way to go!! leroy takes a giant step for mankind.

Sent by jean | 7:40 AM ET | 03-04-2008

You Go Leroy!!! Thank You for the constant inspiration! Have a great day!

Sent by Jill in Madison, WI | 7:52 AM ET | 03-04-2008

YES, YES, YES!!!!

Sent by Sue from Rochester | 7:53 AM ET | 03-04-2008

See Leroy, just how much you are learning about yourself that you never knew? We all know that you are a tough bird, but you are finding out now, HOW TOUGH! Oh boy, I bet that hurt not to mention how tired it left you. Guess those doctors there put your parts back together right, and they will be all working together once again IF you can only stay strong. God Bless you , you are terrific!

Sent by J C R | 7:56 AM ET | 03-04-2008

Good morning Leroy,

The gauntlet was thrown, you accepted, your surpassed! Good job. Yes, I am sure you were exhausted after that session. The shear energy to make your body do something without support, engaging your mind to make your body do what you doubted you could. Keep up that momentum.

Sent by Sue Chap | 8:04 AM ET | 03-04-2008

Yes,Yes,Yes!!!

Sent by Susan | 8:04 AM ET | 03-04-2008

THAT is a beautiful thing!

Sent by Cristina Gonzalez, Tampa, Florida | 8:21 AM ET | 03-04-2008

Leroy, yes that is a lot! And, I know you can do more as you go along and work to build up. Isn't it a good feeling to accomplish more than we thought we could. Gives us a reason to keep forgeing forward.

You and Laurie have a good day and know many are back here pushing for you.

Sent by dorothy in oregon | 8:21 AM ET | 03-04-2008

I know what you mean, Leroy. Today is the 27th anniversary from the day I began Army boot camp, and that's where I learned people can do a whole lot more than they think they can.

I am a fitness trainer today, and I'm always amazed at how pleasantly surprised people attending my classes are after I encourage and motivate them to go beyond their perceived limits. The whoops, shouts and claps tell me that we make greater people of ourselves by feeling our perceived restrictions, yet doing the thing anyway.

Sent by Leonard from Alabama | 8:23 AM ET | 03-04-2008

yes, yes, and yes... my hopes for your increased strength are with you today. Slow and steady!

Sent by Robin L. Fairfax VA | 8:24 AM ET | 03-04-2008

G-d bless you leroy - you do have a long way to go - and there will be pain - BUT YOU WILL COME OUT ON THE OTHER SIDE AND SEE HOW FAR YOU HAVE COME. YOU HAVE REASON - YOU LOVE LIFE - YOU LOVE LAURIE! AND WE ARE ALL OUT HERE ROOTING FOR YOU. LOVE, JAN

Sent by JANICE GOLDBERG WHITE | 8:25 AM ET | 03-04-2008

Never in doubt! :-))

You have long been a trail blazer.. keep on blazing new trail for many to follow

So often we shoot ourselves down before we even give it a try...

so I fully expect next time your answers will be....

DAMN STRAIGHT I CAN... and WILL! LOL

Sent by Ron Bye (NH) | 8:27 AM ET | 03-04-2008

Go Leroy! You can do it!

Sent by Jill | 8:40 AM ET | 03-04-2008

Your progress is a beautiful thing!! It may not seem like much but "from whence you came to where you are now, even the best rearview mirror cannot capture the image".

Your inner fire has been rekindled even though it may be burning low. It is there and will continue to provide the energy you need for each day's challenges.

You may measure your progress in feet you walked or minutes you stand unassisted but to us, they signal your return! And we are so grateful.

Prayers as always.

Sent by Al Cato | 8:41 AM ET | 03-04-2008

It's NIKE time...You CAN "just do it".

I have found my fear of hurting myself or causing myself pain can get in the way of physical activity. Good therapists and trainers really know their stuff and are great at helping us to expand our self imposed limits.

Keep at it and that walker will end up in a corner soon.

Peggy

Sent by Peggy | 8:51 AM ET | 03-04-2008

You get the "atta-boy!" award for today. Keep pushing.

Sent by Brit | 8:52 AM ET | 03-04-2008

Commitment to do our best is all that can be expected of us. Often we short change ourselves. We can do more than we feel we can. You certainly are proof of that Leroy.
Prayers, Blessings and May the Grace of God be with you.
Wanda Amorose

Sent by Wanda Amorose | 9:08 AM ET | 03-04-2008

What's that Eleanor Roosevelt line? Something like "You must do the thing you think you cannot do." Physical therapists are truly miracle workers - they help us all try, try, try - and succeed! Let's hear it for PT's...and for Leroy!

Sent by Wendy | 9:15 AM ET | 03-04-2008

Dear Leroy and Laurie,

Always pulling for you. You give us all hope. Keep pushing that envelope!

Sent by Connie | 9:16 AM ET | 03-04-2008

We only know what we can do when we try to do it. Keep trying. Linda

Sent by Linda | 9:28 AM ET | 03-04-2008

WOW!!! Continued prayers coming your way!

Sent by Laurie Hirth | 9:39 AM ET | 03-04-2008

YES !!!
YES!!!!!
YES!!!!!!!
FANTASTIC !!!!!!!
xox dee

Sent by dee | 9:40 AM ET | 03-04-2008

My heart goes out to you. There is a program called the holosync program- it does not claim it cures, but it brings alot of comfort- ( a CD of rainfall and tibetan bowls ringing)- you can get a free demo from the site holosyn.com

Sent by annmarie lepore | 9:40 AM ET | 03-04-2008

It's amazing what a really good physical therapist can do for you, isn't it? After a year of being mostly bedridden by a spinal tumor, surgery and many serious MM-related issues, my husband was very lucky to come across a PT like yours who pushed him to do all he possibly could. I pushed him into their office in a wheelchair and after much hard work, he was able to walk out using a cane two months later. They were slow, guarded steps and his stamina didn't last too long, but since we thought he'd never walk again it was glorious!

Keep pushing yourself, Leroy - you'll get there. And never, ever give up!

Sent by Dianne in Nevada | 9:45 AM ET | 03-04-2008

Dear Leroy
I am sooo happy for you!!!
you have made such great strides and it will only continue to make you stronger!
Helen

Sent by Helen McGurl Gesiotto | 9:47 AM ET | 03-04-2008

Combining slang from two generations: "Keep on trucking, dude!"

We can do more than we think we can -- patients and caregivers alike.

Sent by Deborah of Asheville, NC | 9:49 AM ET | 03-04-2008

Isn't it amazing how much we find we can do when all seems impossible? You are a great inspiration to us all, and our love and prayers are there to help strengthen you as you continue on this journey.

Sent by Kate | 9:52 AM ET | 03-04-2008

Hi Leroy,
What a sense of accomplishment and hope that must have brought you. To turn "No, no, no" into "Yes, yes, yes" is huge! Keep going, one step at a time, even if it's just a baby step sometimes.You are an inspiration for so many people.

Sent by Doris | 10:06 AM ET | 03-04-2008

I constantly admire of how tough and driven you are and how commited you are to sharing your journey. Today you've even amazed yourself! I am so happy for you and for everyone here. Every difficult step you take benefits so many. Thanks for being you and for working so hard to reach your goals Mr. Sievers!!!

Sent by Nichole in FL | 10:08 AM ET | 03-04-2008

"Yes, we (you) can!" just a little timely joke for March 4th. Hang tough, big guy.

Sent by glenda | 10:16 AM ET | 03-04-2008

Leroy

Bloodied, but unbowed. Good for you.

Blessings

Sent by Diana Kitch | 10:26 AM ET | 03-04-2008

Ahhh the human spirit, just when we think we just can't do it, we surprise ourselves and do it anyway. And you, Leroy are full of that spirit! Keep it up, best to you.

Sent by Jenene K/AZ | 10:45 AM ET | 03-04-2008

My experience in recovering from multiple surgeries is that my body is always capable of more than I believe, and less than I want. Most limits are self-imposed. The hard part is how long it takes to get back to where you were. Hang in there.

Sent by Hans Lipke | 10:50 AM ET | 03-04-2008

Congratulations on such a great day.
I remember being asked by a physio to reach the top of my head....no, and it was many months before I could.
I had exercises which read, "Starting with your arms at shoulder height..." - no.
Then came the day when I could reach across my body and just touch the bed I was lying on. There was great excitement in the house that day.
Wishing you many more great days.
JJ

Sent by JJ | 10:56 AM ET | 03-04-2008

Leroy, how wonderful! Think of it as having your own personal trainer! Those folks always tell us to increase weights/reps until our muscles fatigue. My (non-athletic) mom went through the same type of PT for similar surgery when she was 20 years older than you are now. That walker was gone in a flash! In her late 70s she has been walking 1-2 miles several days a week.

To Dianne in Nevada - you are one special wife. Your and your husband's story is inspiring to us all.

To Dianne in Nevada

Sent by Sheara | 10:57 AM ET | 03-04-2008

Ah Leroy you have a real winner of a PT there!

Last night I went to Politics & Prose to hear EJ Dionne talk about his new book, "Souled Out: Reclaiming Faith and politics after the religious right." He talked a lot about hope (from the P&P website):

Based on years of research and writing, "Souled Out" shows that the end of the Religious Right doesn't signal the decline of evangelical Christianity but rather its disentanglement from a political machine that sold it out to a narrow electoral agenda of such causes as opposition to gay marriage and abortion. With insightful portraits of leading contemporary religious figures from Rick Warren and Richard Cizik to John Paul II and Benedict XVI, Dionne shows that our great religions have always preached a broad message of hope for more just human arrangements and refused to be mere props for the powers that be.

I was going to say something about "hope" from what I have learned from your readers here, but I was pretty sure I would start to cry. One person did quote Emily Dickenson. It really is what keeps us all going.

Sent by Dianne (DC) | 11:08 AM ET | 03-04-2008

That's great Leroy. It's a long road. One step at a time. Congratulations!

Sent by Ed Steger | 11:14 AM ET | 03-04-2008

Yeah Leroy!

Sent by Liz L. | 11:58 AM ET | 03-04-2008

WAY TO GO! I'm so proud of you Leroy. I know that deep down inside all of us, we can always do or give more than we think we can. I think it's easier to say we can't because then if we fail, surely people will understand, won't they? Ha! You just keep showing us all you can do "MORE". See how little it takes to put a smile on your reader's faces? Yours too, I am sure. One minute, two minutes, three minutes, a half hour, an hour, ..... more more more! Hugs..

Sent by Linda | 11:59 AM ET | 03-04-2008

What a liberating awareness you've received - and gifted to the rest of us - about "no" being transformed into "oh my gosh, YES?!" It's truly a metaphor for so much in life ... Thank you for your on-going gifts to us; and CONGRATULATIONS to you on your remarkable doings (and being)!

With continued warmest and best wishes,
Kim Forester

Sent by Kim Forester | 12:03 PM ET | 03-04-2008

Leroy,

I wrote earlier and then went back to read Invictus once again. I was so reminded of you that I want to send the whole thing.

William Ernest Henley. 1849???1903

Invictus

OUT of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance 5
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.

Sent by Diana Kitch | 12:30 PM ET | 03-04-2008

Leroy, you are making great progress. Many of us here know how hard and slow recovery is from harsh treatments and surgery.

And didn't March come in like a lion :)

Sent by Dorothy - Los Angeles | 1:09 PM ET | 03-04-2008

Leroy, Isn't it all about perception?? If you think you can, usually you can. The "Little Train that could" and all that. I know you have not given in, but sometimes it all piles up on you, and you just wonder, where do I go from here. Well now you know. It still full of possibilities. It is a victory, savor it!! All the best, Stan

Sent by Stan Wozniak | 2:23 PM ET | 03-04-2008

I subscribe to the Sierra Club's online "Daily Ray Of Hope." When I read today's quote, I immediately thought of you, Leroy. It's attributed to Ruth Gordon:

"Courage is very important. Like a muscle, it is strengthened by use."

That describes you to a "T", Leroy.

Sent by Janice J. , Los Angeles | 3:08 PM ET | 03-04-2008

Yes, yes, yes! You are an inspiration Leroy. This is my first comment, as I just "met" you last week. I stumbled upon My Cancer while researching blogs before publishing my own. I was so touched by your early entries, that I crammed two years of your life into my weekend. When I'm asked on of the many cancer-related questions we all get, I'll be tempted to just forward one of your extraordinary entries, as all are so eloquently expressed. But I'm living my own life with cancer (Stage IV breast cancer metatisized to bones) and will attempt my own blog. I can only hope it reaches and touches a few people in the same way yours did for me.

p.s. Today is my 42nd birthday - it's good to still be celebrating!

Sent by Patte Lazarus | 3:33 PM ET | 03-04-2008

I am so glad to hear that you are home. I am also glad to not read more about the pain. I am assuming that it is gone. Hurray!

Sent by Diane | 3:42 PM ET | 03-04-2008

sigh
[smile]

Sent by Ellen in North Carolina | 5:12 PM ET | 03-04-2008

Isn't it fabulous to surprise yourself in such dazzling ways? A good therapist is a great ally, and I'm glad you've got Laurie and the PT in your camp, Leroy. Your update leaves me shimmering.

Sent by Sarah | 5:14 PM ET | 03-04-2008

Leroy, Way to GO!!!! Keep up the good work.
Patte, Happy Birthday. Where can we find your blog?

Sent by Jane from AR | 5:51 PM ET | 03-04-2008

Leroy, thank you again for sharing your eloquent log of your struggle. Laurie's contributions were pretty good during your tough period.
I received the one-year post operation Prostate Specific Antigen blood test last week and it was zero again. Four in a row.
I discovered a book "Going the Distance" written by Dr. George Sheehan in the early 1990's. It is his chronicle and philosophy of living with and dying from prostate cancer from 1986 to 1993. He was a well known road runner and writer during the 1960-1980's running boom. It is poignant and eloquent. He truly "went the distance".
Continue to fight and get better.
Regards, John McCrillis

Sent by John McCrillis | 6:46 PM ET | 03-04-2008

If anyone can go the distance it's you. You have shown time and time again your openness to a challenge. You can do it. Keep in mind we are all watching !

Sent by Nancy Oliveri | 7:05 PM ET | 03-04-2008

YES! Sometimes we are forced to do things, and amazed by what we are able to do. Hooray for you!
Best wishes,
Judith

Sent by Judith Newkirk | 9:32 PM ET | 03-04-2008

I have a friend who went through PT after a hip replacement. Her therapist came into her room for the first time and introduced himself, saying, "Hi, I'm your physical terrorist."

A little PT humor, there... but, accurate in some respects. No pain, no gain, with that sort of thing. Thank God for the gain, anyway!

Carl
"A Pastor's Cancer Diary"
http://www.cewilton.blogspot.com

Sent by Carl | 10:02 PM ET | 03-04-2008

Leory and Laurie:

Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, for all those times you try and try and try. we are still here for you. mattie,

Sent by Mattie Joyce Hervey | 11:39 PM ET | 03-04-2008

Go Leroy. I love how you keep at it even when you're thinking "no, no, no." We surprise ourselves when we try anyway. You bring a smile to my face and lift my spirit.

Sent by Jennifer in CA | 11:56 PM ET | 03-04-2008

It's hard and scary but just do it. We all know you can & yes of course we know we are not the ones standing there. But in a sense we are Leroy...we stand for you every single day and pray for you each evening & morning. We are all in this together...always remeber we are with you. Call on our strength when ever needed...heck we are probably just resting after our 4 steps!!

Sent by Cherie Brown, Tucson | 2:52 AM ET | 03-05-2008