Life Lesson from Pete

One thing I had been looking forward to when I came to Panama was catching up on some reading. I was given 4 or 5 really good books for Christmas and hadn't been able to start any of them. So coming here with some downtime and Spanish speaking TV, I knew I would get some good reading in.

On Monday I began Pistol, the story of Pistol Pete, and finished it on Friday. Growing up in the 1970's you had to be a Pistol Pete fan. He truly was ahead of his time, and I'm still amazed at his stats. Let these sink in - in college at LSU:

Soph year - 43.8 pt avg

Junior year - 44.2 pt avg

Senior year - 44.5 pt avg

And all of that was done without a 3 pt shot - if they would have had the 3 pt line, he would have probably averaged over 50 points a game for 3 seasons!

But his scoring isn't even the part that mesmerized you - he was simply amazing with the ball - dribbling and passing. Those no-look passes behind his back and between his legs were incredible. I remember watching him on TV and just waiting for one of those passes.

He scored 69 points in one game while in college and 68 points in one game as a pro. He was Elvis-like to the fans, and arenas were filled when he was in town. Even with all of this success and fame, he reveals in his book that he was still an unfulfilled person - he was always under pressure to perform and felt like he had to score 50 or 60 points every night - never felt satisfied because he had to do it again and again. As great as he was at basketball, he finally realized basketball couldn't give his life fulfillment or meaning.

After retiring after only 10 years in the NBA, he was depressed and still searching. He had tried many things, especially booze, to give him a reason for living, but it wasn't until he found Jesus that he finally found joy and peace. Thankfully his last few years he was a devout Christian and a great father and a wonderful husband - those roles gave him more peace and fulfillment than he ever received from basketball - that's true for a guy who averaged 44 points a game! (Pete died at the young age of 40 while playing a friendly game of basketball with Dr. James Dobson of Focus on the Family - how ironic but how fitting.)

It's hard to realize that truth about what gives us fulfillment when we are in the middle of the adrenaline rush or in the midst of the rat race, which we all find ourselves in at times. Pete was probably bigger in his game than most of us are in ours, and this God-breathed message was true for him, so it is probably true for us - think on that!

Men, in honor of Pistol Pete, tomorrow put on a pair of droopy socks and some tight shorts and then go hug your wife and kids and tell them all that you love them! (You can try the dribble between your legs later.)

USA / PANAMA - very Similar yet very Different!

We had only PT today, so it was a good day to finally get out. We haven't been out much other than to the grocery store and the clinic. We called Luis, our taxi driver friend from last year who speaks English and who is very knowledgeable about Panama. We wanted him to take us to Old Panama - that's a different area than Casco Viejo (which means "old city"). This Old Panama is where the city was before Henry Morgan, the English pirate, came in and burned everything in 1671 - the ruins are still there along with a market where you can buy hand-crafted Panamanian items made by the Kuna indians.

While we were driving through the city going to the area, there were so many things that were just like the USA - $3 gas, Tanning Salons, those squiggly air-up figures trying to get your attention, ads on the streets using flashy women also trying to get your attention, 24 hour Supermarkets, and big, fancy malls.

Yet right along side those familiar sights were things indigenous to Panama - Red Devil buses fumigating while delivering, street-side fruit stands feeding passers-by and insects alike, motorcycles zipping up between cars where there was absolutely no room, 20-inch iguanas using the same sidewalk as you at the market, and Jack & Jean getting their picture made along side San Jose, the patron saint of the handcrafts (Jack will be carving trinkets and Jean stitching purses before they return home!)

You can pick out the pictures below that go with this story. Enjoy!

Pictures - match with story above

WARNING - Not for Everyone!

You may not want to watch this video or let your children watch it - lock up the men and children. I'm not trying to startle any one, but so many of you have asked me, "What are the treatments like? What do they do to you?"

Well, I thought I would show you a video of exactly what they do. If you don't like shots or needles, then just don't watch it.

There are 5 steps each time:

Clean

Cover (that's the yellow film)

Deaden (local anesthesia)

Insert the longer needle

Inject the stem cells (You hear her ask me about accepting the cells - they have to get your permission each time. Not likely you would change your mind at that stage of the game!)

I really like my little doctor, Dr. Herrero, who gives me these injections. Listen to her cute Spanish accent when she says, " Take a deep breath - Local anesthesia."

This is all there is to it - when this is over, you go home and lie flat for 3 - 4 hours.

Today I got the Trifecta - Injection in the back, IV in the arm, and booster shot in the leg. So I should sleep well tonight.

Hasta manana!

Trial Run on Video Download

I've been wondering about sending you guys some video - I know that sounds easy but trust me, it's not - too many parameters to follow. But this is my latest trial run and I believe it's working. This is the view outside our apartment from our balcony. You can see all the new buildings (including Donald's) and the Pacific Ocean and that little island with the house on it.

Now that I know how to send video, I will give you some more later.

Currency, Cars, and Cantaloupes

It's been a slow day so I picked out these 3 things in Panama to report on.

The Economy here in Panama is not feeling any downturn - it's rockin' and rolling. They are still building everywhere in the city, and every new building is taller than the existing ones. (As you can see from these pictures) People are working and every building seems like it is full so they just build more. And believe me they go to their malls as much as Texans do. The people are working and spending down here.

And of course that means they are driving as well. Even though I did remember how crazy the traffic and driving was, it's simply not believable until you see it! I am amazed every day when we get out. It would be like driving in Dallas with no rules. You can turn right or left from any lane any time, no stop signs or signals at intersections, simply beep your horn to let people know you are entering the street or their space, only thing you really stop for are people walking across any street at any time. Driving is basically a game of chicken testing who will really take a spot or right of way. And remember you're doing this in Dallas, not just Small-Town USA. What is truly incredible is that it actually works! In Dallas there would be so many wrecks and lawsuits that we would all have to be insurance agents and lawyers.

Lastly I want to report on the fruit. Not sure if they grow much fruit down here, but they have plenty of it at supermarkets and street-side vendors. Here's my report card on it:

Apples - A-

Grapes - B-

Plums - F (may be a bad batch or poor time of year but they are BAD)

Nectarines - D

Pineapples - A

Oranges - A+ (these delicious oranges have a USA sticker on them)

Cantaloupes - A

So I guess your takeaway from today is: If you come to Panama you can get a job, find plenty of good fruit, and be in great shape from walking instead of driving (or remember Rule #2 if taking a taxi).

Injection #2 tomorrow - more fresh, active stem cells.

Stem Cell Primer - NBA Style

Thought I might give you a layman's (coach's) view of stem cells. This info may not be medically accurate, but it might give you a little better insight into what we are trying to do down here.

All of us have millions of stem cells in our body working every day. That God-given process is how you grow new skin after a cut or heal up from a sprain or bruise. These stem cells work in your body to heal us and keep us healthy. Everyone has a different amount and a different strength of stem cells. Some are just born with a larger, more active "bank account" of these healing cells - that's why some can live an unhealthy lifestyle and yet stay healthy and live for many years. For example, George Burns worked and played right up to his death at age 100 while living a somewhat unhealthy lifestyle - most of us would not live to 100 living like George. He definitely had a large, active supply of stem cells.

As we age our stem cell count and effectiveness decreases (unless you are one of those with a big "bank account"), so as a result of that decrease, we don't fight off diseases and illnesses like we once did. So you may be thinking, "Why would you get some of your own stem cells injected back into your body?" (As I did after they did lipo on me and harvested my own stem cells from my fat tissue.) That's a good question.

Your stem cells that have been "tied up" in your fat tissue haven't been "working" through out your body. They have been "resting" and staying potent in your fat tissue, so when they are extracted, they are "rested" with "good legs" and ready to enter "the game" - kind of like reserves coming off the bench, but these guys aren't "bench-warmers", they are as good as the starters! It's like the original Dream Team at the '92 Olympics - when Bird, Jordan, Magic and Ewing got tired, Barkley, Robinson, Drexler, and Stockton would come in. So these stem cells coming in from my fat tissue are like Barkely & Stockton coming in the game! Not bad.

The doctors are also injecting me with donated, cord blood stem cells because those cells are really young and active. In our NBA analogy, it would be like getting new faces on the team. As good as Bird and Magic were, they couldn't win the Gold medal still today, so putting LeBron, Kobe, and D-Wade in the game is very effective.

So today I had my first spinal injection. These spinal injections are always stem cells from donated cord blood. So today I got literally millions of new cells injected into my spinal fluid to go to work through out my body trying to heal the damage that MS has done to me.

That is a coach's view of what the doctors here hope is happening with these stem cell treatments. So after my injection today, I had millions of little LeBron and Kobe healing cells enter my body - it's Showtime!