​​​2025 Highlights

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Jan:  Another new year's fondue party and the Ohio State Buckeyes win big and go on to win the first extended playoffs in college history.  Our 3rd NCAA title this century.  Nice start to the winter!

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Jan:  Kathy & I are signed up for another year of volunteering with the Cleveland Metroparks Clean team.  We continued to find new venues to hike and clean as the park system is very large.

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Feb:  Joel plays a variety of percussion instruments with the 6th grade middle school band at the high school auditorium.  It was on a Saturday with multiple grade levels playing throughout the day.

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Feb:  Max joins the lacrosse team again and I am able to attend only a few games.  Hattie is heavy into the Cheer team and tumbling sessions.  I do more Hattie shuttles so Erin can see Max play lacrosse.

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Mar:  Makayla is lead organizer of her high school prom fashion show as well as a participant.  We are able to see the program and enjoyed her dancing and walking the runway.  A nice family dinner followed.

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Mar:  Kathy has back-to-back LCCC Chorale and then band concerts on the 8th & 9th.  Excellent shows.

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Mar:  Max & Joel complete the 6-race circuit at Route 62 will some nice results. Max's highest finish was 4th place overall in the 85 Open 9-15 Beginners' group.  Joel made the podium with a 3rd place finish in the Sat Pit Bike Open group.  I did not travel near Columbus for any events.  I followed on the website.

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Apr:  Kathy & I attended a concert by the LCCC Patriot Band at the college.  Kathy is considering joining this band either this coming fall, or the following year.  It was a very nice performance.

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Apr:  I had my annual check-up at Cleveland Clinic on the 24th.  Results of blood tests revealed that I am entering the pre-diabetes stage based on my A1c value of 6.1.  I have also moved into the stage 3 of chronic kidney disease (CKD) based on my eGFR value.  I am scheduled to meet with a kidney specialist on June 20.  For now, continued exercising and moderation of diet, are the only actions.

 

Apr:  On the 28th, Kathy & I attended a celebration of life for her former boss, and my former bowling partner, Andy Lasko.  Her passed away from heart failure after a 20+ year battle with Parkinsons.

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Apr:  Year 4 of our garden with several updates and additional plants added to the plan.

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May:  Back at Meadowood Golf for now my 7th season there.  Late start due to rainy weather.

 

May:  Kathy played clarinet in the LCCC spring concert on the 4th and sang in the LCCC Chorale concert the following Saturday evening.  We continue to enjoy the experience, and I am an even bigger fan now. 

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May:  ​Kathy and I are signed up to participate in our 7th annual National Kidney Foundation 5k walk on Sunday June 8.  The walk begins and ends at the Cleveland Science Center near downtown.  I have pledged to walk at least 555,555 steps from Cinco De Mayo thru to the kidney walk.

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May:  We got to see Joel on the percussion instruments at the spring middle school band concert.

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May:  Makayla went to her high school prom.  We were able to meet her date and get some pictures before they went to the dance and on to the after-prom festivities.

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May:  Makayla was honored at her high school awards ceremony and presented a college scholarship to assist with her tuition and books as she attends Lorain Community College this fall to study nursing.

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Jun:  Makayla graduated from high school on the 1st.  It was a beautiful day and the ceremonies took place in the stadium outside.  We all went to Cozumel for Mexican food afterwards.

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Jun:  Today on the 8th, Kathy and I participated in our 7th straight National Kidney Foundation Walk in downtown Cleveland.  For the first time, I am a kidney donor and also a kidney patient.  Our JP Hikers team raised twice our goal amount for the first time.  Wyatt and family were able to join remotely from their Alabama home.  Ted walked 6.5 miles at Seneca Golf Course as his contribution to the team.  It was nice to be back at the Cle Science Center with Kathy for this years' events.  I beat my step goal by walking 609,112 steps in the 34 days leading up to the event.  Nearly 18k steps per day average.

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Jun:  9th, I had a metabolic panel and A1c blood test today.  Glucose down from 126 to 93 after 6 weeks of nutrition management activity.  A1c down from 6.1 to 5.8.  Still a bit high but the 3-month average should go down if I can continue to handle the food intake.  However, my eGFR and Creatinine numbers have not gone as well. 

 

Jun:  I had an ultrasound on the 10th and found that I had bladder stones.  There were no stones in my kidney, nor were there any signs of cancerous growths or injuries.  I had outpatient surgery in April 2009 to remove bladder stones previously.  I was relieved to find some good news on the kidney.

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​Jun:  We hosted a graduation and birthday party for Makayla on the 14th.  She turned 18 on the 27th.

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Jun:  Makayla has dinner with her dad Matt at Texas Roadhouse and loves it.  Afterwards, she asks to meet with the manager and gets an interview and job offer on the spot.  She quits the Dairy Queen job and begins working as a Hostess.

 

Jun:  My first meeting with a kidney doctor (Nephrologist) to determine my status after two months of diet and exercise happened on the 20th.  It was amazing to have my first real kidney doctor since the transplant in 1976, but unfortunate to be needing to see her.  The Cle Clinic team is incredible!

 

Jun:  It was decided that we monitor my blood and urine thru lab tests for the next four months as I have really made changes in my diet and eating habits.  I have continued to walk at least 2 5k's per day between volunteer jobs, neighborhood and park trails, and, as much golf as I can squeeze in.  There is no immediate danger with the bladder stones as none were found to be very large.  I did expel a few small stones. 

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Jul:  Kathy takes Matt, Tony & Makayla on a cruise from Jacksonville, FL to the Bahamas.  Summer vacation and also a graduation gift.  I am not into cruising myself, so I decided to stay home and golf.

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Jul:  The 5th was our 34th wedding anniversary and for the first time ever, we spent it apart.  I enjoyed the neighborhood fireworks in our honor the night before.

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Jul:  My brother Ted and I played golf in the West Tech Ryder Cup outing on the 11th.  It was our 4th time and the opponents were the team that beat us 3-0 in our first match in 2021.  We surprised them by winning 2-1 with both of us doing well in the scramble and alternate shot segments.  Our West Tech team however, lost to the World Team again.

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Jul:  Late month bloodwork for kidney function not showing any improvement as yet.

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Aug:  On the 7th & 8th, Kathy and I traveled to Indianapolis to see the Drum Core Internationals' (DCI) Championships at Lucas Oil Stadium.  Kathy's brother Rob played with the Santa Clara Vanguard in the 1980's and has been involved in consulting, instructing and developing DCI programs even since.  Rob spent several years leading the brass section for the Canton Bluecoats, and we became fans of them.

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  We were advised to go up to Military Park just a few blocks from the venue to see the drum core teams warming up on Friday night prior to their less than 15-minute semi-final performance.  For a few hours we hung around the park and saw all 12 teams close up and personal, as they fine-tuned each caption.

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  It was such an incredible sound experience that we went again on Saturday to Military Park and then over to Lucas Oil to see the finals.  Sadly, the Bluecoats did not win this year.  Maybe in 2026!!

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Aug:  Kathy turned 65 on the 14th.  Fourteen of us met at The Old School Pizza in Avon Lake to celebrate.

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Aug:  Michelle and Erin participate on separate sailing teams out on Lake Erie on Tuesday evenings.  Kathy and I are able to get down to Edgewater Park in the Cleveland Metro Park system to observe a few times.

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Aug:  Kathy begins taking music classes at Lorain Community College to grow and experience something she decided not to go for in her younger days.  I enjoy being her roadie on bad weather days, and even more so for live performances around the area.

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Aug:  Late month bloodwork for kidney function shows some minor improvements as creatinine falls below 2.0 and eGFR raises slightly from 33 to 35%.  I'm still in stage 3 of Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD).  At least I am hovering above the line for any treatments other than diet and exercise.

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  Average eGFR for a healthy person with 2 healthy kidneys is above 90%.  Most people are over 80%.  For a person with 1 healthy kidney, it is typical to be around 60%.  Prior to April of this year, I was at 58% for several years.  This reading on my metabolic panel is what sounded the alarm in April of this year.

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  Average creatinine value should be below 1.22 for an adult my age.  I was at 1.32 in April of 2024.  I maxed out at 2.09 in July and have dropped to 1.97 this month.  eGFR is calculated and the formula includes the creatinine value.  As it goes up, eGFR goes down, and vice versa.

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Sep:  We decided to have a new shed built in our backyard.  Five years back we did some patchwork on the shed we installed in 2006, shortly after moving in.  The yard slants toward the back and we had to put in some drains to keep water from flooding the base.  Unfortunately, it ended sinking too much to repair.

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Sep:  Max and Joel participated in football for the Avon Middle School.  I was able to do road trips to games around the area and take 5k hikes to the local field for home games.

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Oct:  I turned 73 on the 3rd.  I have maintained my weight around 195 lbs (88.5kg) since April of this year, after weighing in at 225 at the start of 2025.  Key diet changes are pineapple and strawberries along with 100% whole wheat toast 3 to 4 times a week..  Eggs with spinach and chives along with bacon.  Every few weeks some French toast with locally harvested maple syrup.  Another daily staple is a cup of Japanese Matcha Green Tea that includes Ginger, Turmeric and Black Pepper.  I add local honey with lemon and then Ceylon cinnamon.  I find this combination to help open my airways and improve my immune system.

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  A few big changes were eliminating sugar after 10pm, changing from milk chocolate to highly concentrated dark chocolates when I want some candy, and, limiting potatoes and pastas to a very minimum.  I enjoy chicken, steaks, burger and lots of salad too. 

 

  I definitely eat less each meal, and I do 16 to 20 hour fasts a couple days each week.  Either from midnight to 4pm or 8pm to 4pm depending on how I feel.  

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Oct:  Kathy was asked to join the LCCC Concert Band in an outdoor performance at a local church picnic on the 11th.  It was a gorgeous fall day and the crowd really enjoyed hearing the band play.

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Oct:  On the 12th, it was 49 years since the transplant.  I'm hoping I never need one myself.

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Oct:  Blood testing on the 14th showed slight improvement again as eGFR rose to 37% and creatinine went down to 1.87.  There were some anomalies in my blood count values but nothing too serious there.

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Oct:  Volunteer work at the golf course ended before Halloween.  I pick up the pace on Cleveland Metropark volunteering to meet my goal of averaging over two hours per week all year.  More on the months before and after the golfing season, as I get 8 hours a week there from May thru September most years.

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Nov:  Kathy performs with the LCCC Chorale in a Veterans Day featured concert.  Her brothers come up from Tennessee to attend.  Mike is a Marine veteran, and Michelle is an Army veteran.

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Nov:  Now that we have seen improvement in the kidney functions and stable blood work overall, I am able to move ahead with the procedure to run a scope into the bladder and assess the stone situation.

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Nov:  Michelle and her girlfriend Erin hosted Thanksgiving dinner at their Lakewood home this year.

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Nov:  On the 28th, I had an outpatient procedure called Cystoscopy that identified several stones trapped in an area of my bladder that was overlapped by an enlarged prostate.  My prostate was sized at 64 grams.  Normal for my age group is 35-45 grams.  Overall, I am in the moderate range with 80+ grams too large.

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  Medical recommendation is to remove the bladder stones as soon as possible and consider several options to deal with the enlarged prostate.  Flomax is advised and I rejected based on my experience with the drug in 2009.  Another option is to install a "urolift" to protect the bladder from the prostate.  Next options are to scrape some or all of the prostate to ease the pressure on the urethra during voiding.

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  I agreed to have the stones removed only.  None of others I am willing to consider at this time.  I am investigating the ingredients of the various supplements that advertise prostate health, to find nutrients that can be found in natural foods instead.

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  For instance, lycopene can be found in tomatoes and even better in dried tomato flakes.  It's one of the top nutrients for prostate health.  Easy to add flakes to salads, omelet's, scrambles and sauces.  I switched to Ceylon cinnamon in my tea, on my toast and pineapples too.  It's great for glucose management.  I've also found that using syrups and honeys that are grown within 50 miles of your home, have the best value to synch up with your metabolism where you live.  I'm going for the healthy attempt before surgery or medications for a long as I possibly can.

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Dec:  I have been following the Avon High School sports programs and mostly football since my daughter entered the middle school in 2006.  Last year they won their first ever state championship.  This year they repeated and were able to defeat several top state programs on their way to a D2 state title.  Go Eagles!!

 

Dec:  Kathy participates in the LCCC Concert Band performance featuring holiday tunes.

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Dec:  For Christmas this year, we hosted our annual fondue on the day.  Our local family members were joined by our friends and guest from Sydney Australia.  Therese, Jamie, Audrey & Greta traveled to the US for a grand tour and included the holidays with us.  Kathy even joined them on the 27th for a journey thru Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana.  Kathy fly's back in January from New Orleans and the Aussie's plan to travel to Houston, San Antonio, on to California and even a flight to Montana, before heading back home at the end of January.

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Dec:  We take our Aussie friends to a driving tour along Lake Road on the west side of Cleveland and down to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  We enjoy a fun day and for Audrey we learn, this is the adventure she was looking forward to the most as she is very much into the music and performers.

 

Dec:  In an ironic twist, Kathy and I are not together for the first time on New Years Eve since before we met in 1988.  Oddly enough, I had a toothache issue and found out I needed a root canal on the 29th.  Lucky for me I wasn't out on a road trip in the winter for this.

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​​​2026 Highlights

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Jan:  While our Australian friends were in Ohio, they barely saw a few snowflakes.  On the first day of January this year, we woke up to several inches of fresh snow.  I plowed the walk and driveway and then sent them a photo of the snow pile they missed.

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2026 updates are in progress and not published  yet.

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Always:  Keep exercising, walking, hiking & eating well.  Volunteering with the Cleveland Metroparks, Meadowood Golf Course & National Kidney Foundation fund raisers.  Enjoying my grandchildren to the fullest with fun experiences and shuttle rides to their events and practices.

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Until we meet again ... I wish everyone peace, love and happiness for all times!!