Don’t Ever Give Up, Because You Will Surprise Yourself
My wife and I have been exploring the huge city of Houston, where we recently moved. She came across the downtown Buffalo Bayou Park for us to check out. I thought this would just be a park we could walk around a few times to take in nature. I got that and more.
This nature park connects to others in the area, like the beautiful Johnny Steele Dog Park. There’s also a large fountain called the Wortham Foundation Grove, which locals call the Dandelion because of the fountain’s resemblance to the plant. My least favorite part was the Waugh Bridge Bat Colony, where at night, more than 250,000 Mexican free-tailed bats emerge from their crevices. This sounds amazing, but in all honesty, I’m glad we were out there during the daytime. We eventually went to an area called the Lost Lake, from which we got on the Sandy Reed Memorial Trail.
This trip was nearly double the number of steps I do daily. As measured by my Samsung Health app, I try to reach 6,000 steps per day. I’ve been doing this number for nearly a year, and it’s one of the ways my app helps me reach my exercise goals.
On this day of walking the trails and paths, I covered almost 12,000 steps. In total, that was over 5 miles of walking. That hike was not achieved overnight, but was a sign of the progress I’ve made. Pituitary tumors, like my own, can and will create setbacks. Cushing’s disease will also cause you to have a new trajectory in life, but it doesn’t stop you from living with meaning.
The more that I’m learning about this condition, its causes, and the lack of information about it, I’m seeing that the worst is expected. But I’ll keep the faith that everyone can and will get better, mentally as well as physically. Just don’t give up. The road can be long and painful, and you will experience loss, but you should never give up.
I leave you with this quotation from a man who not only inspired several young men to do what most thought was impossible, but he also inspired a nation, and to this day his inspirational speech is played all the time.
Jim Valvano, a North Carolina State basketball coach, said about two months before he died of cancer, “Don’t give up. Don’t ever give up.”
Note: Cushing’s Disease News is strictly a news and information website about the disease. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website. The opinions expressed in this column are not those of Cushing’s Disease News or its parent company, Bionews, and are intended to spark discussion about issues pertaining to Cushing’s.
Comments
Louise Pace
I would appreciate it if you would tell your readers about my book Cushing's Disease An often Misdiagnosed and Not So Rare Disease
Dr Ed Laws and Louise Pace Academic Press Elsevier It is on Amazon. Hopefully it will go to physicians and medical
schools so people will be able to be diagnosed sooner. The longer you have the disease, the more problems you will
have in the future
Thank you