# hitchhiking trip as a cancer patient



## Tad (Jan 19, 2010)

So I'm new to this board and I asked my brother what I'm supposed to do and he said I should post a story. I'm not that good a writing about things this long after it happened, but I'll do my best.. I'll talk about my first long hitchhiking trip (summer 2008, Palm Springs, CA to Portland, OR) as a cancer patient, but first some back information: In January of 2008 I was diagnosed with Hodgkins lymphoma (a type of cancer) and in March started getting chemo every two weeks. By the summertime I was ready to take a vacation. I was used to the chemo pattern by then..the first few days after a session were especially rough, each day I felt a little better. After a week I felt _decent_ and by the second week (just before going in for another round) I felt more or less normal..then I'd have chemo again and feel like shit.
I went on a few short trips with my brother in May--timing them so the chemo effects were starting to wear off when I left, and getting back in time. I lived in the Palm Springs area, and so we'd go out to OC/LA for shows or to visit friends for couple days.
My brother and I decided to go to Portland, but in order to get there and make it back in time we would need to leave the day after treatment. The morning we left it already around 100 degrees when we began hitchhiking. A few minutes of walking and I was already feeling dizzy, so I sat down on a log. I was wondering if I had made a mistake going on a trip like this in my "condition" and I could tell my brother was thinking the same thing but didn't want to say it..but I was motivated to go on a vacation and get out of the desert and actually enjoy summer. Luckily we were picked up rather quickly (by a cool guy who bought us lunch and we went shopping) to OC. We took local buses to Thousand Oaks to get out of the sprawl of Los Angeles. We were at this on-ramp, and a cop on a motorcycle said, "Get off the freeway. Do it now." in total Matrix style. So we decided to walk to to the next exit on side roads. Unfortunately the one we took dead-ended, so we had to walk on the freeway, on the wrong side. Of course a cop pulled over very shortly after that. He was nice, and drove us to the next exit. But he acted like he didn't know we were hitchhiking to Portland, and thought we were walking all the way there. "I don't know how you'll make it to Portland from here, there's only freeways."







The next day we walked along PCH for hours..we walked along the tracks and saw a UP truck with workers..they gave us some UP water bottles (my favorite bottled water) .Then we got a ride to Santa Barbara. The next guy that picked us up was this creepy older guy that wanted us to get a motel room with him and like jerk him off or something. "I like to travel around and party. Know what I mean?..Do you like to drink?...Not even beer?...I'm thinking of calling it a day [4pm] and getting a room with a VCR...Well if you liked to drink I'd invite you back with me." Um, no thanks. He dropped us in Goleta and we were on our way.

The next ride was from an Indian truck driver. Before we got in he prayed to see if we were good people, and his guru said we were, so he let us in. We had to take our shoes off and he put sand all around the cab of the truck. Max got in and I started to but he said "No no, only one of you". But was kidding. Then I closed the door, and he leaned over, opened the door, put his hand on my shoulder and said "Now you run, and I drive away". And it was all movie like, and I totally thought he was going to push me out and kidnap Max. But then after that I realized he was just a funny guy with a cool sense of humor.

The general public already give travelers weird looks..but it's an even weirder look when they see a guy with no hair on his body and can tell I'm sick. They give a look like they're horrified but concerned at the same time. It was weird passing cute girls and giving them a look but then realizing..not only are my clothes and skin dirty, but I'm bald too..







We made it to Portland in less than about a week. After spending the 4th of July there it was time to head back. My brother was continuing on, so I made the trip back alone. I decided to head to San Francisco to visit a friend, and take the Greyhound back so that I could stay in SF longer. It only took two days to get there, and I had a great walk through the Redwood Forest (which was the worst place to get dropped off and I knew it, but it was the best they could do).

Well that's it. Sorry if it's not too exciting, I mainly just wanted to post a story and this seemed like an alright one. Oh, and I finished chemo in August of '08 and have been in remission ever since. I've been on a handful of other hitchhiking/trainhopping trips since then. (I'd travel all the time but I'm going to school part-time right now, and I run a diy record label)

:mummy:


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## Deleted member 20 (Jan 19, 2010)

I dont know! I would be carefull as far as infection,diet, & medications. I would want to be near my clinic if a fever arises, to get my (cbcs)blood work done & to see if I needed blood products & or was neutropenic. Be carefull out there & unsure of your prognosis but it scares me knowing that you are putting yourself at unneeded risk. 

Glad to hear you are in remision, I was gonna mention that there will be plenty of time to hop/hitch after cancer. Stay strong man!


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## bote (Jan 19, 2010)

nice story, not boring at all, good descriptions not overwrought. You are very courageous.


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## Jimmy James (Jan 19, 2010)

Life and even simple things take on a whole different meaning when you have a 'terminal' (doesn't' always turn out that way) illness... 

I know; my original prognosis for my auto-immune disease was originally 5 years; now it has changed to "indefinite". I myself became more appreciative of the gift we have (life) and now live each day for the day it is and appreciate it much more than before I got sick.

Going through this kind of shit will really change your view of things.


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## Tad (Jan 19, 2010)

yeah, it's hard for me to complain about anything now. just prior to starting treatment I had lumps on my chest/neck constricting airflow, so I could hardly breath. I was always coughing and it got so bad I threw up a few times solely from coughing the food in my stomach slowly up. then even after getting two biopsies done and getting the diagnosis, because of fucking bureaucratic insurance bullshit I was stage 3b before starting treatment and most likely would have died within a few months had I not started chemo when I did.

so just being alive is good enough for me. fuck people who complain about money/jobs (well fuck 'em anyway, if you don't like your situation do something about it) if you're healthy you should be happy.


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## Deleted member 20 (Jan 20, 2010)

Right on man.


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## MoKarnagexvx (Jan 20, 2010)

fuck yea, sounds like you are making the best of life. and that one ride sounded funn


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## wartomods (Jan 22, 2010)

just promise to yourself after the cancer you become a full time traveller.


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## NickCofphee (Jan 24, 2010)

Hellllll yeeeeah! That trip was fun. I don't think I'd of been able to have done it in your condition then. You're a trooper there, brutha.


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## socialjustice911 (Jan 24, 2010)

wow that is some damn inspartation dude glad your doing well!! if i get laid off soon im going on some short trips myself just to get back in the fealing!!


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## Tad (Jan 26, 2010)

yeah short trips with one destination in mind are cool. I've still yet to go on a _long_ trip though..one month is the longest I've traveled. this summer I plan to travel for all of it


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