Long time no see

[Gary]

Hi everyone,

It's been so long since I've been on the forum I thought I'd drop a post and let everyone know where I've been.

Well, I've been sick. For those who didn't know already I've have cancer since 2002 and been in and out of chemo. Regardless of treatments over the years I'd been able to keep cave diving pretty much. (My favorite example was my last cave dive before my bone marrow transplant which I did with a set of tubes sticking out of my chest for the pheresis / stem cell collection.) Radiation kept me out of the caves for a few weeks (2003), bone marrow transplant for over a month (2006).

Just before my birthday in 2010 we did a dive at Hart Springs that was pretty scary - turns out my lung cavities were filled with fluid and I couldn't take full breaths. Missed my birthday dive and was out of the water for a couple months but managed to get some new chemo that fought that off for a while, but by October the new chemo stopped working:

Forced myself to go diving just to clear the chemo. Didn't really enjoy the dive. Kept it short and went home.

Little did I know then it would be the last time I go diving for over 6 months... maybe the last time I'd dive well ever.

Well it wasn't quite the last dive ever. May 11, 2011, a few days after getting my lungs drained of fluid and feeling more energy than in months Kathleen and I managed a 57 min swim dive at Ginnie. I felt awful - thought I might die on the dive. Rick was walking by when we got out of the water helped me get my gear back to the car... (thanks Rick) :-(

Ever looked at your dive computer and it said "Surface 447 days"? What a miserable feeling. :-(

After 468 days managed a OW shore dive at West Palm Beach (Max depth 22'). That was 6 months ago. Don't know when or if I'll be back in the caves again.


Anyway, in case I don't see you all out in the caves again I wish you all my best. It's been great!

Dive well, dive safe and have fun!

[JE]

Gary !
Thank you for your post ! I have a close non diving friend in Iowa who has been thru nearly the same hell as you have & my prayers go out for both of you. I sorely miss your wonderful dive adventures on here & truly hope you will be healthy again to go cave diving with your friends. I am certain we all miss you. You are an inspiration to all of us.
Please get well soon

Jack

[Sludge]

Anyway, in case I don't see you all out in the caves again I wish you all my best. It's been great!

It was so good hearing from you. And I don't believe for a minute we won't see each other in the caves again.

It was just about a month ago I was telling Lynn about the day I met you - it was at a Jackson Blue cleanup around 1999 and you had a Mako scooter. When I came out you were over in "The Pressbox" (the deco spot on the right as you leave the cave) writing away furiously in your wetnotes. The next day you posted a writeup on the Cave Diver Group about your first and only dive there - the way you described it in such detail it was as if you had made fifty dives there.

(And whenever we are at school making anagrams of our names, I always mention the "Shy Urban Rag.")

See you soon!

[Jim Wyatt]

Keep up the good fight!!

[FW]

The caves aren't going anywhere, just get well. I for one am glad to hear you are still hanging in there. Tell Mooonfuzzy hello for me.

[Rich]

You were such a great mentor to me when I first moved down here, thanks so much for that and congrats again on the recent "ceremony"...

Safe diving,

Rich

[Mark Vlahos]

Gary,

While my Cancer story is not as long, or as painful, as yours. I can certainly sympathize. I am a Lymphoma survivor. I am almost two years out of chemotherapy. When I started back up diving it was a slow, measured journey. I took my time starting with simple open water dives, then eventually simple cave dives, and finally longer deco cave dives.

I am living proof that it can be done! Keep your head straight and enjoy the rest of your life.

Best wishes,

Mark Vlahos

[Jay]

Good hearing from you Gary!

I think the last dives we were on (well, same ocean same day anyway ) was on the Blue Hole trip to Cay Sal!!!!!

[Brent]

Gary

Lets do a memory check. Around the mid 90's time frame, you guys came into Divers Supply in Gainesville and I showed you how a tank that never went below 1000PSI ( your words ) can have water in it. One of the tanks in your doubles rig had rust but the other one was clean. I'll bet that never happened to you again!
Wishing you the best.

Brent

[Gary]

Lets do a memory check. Around the mid 90's time frame, you guys came into Divers Supply in Gainesville and I showed you how a tank that never went below 1000PSI ( your words ) can have water in it.

Sounds like the other of "us guys" was probably John? Am I remembering that right? (I seem to remember him having a varity of reasons why his tanks were low.)

You either had that conversation with him or that might be too far back for me. I can't remember the conversation - what was the answer?

Trying another memory check: didn't he borrow/rent a pair of doubles from you one trip and managed to rip one of the isolator knobs off? LOL