nt get were,what is the collective name for a group of owls?What well known western film is an anagram of "The Wild Snow Caves"?, and finally who was the first heavyweight boxer to lose his title and successfully win it back?.Answers in the next post-no cheating by using google,mind.
Thanks Judy for the mention of the old 78 records,I remember back to my old high school days,just before the time that girls became really interesting creatures to me,my school would put on a dance night periodically for us,this entailed learning Scottish country dancing,taught to us by our PE teachers,this replaced our PE time in the gym and playing soccer,how I hated this,the teachers would arrive in the gym,with an old fashioned record player,I kid you not,with a wind up handle,on it would go 78 records of Jimmy Shand and his band,playing Scottish reels and the like,it was really funny when the music started to slow down when the record player needed re-winding up,all the boys were lined up along the wallbars at one side of the gym,along the wallbars facing us, were the girls,I was full of trepidation,when the teacher would shout out,girls, go and choose a partner for next waltz,its a St Bernard,oh boy,over the girls came,sweat on my brow,just hoping I did'nt get the really unattractive one, as a partner,by the way,refusal to dance with who picked you was not an option.Those were such wonderful memories of my school days.
Well ,case is packed for Liverpool tomorrow,I am staying until Friday evening,to give me a wee bit of time to explore the City,I will go and find the Cavern,the real strawberry fields (after central park).I have'nt visited Liverpool before,I heard theres lots to see.Saturday,its Hikers and Bikers walk around the Isle of Millport,Eric and 300 women,oh the work I have to do for charity,we have a pub which is reserved exclusively for the hikers and bikers at the end of the walk,for refreshments something to eat,and the karioke machine,a super day out,which raises over £25,000 for some very worthwhile charities.
Bye for now,enjoy the rest of today everyone.
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Good Morning Everyone,
I have been invited by a cancer organisation in the UK to submit an article for their newsletter based on my lung cancer advocacy diary this year.it is their intention that this will introduce me to regular diary slot in their publication.I will leave the Hope summit experience out as a separate item for the next publication.
Reflections of a Lung Cancer Survivor.
This month is the first anniversary of my retirement from a teaching career that spanned almost 40 years, I remember at the time thinking, rather naively, as it turned out “I wonder what on earth will I do with all this newly found spare time?”well you know the old saying,keep building new roads and new traffic will appear to fill them,this has been true in my case.
Being a lung cancer survivor and advocate,it was only natural that this should become my new vocation.Lung Cancer,that most prolific of killers,that I have come to recognise as the “Cinderella Cancer”in that despite it killing more each year, than the total of deaths to breast,prostate and bowel cancer,it remains the least supported in donations by the general public and attracting funds for research.Despite the great improvements in the 5 year survivability of other cancers,lung cancer surviviability for the same 5 years period remains unchanged over the last thirty years?.Lung Cancer does have a serious stigma attached to it,rightly or wrongly,many believe,most effected persons are smokers who have made a poor life choice by smoking,therefore we can say,their cancer was self inflicted.However,as many as 60% of people now dxd,have either never smoked or have given up decades ago.
I recent months my advocacy,has me as a layperson on a committee sponsored by SIGN made up of approx 20 persons,to redraft the guidelines document “The management of patients with lung cancer”.The committee is made up of oncologists,thorassic surgeons,pharmicists,medical psychologists,researchers and reporters.I have recently submitted my first draft on my remit “The provision of patient information”.The report is projected to be published in the spring of next year.
Healthy Life Choices.
This was the BBCs Radio 5 programme in response to a report issued by Cancer Research UK that claimed that 40% of cancers could be avoided if the general public made healthier life choices.I was invited to this programme to be interviewed on this report,following my interview,I was invited to two further programmes that morning that were linked to the report.
Detect Cancer Early Campaign.
The Scottish Government initiated a 2 year £30 million campaign to improve the early detection levels of cancer,this would include TV and Radio public service broadcasts.I was invited by Radio Clyde 1 to make a recording in support of this campaign.Following this recording,which was well received by the sponsors,I was invited to attend a public launch of the campaign and meet the Scottish Minister of Health,Nicola Sturgeon along with two others,a breast cancer survivor and a bowel cancer survivor.All the media were present,each of us were interviewed,and we appeared the following day in all the local and national newspapers.
Clear the Air Campaign.
The Glasgow Evening Times,interviewed me for their Clear the Air campaign,which is aimed at its readers giving up smoking,the newspaper published my story,and I continue to contribute to the campaign,by supporting their facebook page.
Looking immeadiately ahead,I have been nominated for an award by the Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation along with two other advocates in the same category “Unsung Hero”,the award ceremony will be held on Thursday the 31st of May in Liverpool.I look forward to attending and will be wearing my full kilt ensemble.
Wednesday's Air.
in JUST FOR FUN
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Good Morning Everyone,
Just dropping by for a moment to wish all my friends here a very happy independance day.I am just off to pick up my great nephew Max and take him to the Airdrie Baptist Church Kids Holiday Club,I am helping out.Max will sometime today become a big brother as his Mum (my niece)Lianne was taken into hospital last night to be induced,so we are all excited about a new arrival to our extended family.Have a great day everyone.