After 4 chemotheray treatments I am at my residence in Honduras. The tumor has been rendered inactive with no new growth. I had an MRI done here in Honduras this month and the tumor remains static. The doctor at the VA Hospital in Seattle has me scheduled for another MRI in Seattle in July. I thank God and the professional medical staff every day and will continue to monitor the parasite every 6 months.
Author Archives: Fortunato Velasquez
Time Flies
Three months since last post and I have received two chemo treatments, one month apart. The VA Hospital docs tell me that the treatments have gone well. A follow-up MRI next month will provide more accurate assessment of the chemo’s effectiveness. I am confident I will be allowed to return to La Paz, HN in April. I miss my home and friends and 9 godchildren.
Life Is Too Short
Yes, I understand we all have an expiration date. After I returned from my trip to Seattle in March, I made arrangements to return in 6 months because the time ran out for the required repeat liver MRI. I thus tried to make an appt for September but was cursed by bureaucratic incompetence. Following monthly attempts I finally was given a date only because my MD intervened. I programmed the return trip to the VA Hosp for a 2-week stay. The MRI was scheduled for a Friday on the date my flight returned to Honduras. I was forced to contact United Air to extend my departure for Saturday. It cost me more than $500. On Monday my doc called me in Honduras and said the MRI was abnormal and I had to return ASAP for possible chemotherapy. I return to Seattle VA Hospital Thursday November 3rd for a possible 6 month course of treatment. Such is life.
A Sick Country of Death
Killing children in school has become a way of life in the US of Northamerica. The political leadership is useless, led by ignorant, hypocritical, psychopathic accessories to the murder of its own citizens. The children. My God. Have those in charge no compassion? No sense of protecting the lives of children who are gunned down almost as a sport of wanton massacre? My heart bleeds for the innocent. The naive, trusting children who think they are in a safe place to learn and be with friends. Then to be obscenely destroyed as if their lives had no meaning. Wiped from the face of the earth, while the satanic politicians absently toss them a few meaningless prayers to outright murder and go on with their pathetic lives. 19 children and two teachers in a Uvalde elementary school. Dead. Gone. Disappeared. I cannot understand such brutality. My heart bleeds. How many more must die?
Long Time No See
The month of March in Seattle and the Puget Sound area was a refreshing family vacation mixed with medical appointments at the VA Hospital Medical Center. My first visit back to the States in over two years. Since January 7, 2020, to be exact. I had my gall bladder removed on December 31, 2019. New Year’s Eve. What a way to begin the New Year. The Covid pandemic struck Central America with the same vehemence as the rest of the world. I did not feel comfortable boarding an airplane. Until I decided the time was right and I booked a first-class ticket in the first seat near the entry door. The first one on, the first one off the plane. I remain convinced that the US of Northamerica is a mean, racist hellhole filled with ignorant people who will never change. After a month, it is good to be home.
Paradise at Your Fingertips
I have reconciled myself to the the reality of Covid 19. The beast is here to stay. Our lifestyles have bowed to the inevitable. Accept, or die. When I leave my home I feel naked without my face mask. I avoid crowds like the plague. If there is a line for occasional needed services I wait for another day. Maintaining distance from other people has become a way of life. I have always been a loner type of person so I am comfortable with my life as it has evolved. Washing my hands frequently and using gel after contact with money and objects not in my living sphere is now second nature. Current Honduras Cocid cases: 397,548. Recovered: 127,289 Dead: 10,548. I will be flying to Seattle in a few weeks, my first flight since I returned to Honduras from surgery stateside on January 7, 2020.
What Next?
Comicron kind of snuck up on the planet. Makes one wonder how many tiny killer variants are giving us the hungry eye. I postulate there will be more of them, each with its own dangers. And undoubtedly after two years there is still death lurking around the corner. I find myself in permanent mode trying to evade not only the scourge, but also the ignorant fools who make it easy for the viruses to spread. My current fondest desire is that the government make it a requirement for people who board aircraft to produce proof of Covid vaccination. I hope it happens before March 1st.
Felices Fiestas Navideñas
Time literally flies when you´re having fun. The best decision I ever made in my life was deciding to remain in Honduras to live as an expat after I completed my two-year term of service as a Peace Corps Volunteer. My other government service is six years in the military receiving an honorable discharge as the US of Northamerica was still bogged down in the Vietnam War. Yesterday I received my covid19 Pfizer booster vaccination here in La Paz where I call home. Next March I will travel to Seattle to spend a month visiting with my family, then return to paradise. Happy Holidays to all!
Covid
Different variants of Covid are still killing people world-wide. Delta the latest prevalent to evolve: Mu in the wings. Honduras stats over the last six months: 343,807 cases, 9,023 deaths, and new information confronting the multiple virus variants is vaccination data. 3,205,881 Honduran citizens have received their first vaccine and a number of others the second dose. This in a population of approximately 8,000,000 folks. The pandemic is far from over. The 1918 Spanish flu raged for 5 years killing millions. I contiue to follow precautionary rules. I leave my home only for essentials, mask when I do, avoid crowds and places where people congregate by picking days of the week that are sparsely populated. And I always bring disinfectant gel and spray and disposable towelletes. Meanwhile in the US of Northamerica, absolute idiots are rejecting vaccines and masks, ignoring safe distances, and self-medicating with a horse dewormer. And also dying. When I travel to the US next March I intend to receive a 3rd Covid vaccine, a booster, at the VA Hospital when I see my primary care provider in Seattle.
He´s Baaack
It has been, what? Six months? I moved into my beautiful new home and have been inundated with chores laced with the realities of the Covid variants. I have also concluded the virus will be with us for years, thanks to the unvaccinated idiots who deny reaaality. May they die off quickly. One goal is to learn how to post photos of my surroundings on this site. Stay tuned. I am not going away, unless the virus invades my domain. My coffin is paid for and a dear friend will administer my will and testament. Life is good. The Lord walks at my side. Paz y tranquilidad.