Welcome to Headed Into Overtime for all you new HOTties! 

Welcome back to all you faithful followers.

About a week ago, I went on a Headed Into Overtime invite blitz on Facebook.

I’m often hesitant to “invite” friends to “like” my page since it seems, like, pushy or something?

But then I realized that I’d made a lot of new Facebook friends recently who may have only heard whispered rumors of what Jamey, Cael and I had/have been through.

And I thought, maybe–just maybe, there are people I know who are currently going through some of the things we went through: a recent cancer diagnosis, struggling with a terminally ill spouse, dealing with a parent with Alzheimer’s, grappling with the concept of hospice, and the beat goes on.

So I shoved all my feelings of awkwardness and shreds of hesitancy to the side and said, “Screw it!” I’m clicking “Invite”!

And I guess it worked, cuz here you are.

Many of you read the last post I made. And most of you stopped there. 

So I thought I’d introduce(to the uninitiated) why Headed Into Overtime exists if you haven’t been with us from the start.

Here’s where it all began; stay tuned to see where we go…..

 

 

At his time of his passing, Jamey was a 47 year old occasionally normal human being, husband to Kim, father to Caeley and former full-time soccer fiend.

Jamey was diagnosed with an Anaplastic Astrocytoma III(brain tumor) on March 14, 2008.

Over the years, he’d been through the following(deep inhale…..)

1. 3 awake brain surgeries(ok, technically craniotomies),
2.  A chemotherapy called Temodar ,
3. Radiation
4. Gamma-Knife Surgery
5. Antibiotic-resistant meningitis which caused hydrocephalus and a 3 month hospital stay with complete immobility
6. Some other type of radiation I don’t think he ever should’ve had,
7. An angiogenesis inhibitor called Avastin,
8. An experimental drug as part of a clinical trial and
9. He also took a Tylenol on November 2, 2012.

For the first four years of his treatment, he was able to not only function but excel at life.

He worked full-time, played soccer religiously, worked out regularly(to stay in shape for soccer), and was an all-around awesome, loving and devoted father and husband.

He loved spending time at home fixing up our 150+-year-old farmhouse.

He was always challenging himself to learn something new–even after he was diagnosed with his tumor– from painting to playing guitar to taking up karate.

In February, 2012, all of this began to change.

His cognitive ability declined greatly as did his memory. His personality also vastly changed.

The man who was often referred to as “Superman” had finally begun to show signs of the years of damage done to his body and brain.

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This page began in January, 2015 as a way to chronicle the journey we all took as Jamey played his final days on the soccer pitch, competing against the only rival that ever bested him–that dreaded tumor.

Sadly, Jamey hung up his boots for good on April 19. 2015.  

But Headed Into Overtime continues to keep our head in the game.

We’ve amassed teammates(called HOTties) from all over the globe–from New Zealand to Macedonia to India in addition to all of our dedicated family and friends from right here in the USA.

Over the years, the blog has evolved from its original purpose:

We’ve tried to entertain you, even when discussing such morbid topics as dying, death and grieving. We’ve shared intimate glimpses of what life was like for Cael, me and Jamey–and continues to be like for Cael and me–when dealing with these tender, grim and delicate issues.

We’ve tried, to an extent, to educate and inform on the ins and outs of the often-taboo term of hospice, end-of-life issues and grief.

I think the most important function of this blog, however, was one that I never anticipated: and that was the engagement and encouragement we’ve received from all of you: some close friends and families; others faceless strangers.

And that’s what keeps us going: you, HOTties.

Without a tragic life story, this site never would’ve started; without your support and love, this site would no longer exist. (No pressure!)

Entertain. Educate. Engage and Encourage.

Jamey(Juke)Cranstoun 11-12-1967—-April 19, 2015