Saturday, December 26, 2009

TA's Weekly Update December 26, 2009

Happy Boxing Day!

 

It's been a quiet relaxing few days around here as I timed my training to take a few rest days around the holidays.  I had trained eight days solid since returning from Edmonton so spending Christmas Eve and Dad doing little physical activity was a welcome break.  I hope the best of the holiday season found you and your family over the past week.

 

My training is divided into four phases named Camp One-Four after the camps we will us on Mount Everest next spring.  I have one more week in Camp One before moving up to Camp Two.  Each phase introduces new goals and new training activities and is periodized to gradually increase the workload.  As my training progresses and the time to the climb becomes shorter, training or other injuries become more of a concern because there is less time to get them healed before the climb. 

 

I aim to treat training injuries as they arise and be cognizant of staying healthy in all respects of my life.  Some ask if I will give up hockey and the answer is "No."  It's a critical part of my life for both training and mental health.  I will play less aggressively and will do my best to avoid areas on the ice that are more likely to create injuries (i.e. racing for the puck near the end boards).

 

Along with my own precautions, I have privileged to have the support of a great body care team.  Last week I said I would introduce the folks who are being kind enough to support by Everest efforts by donating their services/expertise.  Dr. Amy Butt, Director of Allied Health Services at Memorial University of Newfoundland, mobilized the first group of folks.  (http://www.mun.ca/hkr/ahs/about/)  Allied Health Services offers a variety of testing and professional services to members of the Memorial University community and the general public.

 

Through Allied Health Services, Todd Row, a certified athletic therapist, is treating me.  Athletic therapists have training and expertise in treating and rehabilitating athletes and getting them back into the game/back to training as quickly as possible.  Todd keeping an eye on some of my nagging training injuries that seem to keep popping up (oh how I miss my 39 year old body:-).  Todd uses a combination of modalities such as ultrasound, electrical stimulation, assisted stretches and exercise prescription to treat various owies. (highly technical term).

 

Also, through Allied Health Services, Mike Pollard, a certified massage therapist and expert in sports massage, is keeping my legs limber and able to handle the huge training load.  Since flexibility has never been one of my strengths, Mike's work on my legs is a real help in staying the training course. 

 

Finding the right balance between energy expenditure (training) and energy intake (eating) is always a challenge.  For me right now it is more tricky than usual because some days I am burning close to 2000 calories in training–that can make for some interesting appetite spikes.  Fortunately, I have Holly Grant, sports nutritionist, on my team.  Working through Allied Health Services, Holly assists athletes in finding the right balance of macro and micronutrients to maximize performance.  I log meals into software that Holly checks in and offers suggestions on how I can make substitutions in what I am eating to hit the balance of nutrients she is suggesting. 

 

Through Allied Health Services, I also have access to VO2 Max testing, Basal Metabolic Rate testing, and underwater weighing–all of which are being used to track the effectiveness of training.  As January is often a time for setting up resolutions and making positive lifestyle changes, I highly recommend Allied Health Services if you need some expertise in bringing some of those changes to fruition.

 

Along with massage and athletic therapy, I also have Janice Drover of Core Insight (http://www.coreinsight.ca/), looking after my body.  Janice is a certified Sports Chiropractor who uses Active Release Technique in treating my injuries/sore spots.  Janice spent a year treating Olympic athletes in Calgary and will be heading out to Vancouver to treat Paralympians during their games in March so I know I am in good hands.  Within the Core Insight office, there are several other practitioners so they are also a good resource for New Year's Resolutions.

 

For me, mountaineering is a team activity.  I am grateful to my pre-climb "Body Team" and appreciate their generosity, support, and care.  On the mountain, there is the base camp medical clinic to draw upon as well as having some doctors and a dentist on our climbing team (I'm hoping not to use their services very much or at all this time!!!).

 

Time to go pull a tire up Signal Hill!

 

Take good care,

 

TA



--

*******************************************************************************
Everest 2010: Mountain of Learning

Please support the Everest 2010: Mountain of Learning Award at Memorial University of Newfoundland.  

Visit the  Memorial website at  the following URL: https://www5.mun.ca/dir/viking.gv020.p001
and be sure to click the button for the award.

TA Loeffler Ph.D.,  Professor
3M National Teaching Fellow
School of Human Kinetics and Recreation
Memorial University of Newfoundland
St. John's, NL A1C 5S7

TA's Website:  www.taloeffler.com
Phone: 709-737-8670
Fax: 709-737-3979
Office:  PE 2011A
Email Office:  taloeffler@mun.ca
Email Home:  taloeffler@gmail.com

Those who lose dreaming are lost.
Australian Aboriginal Proverb

Courage is the price that life exacts for granting peace.  The soul that knows it not, knows no release from little things; Knows not the livid loneliness of fear, nor mountain heights where bitter joy can hear the sound of wings.
Amelia Earhart

Remember that the most difficult tasks are consummated not by a single burst of energy or effort, but by consistent application of the best you have within you.
Og Mandino
*******************************************************************************

Sunday, December 20, 2009

Pumping Up the Volume: TA's Weekly Update 12-20-09

Happy Solstice to All,

 

After an intense month, this week was indeed much lighter and I look forward to the return of more illumination day by day over the next months.  I always enjoy celebrating the two solstices but somehow always wish that the Summer Solstice was in August instead of June. :-)

 

Air Canada got us home on Monday and even fed us along the way!  I'm grateful to our neighbours, Brian and Mona for keeping an eye out on our place and shoveling out the car and sidewalk after a big storm so we didn't have to come back to a daunting pile of the white stuff.  Marian's daughter, Maaike, kept the plants alive and I appreciated the many sympathy cards waiting in the mailbox.  It was good to get home and be surrounded by friends.

 

Much of my week was spent getting back into the swing of training.  As I look back over the past six months, I can see that many factors have conspired to keep me from training too hard or too long.  It's time now, however, to pump up the training volume and become a "lean, mean climbing machine."  I've been working with several folks to both create and support my training.  In designing my program, I've been keeping in mind the constellation of strengths and skills I will need.

 

Over the next twelve weeks, I'll be working hard to further develop, sharpen, and strengthen my aerobic endurance, anaerobic endurance, upper, lower, and core body strength, respiratory endurance, flexibility, hiking with a pack, and mountain skills.  It's a tall order but Everest is an even taller one!  Having been on the mountain, I have a better sense of the demands and challenges of both the terrain and the altitude.

 

My aerobic endurance will come through step aerobics classes with a pack, some incline treadmill hiking with a pack, and outdoor hiking with a pack.  My pack will become my almost constant companion as I'll always be carrying one on the mountain-it is also a way to increase my workload without running (each week the amount of weight in my pack will increase by a small amount–right now I am carrying 25 pounds).  Challenges to my anaerobic endurance come through ice hockey and incline treadmill intervals developed by Dr. Fabien Basset at Memorial University of Newfoundland. 

 

Body strength will be build through a combination of weight training and functional fitness training.  Respiratory endurance will come through training hypoxically using the Go2Altitude system as well as by using the Spirotiger to strengthen my diaphragm.  Finally, I'll continue to coax flexibility out of my tight tissues through some yoga (Have I mentioned that when they were giving out hamstrings I was at the back of the line and got a very short set).   :-) 

 

I also realize that having honed mountain skills makes me faster and therefore safer on the mountain so I'll also dedicate some training time to knot tying, fixed rope ascension, ladder practice, rappelling, and tire pulling.  I did my first tire pull halfway up Signal Hill this week–it such a good workout and reminds me constantly of the absolute humbling that high altitude hands out.  When pulling the tire, I am moving very slowly, almost breathless, and on the verge of vomiting–just like climbing the Khumbu icefall.

 

This week I also had the pleasure of catching up with Phil Alcock at the Core Health Spa (http://www.corehealthspa.ca.)  We worked out together yesterday and I was reminded of the intense functional fitness workout that Phil can dole out.  If you're in St. John's and need someone to pusher you harder, he's your man!

 

All this hard work will tax my body to the max so I have a team of folks who will help me both avoid and treat any training injuries that may occur.  I'll introduce that team in next week's update.  Thanks again to all for your support and care this past month (and beyond)–it's meant so much to me.  I would ask that this week you keep my Oma in your thoughts and prayers as she had a small stroke and we're hoping she'll continue to be able to live independently.

 

Enjoy this holiday season in whatever way you celebrate it.

 

TA

 

 

 



--

*******************************************************************************
Everest 2010: Mountain of Learning

Please support the Everest 2010: Mountain of Learning Award at Memorial University of Newfoundland.  

Visit the  Memorial website at  the following URL: https://www5.mun.ca/dir/viking.gv020.p001
and be sure to click the button for the award.

TA Loeffler Ph.D.,  Professor
3M National Teaching Fellow
School of Human Kinetics and Recreation
Memorial University of Newfoundland
St. John's, NL A1C 5S7

TA's Website:  www.taloeffler.com
Phone: 709-737-8670
Fax: 709-737-3979
Office:  PE 2011A
Email Office:  taloeffler@mun.ca
Email Home:  taloeffler@gmail.com

Those who lose dreaming are lost.
Australian Aboriginal Proverb

Courage is the price that life exacts for granting peace.  The soul that knows it not, knows no release from little things; Knows not the livid loneliness of fear, nor mountain heights where bitter joy can hear the sound of wings.
Amelia Earhart

Remember that the most difficult tasks are consummated not by a single burst of energy or effort, but by consistent application of the best you have within you.
Og Mandino
*******************************************************************************

Sunday, December 13, 2009

Joys and Sorrows: TA's Weekly Update 12-13-09

Good Icy Cold Morning to You,

 

The combination of minus 45 degrees C and ice fog this morning at the Edmonton International Airport means we're spending an additional day here.  Our flight was cancelled and given big travel volumes, we couldn't be rebooked until tomorrow.  You should have seen the look on Mom's face when we rang the doorbell and handed her the morning paper after she'd dropped us off at the airport at 5:00 a.m.  "Surprise, we're back," we exclaimed.  I was looking forward to being home and getting back into a training routine but as Oma so frequently says, "What comes, comes."

 

Last Sunday I had the great pleasure of joining Xander on the ice for his hockey practice.  I loved being out there with him and perhaps today's delay will allow me another visit to the arena when his plays again today.  On Friday, I visited Rayne's school again.  This time, not to speak about climbing but instead, about the carrying the Olympic Torch.  I spoke to the elementary school in two groups–at first I wasn't sure I could muster the energy but as soon as I saw the children's faces light up at seeing the Torch, I knew I could do it.  I even had the kids in stitches at one point when I climbed up on a table to demonstrate my luge technique (I had had a great brainstorm in 1986 that I would make the Olympic Luge team in time for the Calgary winter games–unfortunately, early in my sledding career, I ran my luge off the track and busted up my knee pretty darn good when I hit a tree and that was the end of that!)

 

In the homily of my Dad's funeral mass, Father Reddy counseled us that this would be a time of great joy and great sorrow and that has been true to my experience of the past week.  After Dad's passing, we continued to tell fun and memorable stories of Dad's life throughout the week.  I'm really grateful to the group of my brother's friends who gathered from around Western Canada to support him and who pulled off a spontaneous celebration of Dad's life after the prayer service on Wednesday.  It was marvelous to share in such deep laughter and appreciation of my Dad after the intense grief of the prayer service. 

 

Special thanks to Todd and Shelley for the impromptu feast and for Sean's delightful rendition of learning to waterski under my Dad's watchful eye.  Thanks as well to Dave Fritz for feeding us all twice during the week, Doris and her Mom for the German feast that evoked so many memories, Shawn's Mom and Dad for wonderful baked goods and watching the kids, and "Uncle Bart" for his kindness and care to all of us.

 

Father Reddy had asked for a copy of my eulogy so he could know a bit more about my Dad since he had just recently moved to their parish.  I so appreciated how Father Reddy wove together the readings, his homily, and the essence of Dad's spirit into a beautiful liturgy to send him off to whatever comes next.  The highlight of the mass for me is when, in honour of Dad's great sense of humour, Father Reddy told a joke.  It may have been the first time I heard a priest tell a joke in church and it was so fitting of my Dad.  Special thanks to Monica and Heidi for reading at both services and to Todd, Mike, Derwyn, Cam, Gerry, and Brian for being pallbearers.  Your participation in honouring Dad was much appreciated.

 

One of the things that speaking professionally has taught me, is to allow a presentation to ebb and flow like the tide.  I know when I am speaking that some of the topics are highly emotionally charged and I need to allow pause or humour to allow myself time to compose myself to continue.  When I first said I would do Dad's eulogy, I wondered if first I would find the words and second, once found, if I would be able to speak them. 

 

Over the course of three early mornings, the words did come.  As you will see below in my Dad's eulogy, he always believed in me and I wrote a reminder of that right into it so that if I was struggling to speak, I would remember that my Dad's many reminders that I could do it.  And I did do it, twice–once during the prayer service and once at the funeral.  My voice got stronger and gained power as I spoke reaching a crescendo in the last paragraph until the last lines.  Saying the good-bye, the parting, the letting the reality of the loss sink in by speaking those words aloud…brought a tsunami of grief to the surface and almost overwhelmed my ability to enunciate the sentiment but I held on for dear life, for my dear Dad, and got through the words with my voice cracking, tears streaming down my face, and my heart open. 

 

Good Morning

 

On behalf of mother Denise, my Oma, Frida, my brother, Mike and myself, I would like to thank you deeply for your being here with us today to both share our grief at the loss of Heinz and to celebrate his life and the gifts he gave us all.

 

One of the greatest gifts that my father gave me, and to so many others, was his belief in me.  Every spring at his beloved lake and cabin, Dad would orchestrate the putting in of the pier and boat hoist.  Most often, all of the male neighbours would gather to help each other to move these very heavy objects from the land into the water.  When I was about ten or eleven, I was helping Dad get the pier project started.  He and I were lifting the pier sections from their storage location to the lakeshore.  As the neighbours began to arrive, they each in turn, tried to come over and take the burden from me.  Each time Dad said, "Leave it to her, she can do it."  So since then, at times in my life when I may have doubted whether or not I could do something, like right now perhaps, I hear my Dad's voice, "She can do it."

 

I have heard it said that the mediocre teacher tells, the good teacher explains, the superior teacher demonstrates and the great teacher inspires.  Without every setting foot at the front of a classroom, my father was a great teacher.  He taught so many people, so many things: from how to drive a stick shift, to casting lead bullets, to getting up on water skis, to how to fix most anything.  His "students" ranged from the "boys" at the shop to our childhood friends; from the neighbours at the lake to anyone he shared a chairlift with.  His generous spirit spilled forth to both help and teach at the slightest perception of need.

 

After surviving World War II in the Sudenland region of Czechoslovakia, Heinz and his parents, Frida and Alois, immigrated to Canada and settled in Good Soil, Saskatchewan.  Dad often told stories from his life on the farm; of the magpie he befriended that would steal the tractor keys and hide them, of the horse he loved and tended to, and of course, his long walk to school.  Unlike many Canadian kids who heard similar tales, my dad and his cousins Monica and Heidi really did walk seven miles through snowstorms to their school.

 

My Dad and his parents moved to Edmonton in time for Dad to attend high school at St. Mary's.  Here, his stories continued.  We heard of sporting feats, fast cars, and pranks played on teachers and friends alike.  Dad met Mom as a substitute blind date set up by her older brother, Gerry.  After a delightful courtship, they were married in 1964.  Mom said the other day that perhaps Dad was always early for everything, because she was an hour late for the wedding.

 

Soon after I was born, Mom and Dad moved to Ottewell.  In this neighbourhood of young families, they met some of their lifelong friends.  Out of this connection, Dad and Manfred Springer began to go hunting together.  Over the years, we watched them pack up their vans, trailers, campers, or RV's–whatever the hunting accommodation de jour was–with their guns, supplies, and scrumptious hunting fare known as "Fantasy Casserole" that often came from Dad's skillful mixing of several cans of food.  A week or so later, they would emerge from the bush surrounding Whitecourt with many stories, a few "chickens" as Dad would call grouse, but not very often with big game.  After years of watching this phenomena, Mike and Shawn began to call these so called hunting trips, "Camping with Guns."  When Shawn killed her first chicken, Dad stood by and coached her through the whole process of cleaning it, despite many of the men wanting to jump in and take it from her. 

 

My Dad loved nothing better than to be outdoors and especially to spend time around a bonfire.  Both while hunting and at the lake, most evenings were spent nursing a drink, telling tall tales, and a joke or two with whoever was gathered around the warmth of the community fire.  Come to think about it, make that ten or twenty jokes.  Dad loved to make people laugh and kept a huge repository of jokes in his steel-trap mind–he never forgot a thing. 

 

My Mom called Dad, her "Walking Encyclopedia." We all quickly learned never to get in an argument with Heinz–he always won–especially if it had to do with what happened when.  I'm not sure when we all discovered the source of his amazing memory.  He wrote daily in a notebook, keeping track of the weather and significant events of the day.  Dad was an avid, voracious reader with an insatiable curiosity for how things worked.  He was a gifted engineer who could repair anything given a supply of duct tape, tie-wraps, Velcro, and GE Sealant.

 

My Dad had a special place in his heart for animals.  He hated to see them suffer and always helped care for all the strays my brother and I brought home.  He had a special bond with our cat, Pudd, and an even deeper connection with Bear, his beloved Akita.  Despite all of the pain he suffered from the cancer, I suspect the worse day of my dad's life was when he lost Bear.  I imagine Bear was waiting to greet Dad with his two huge paws on Dad's chest.

 

Life dealt Dad several blows in short order.  He lost Bear, he and mom were both diagnosed with cancer, and his father passed away all within a couple of years.  Many would have folded and left their cards on the table.  Not my father.  He faced the challenges and suffering of the past twelve years with grace, courage, and humour.  Dad demonstrated a seasoned ability to live with uncertainty and to go forward each day, not knowing what it would bring.  He took early retirement, continued to pursue the things he loved to do, researched options, and put up with the many side effects of his cancer treatment.  He lived life as fully as he could and inspired us in how he coped with the tremendous pain of his illness.  Dad also broke the silence around prostate cancer by encouraging every man he knew to get tested.  He saved many lives by being brave enough to talk about his cancer.

 

Along with hunting, Dad loved to ski.  Starting on the small hills surrounding the farm in Saskatchewan and progressing to the huge drops of Sunshine Village in Banff, Dad's passion was for the slopes.  He shared his passion by teaching Mom, Mike, myself, and many others to ski.  He always counted the days to his annual ski week with Mom, Manfred and Agnes.  The day that Dad died, the first winter storm of 2009 raged outside.  When Mike and I met at the hospital that day, we looked out at the falling snow and thought Dad picked the perfect day to go.  We took comfort picturing him carving turns in endless fresh powder under crystal blue skies and sunshine knowing his favourite meal would be waiting in heaven's cafeteria.

 

I believe that the true measure of our worth is not where we come to be at journey's end, but in the lives we touch along the way.  I know both personally and by looking out at all of you gathered here, that we have all been deeply touched by Heinz as a husband, son, father, opa, friend, and teacher.  Heinz's courage in living the past decade with a devastating disease, his generosity and acts of kindness, his contagious laugh and sense of humour, and most of all, his love for his family, will never be forgotten.  Dad, I am so glad you are now free of pain–rest in peace–we all miss you dearly.

 

Thanks to all of you in my cyber community of support for sending caring thoughts and prayers.  We've felt your support and leaned on it many times.  I look forward to seeing friends in Newfoundland soon (whenever Air Canada can get us there) and I am committed to taking my training for Everest to a new height of dedication to both honour and be close in spirit to my dad.  See you in a gym nearby soon!

 

With gratitude,

 

TA


--

*******************************************************************************
Everest 2010: Mountain of Learning

Please support the Everest 2010: Mountain of Learning Award at Memorial University of Newfoundland.  

Visit the  Memorial website at  the following URL: https://www5.mun.ca/dir/viking.gv020.p001
and be sure to click the button for the award.

TA Loeffler Ph.D.,  Professor
3M National Teaching Fellow
School of Human Kinetics and Recreation
Memorial University of Newfoundland
St. John's, NL A1C 5S7

TA's Website:  www.taloeffler.com
Phone: 709-737-8670
Fax: 709-737-3979
Office:  PE 2011A
Email Office:  taloeffler@mun.ca
Email Home:  taloeffler@gmail.com

Those who lose dreaming are lost.
Australian Aboriginal Proverb

Courage is the price that life exacts for granting peace.  The soul that knows it not, knows no release from little things; Knows not the livid loneliness of fear, nor mountain heights where bitter joy can hear the sound of wings.
Amelia Earhart

Remember that the most difficult tasks are consummated not by a single burst of energy or effort, but by consistent application of the best you have within you.
Og Mandino
*******************************************************************************

Monday, December 7, 2009

Off to Powder Ski Slopes: TA's Weekly Update 12-7-09

Good Morning,

 

I'm up early to write from a different chair.  It's been a big week on the metaphorical mountain and I know forming and sharing the words will help me reflect and process the deeper meaning of it all.

 

People had said I would know when it was time to come.  I was checking in several times a day with Edmonton, watching airfares, trying to train, and seeing how Marian was doing.  Dad moved onto the palliative care unit at the Grey Nuns Hospital on Sunday.  Mom used to be the night supervisor there for 20 years and though it meant a longer drive to get there, she knew Dad would receive the best care. 

 

And then as people said I would, I knew it was time.  We got seats on a most windy Wednesday morning and flew out.  Shawn picked us up at the airport and we went right to the hospital.  When we walked into his room, Dad woke and was able to greet us.  He was finally comfortable when lying still and would rouse when called to but was sleeping the rest of the time.

 

Soon after we arrived, a succession of visitors arrived and we spent much of the afternoon telling stories of Dad's life and the ways he impacted ours.  There was many stories of hunting, skiing, and times at the cabin.  One of Dad's favourite things was napping on the couch at the lake and I imagined him laying on "his" couch napping as we spun yarn after yarn.  Later in the afternoon, Rayne came to visit and helped the nurse give her grandfather his medication and got a chance to ask lots of questions about Opa's care.

 

Wednesday was hard but I took solace in being surrounded by caring friends and family and in the fact that laughter was being doled out in about the same ratio as tears.  We were celebrating my Dad, and since he loved to laugh, naturally many of the stories made us chuckle.  We met with Dad's doctors and though they couldn't give us a timeline, they hinted at a few weeks.  Having started our day in Newfoundland at 3:30 a.m., we fell into bed exhausted that evening.

 

The next morning we headed back to the hospital.  As soon as I walked into the room, I knew things had changed dramatically.  In taking one look at my Dad, I knew it wouldn't be weeks, I knew it would be days, if that.  Dread was the first emotion to arise followed quickly by huge waves of grief.  Seeing the nurse do care and the intense pain that any movement caused Dad, a tiny sense of relief that his suffering might soon be over began to enter my body. 

 

I had brought my Olympic Torch to show my Dad.  In the elevator, some one had asked me if the box contained chocolates.  I said, "No, it has an Olympic Torch."  I took it out of the box and once again witnessed its magic as people began to hold it and pass it around.  I showed it to Dad as soon as I arrived and there was a brief flicker of recognition in his eyes.  I placed it on the windowsill and we enjoyed watching nurses, doctors, and visitors as they picked it up and hold the torch.  As I carried it on Mom and Dad's anniversary, it felt like a tribute to have the torch there. 

 

Dad's main doctor, Dr. Amigo, paid a special visit so I could show him the torch.  He carried it out onto the unit and joked that his ego was getting bigger by the second.  He was originally from Argentina so we shared our love of Dulce de Leche and I showed him pictures of climbing Aconcagua on my laptop.  I appreciated Dr. Amigo taking time to be with us with such kindness and grace–not only was he looking after Dad, he was looking after us.  It seemed he had "right livelihood" being perfectly suited in skill and temperament to the work he does and I loved his name.  Amigo means friend in Spanish and he was indeed, a doctor friend.

 

As the day progressed, Dad could no longer respond or wake up.  He slipped deeper and deeper into unconsciousness.  In July, I carried a string of prayer flags to the summit of Mount Elbrus for both my Dad and Moh Hardin, my Buddhist teacher.  In celebration of this, I hung a string of prayer flags over Dad's bed and took comfort in seeing their familiar colours and having them remind me of Buddhist teachings.  They also provided another point of conversation and it turned out that one of Dad's nurses had worked in Tibet.  Small world.

 

The hospital gift shop had "puffed wheat squares."  These chocolate confections are one of my favourite treats as well as Dad's.  I bought some and brought them up to the room.  I wished that just one more time Dad and I could compete for the last bite.  It wasn't uncommon for Mom to have to make one tray for my Dad and one for me.  I was comfortable talking to my Dad even though he couldn't respond.  I offered him some puff wheat squares and told him that I would keep eating them and would miss sharing them with him.

 

We spent the day in prayer punctuated by stories.  Again, when visitors would come, we shared memories of Dad and used laughter to temper our grief.  It was harder to leave the hospital that night and I contemplated staying over.  We asked the nurses to call us if anything changed and we'd be back as quick as we could. 

 

The call came the next morning.  We all headed quickly to the hospital.  It was snowing heavily.  Mom, Marian and I arrived first.  Seeing Dad, we knew it wouldn't be long.  When Mike and Shawn arrived, both Mike and I had had the same thought.  Dad loved to ski and this was a perfect day to go.  Each time I looked out the window, I imagined Dad standing at the top of his favourite run in Banff just waiting for enough perfect powder to fall to begin his run.

 

We all sat round him.  He was no longer in any pain and for the first time in days, we could touch him (previously the lightest touch was agony for him).  Again, we told stories and memories and laughter was once again mixed with the tears.  I had promised Rayne I would take a picture of something on the unit but had forgotten the camera in the car.  I didn't want to leave but knew I didn't want to miss getting the picture for Rayne so I let Dad know I was stepping out and quickly went to the car.  I stopped in the gift shop for more puffed wheat squares.

 

I got back to Dad's room and took the picture Rayne wanted.  A sense came over me and I turned, put the camera down, and saw down beside my Dad.  I offered the puffed wheat squares round and most indulged–Dad loved them.  We surrounded Dad with love and care and he passed gently at 12:34.  Those that know me know that my watch beeps everyday at 12:34.  It is my favourite time of day…1, 2, 3, 4!  I just get a kick out of it and don't want to miss it so I set an alarm.  It was just like my Dad to pick such a moment to go.  I know that each day when the alarm beeps, not only will I chuckle with my favourite time of day, I'll think of my Dad and everything he means to me.

 

Once the first round of tears had fallen, we took out a small bottle of whiskey that Dad hadn't gotten to drink and passed it around.  We told Dad that we must really love him to drink the rye straight up without mix.  Dr. Amigo came in and offered words of comfort that though Dad went quicker than anyone expected, he was now finally free of pain.  With his words, came a huge sense of relief for me that has carried me through the first few days since Dad's death.  Near the end, he hurt so much that I could hardly stand it and I am so grateful that he suffering is over.  I knew I would miss him so much but I wanted him pain free even more.

 

We each took time to say our good-byes.  I took the prayer flags down knowing that they would come with me to Everest and hang in my tent as both a reminder of my Dad and a reminder of his strength that I can draw upon whenever needed.  We packed the rest of Dad's belongings and I drove us home through the storm.  The rest of that day was a fog of funeral arrangements, logistics, and alternating relief and disbelief. 

 

We all dreaded telling Oma, my Dad's mother for we know she'd loved him so deeply for all of his 67 years.  She'd had a dream earlier in the day that Dad had died and sobbed uncontrollably for the first while.  We then got out her brandy and toasted Dad once again.  With glasses in hand, the stories began again and Oma had us nearly peeing our pants with her antics.  I appreciated the laughter as it helps balance out the deep sadness.

 

Since most of you live away from Edmonton and won't be able to see Dad's Obituary, I've pasted it here.

 

Heinz Loeffler, aged 67 years, passed away peacefully surrounded by his family on December 4, 2009.  He is survived by his loving wife, Denise, his mother, Frida and two children, TA (Marian), and Mike (Shawn).  Heinz also leaves to mourn two grandchildren, Rayne and Xander and numerous other relatives and close friends.  He was predeceased by his father, Alois and Uncle Joe and Auntie Hilde.  A prayer service will be held on Wednesday, December 9, 2009 at 7:00 p.m. at the Chapel of Howard & McBride Westlawn, 16310 Stony Plain Road, Edmonton with a Funeral Mass on Thursday, December 10 at 11:00 a.m. at Good Shepherd Catholic Church, 18407-60 Ave, Edmonton.  In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Prostate Cancer Canada, (145 Front Street East, Suite 306 Toronto Ontario M5A 1E3 http://www.prostatecancer.ca) or the Grey Nuns Community Hospital, Palliative Care Unit 43.  Heinz's family thanks you for your care and support during this difficult time.

 

Thank you for all of your kind words, thoughts, and prayers as they bring great comfort to my family and me.  Take good care,

 

TA



--

*******************************************************************************
Everest 2010: Mountain of Learning

Please support the Everest 2010: Mountain of Learning Award at Memorial University of Newfoundland.  

Visit the  Memorial website at  the following URL: https://www5.mun.ca/dir/viking.gv020.p001
and be sure to click the button for the award.

TA Loeffler Ph.D.,  Professor
3M National Teaching Fellow
School of Human Kinetics and Recreation
Memorial University of Newfoundland
St. John's, NL A1C 5S7

TA's Website:  www.taloeffler.com
Phone: 709-737-8670
Fax: 709-737-3979
Office:  PE 2011A
Email Office:  taloeffler@mun.ca
Email Home:  taloeffler@gmail.com

Those who lose dreaming are lost.
Australian Aboriginal Proverb

Courage is the price that life exacts for granting peace.  The soul that knows it not, knows no release from little things; Knows not the livid loneliness of fear, nor mountain heights where bitter joy can hear the sound of wings.
Amelia Earhart

Remember that the most difficult tasks are consummated not by a single burst of energy or effort, but by consistent application of the best you have within you.
Og Mandino
*******************************************************************************