Week 4: October 11th-October 17th
Here we are in week four already. Sunday morning we visited the Calvary Chapel in San Bernardino. We enjoyed the morning in worship and in the study of God’s word. In the afternoon we took part in a guided tour of the inner workings of the proton facility. We were walked through the journey each proton takes in reaching its intended target. This is truly incredible technology. It is a perfect marriage between physics and medicine. NASA maintains on ongoing relationship with LLUMC within the research departments involving proton technology. This research is enabling NASA to explore ways to protect astronauts from space radiation.
Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday mornings it was off to “Boot Camp” once again. I’m sore in places I didn’t even know I had. It also rained a little down here early in the week. The precipitation in this region gets about as much attention as when it snows in the Portland Metro area. Even so, it is still shorts weather with the forecast for the weekend expecting temperatures back in the upper 80’s.
This week included treatments eight through twelve. After the twelfth treatment I got to promote myself to the sophomore class. The final treatment is considered a “graduation” hence the classifications of freshman through senior. We have different colors of “balloons” for our name tags to designate our current standing. Through the week I wore my green balloon proudly. The next step is yellow, then blue and then finally red. Upon my return to Vancouver you can ask me about the significance of the balloons and about “The Brotherhood of the Balloon.”
Tuesday night there was a small electrical fire in the proton center that created a little stir, but all returned to normal rather quickly. It gave the hospital a chance to evaluate their fire drill protocol. The rest of the week’s treatments went along without incidence. Friday night I picked up my yellow “balloon” to add to my name tag. Of course Diane gets to add one to her name tag as well. She faithfully accompanies me on each trek to Level B at the Proton Center.
Thursday afternoon we met with the nutritionist. Her name is Stella and she works with the proton patients in guiding us through what we should and should not eat during our stay. The diet is geared to help protect the vital areas impacted during treatment.
Here we are in week four already. Sunday morning we visited the Calvary Chapel in San Bernardino. We enjoyed the morning in worship and in the study of God’s word. In the afternoon we took part in a guided tour of the inner workings of the proton facility. We were walked through the journey each proton takes in reaching its intended target. This is truly incredible technology. It is a perfect marriage between physics and medicine. NASA maintains on ongoing relationship with LLUMC within the research departments involving proton technology. This research is enabling NASA to explore ways to protect astronauts from space radiation.
Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday mornings it was off to “Boot Camp” once again. I’m sore in places I didn’t even know I had. It also rained a little down here early in the week. The precipitation in this region gets about as much attention as when it snows in the Portland Metro area. Even so, it is still shorts weather with the forecast for the weekend expecting temperatures back in the upper 80’s.
This week included treatments eight through twelve. After the twelfth treatment I got to promote myself to the sophomore class. The final treatment is considered a “graduation” hence the classifications of freshman through senior. We have different colors of “balloons” for our name tags to designate our current standing. Through the week I wore my green balloon proudly. The next step is yellow, then blue and then finally red. Upon my return to Vancouver you can ask me about the significance of the balloons and about “The Brotherhood of the Balloon.”
Tuesday night there was a small electrical fire in the proton center that created a little stir, but all returned to normal rather quickly. It gave the hospital a chance to evaluate their fire drill protocol. The rest of the week’s treatments went along without incidence. Friday night I picked up my yellow “balloon” to add to my name tag. Of course Diane gets to add one to her name tag as well. She faithfully accompanies me on each trek to Level B at the Proton Center.
Thursday afternoon we met with the nutritionist. Her name is Stella and she works with the proton patients in guiding us through what we should and should not eat during our stay. The diet is geared to help protect the vital areas impacted during treatment.
A little surprise this week was the 99° temperature that welcomed us on Friday. We had planned on spending some time at the pool anyway, so this worked out just fine. We decided Saturday would be a good time to head up to Lake Arrowhead to revisit the site of part of our honeymoon 36 years ago. Oktoberfest was in full swing at the lake which added to the charm. With a little extra time we decided on taking a quick jaunt over to Big Bear Lake to round out the day. It was a beautiful day and 20º cooler than the 99º down in Loma Linda.
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