O.K..........This has taken me almost 3-years and nearly 500 posts, but I am finally getting around to putting in an intro....
I have
REALLY enjoyed being a part of this Forum. I have learned more here than one could even imagine. The knowledge that exists is just overwhelming. I have bought things for my bike I didn't even know existed
. I also really enjoy the laughs I get when I come in here.........There's always something "going on"........
Well, about me........I had a few dirt bikes growing up (Suzuki's and Kawasaki's), but never had an interest in street bikes until the mid 1990's. I was married to the
worst person in the world (and you thought you were), who would not allow me to buy a bike. Well, that marriage came to an end in 1999 when she decided to "find herself", and started sleeping around........Needless to say, she eventually left (in her drug and alcohol induced state), and I was left with 3 kids to raise on my own. At the time, they were 7, 9, and 11 years old. We struggled for a few years but remained a
very tight Family. To this day my ex has never paid me one single penny in child support. I did go after her once, and she hid all her funds and claimed bankruptcy. See what I meant earlier by the "
worst". The kids and I had lots of hard times, but we managed to get by and were always there for each other (to this day, none of them will eat kraft dinner, hot dogs, or ravioli)
.
I met a absolute
wonderful woman in 2001, and we married shortly afterwards in Gatlinburg, Tennessee (what a beautiful State! - Can't wait to do the Tail of the Dragon
).
Well, the story doesn't quite stop there. After nearly 10-years of being "fixed", we decided to have a child together. I had a vasectomy reversal surgery performed
Man that still hurts, but it was successful. To celebrate, my wife went with me, and I got to choose
any Harley I wanted
. I bought a brand new 2003 Heritage Softail Classic - in vivid black, as I was always told that black is fastest. A few months later, we had a child on the way. On January 7, 2004, we had a beautiful blonde hair blue eyed little girl - Julia May. She was the epitomy of healthiness and we were truly blessed. Sadly, 7-months later, baby Julia was diagnosed with leukemia (accute lymphoblastic leukemia) - the absolute worst possible strand for her age. Her survival was deemed less than 5%, and she was taken to Pediatric Critical Care in London, Ontario. Still managing the other 3 kids, we were now in Children's Hospital attempting to have her Oncologist get her in remmission. She "left us" on a few occassions, and on the 3rd and final protocol, remmission was finally achieved - a milestone. Next we were flown to Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children for a bone marrow transplant. We were fortunate that the Medical field was able to find an unrelated bone marrow donor - with a 9/10 match (We have since become very close friends with him and his Family). Julia underwent full body radiation, which is extremely rare for an infant, and a special bed was made for her to administer the radiation. We spent the next 4 months at the Ronald MacDonald House in Toronto, while we watched baby Julia loose her strength, and fight for her life. She was a survivor. We watched as other Families would go home, after loosing their child - always feeling guilty that Julia was still with us. Baby Julia was only the 2nd child who survived in North America that year with A.L.L. leukemia. Her age and strand of leukemia was that rare. She has been the main topic of discussion at many Childhood Oncology Conferences - as far away as the Netherlands. We are blessed to this day that she remains with us. She will be 5-years old this January. She continues to see her Oncologist on a monthly basis - for maintenance and observation.
Needless to say, during our fight for Julia's life, I was forced to sell the Harley - no big deal at all - being placed in a position like that, you certainly discover your priorites -
real fast. When the ordeal was nearly finished, my wonderful wife again insisted I buy a bike - she saw the pleasure I had while owning the previous one. I purchased a 2005 Road King Classic - proudly named the Julia May. This Spring I was very touched, as I was contacted by a motorcycle organization who had heard of Julia's struggle. A three page article, along with full pictures, ran in their local magazine.
My other 3 kids are quite a bit older now. My oldest, he just turned 20 and is doing fine. My two other girls are now 18 and 16. The 18 year old is
very close with Julia, and is now taking a 3-year College program for Medical Labratory Sciences (go figure
). My 16 year old still has trouble coping with Julia's illness, and has elected to move in with her Mother (she will be moving this Friday). And yes, her Mother has advised me she will be "serving me" for child support. Funny how I can raise the three children for almost 10-years without receiving a single penny, but a soon as one decides to go live with her, I am automatically "served". That's O.K. though, I have found
my priorities in life - money not really being one of them. Family, friends and motorcycling is what it's all about. Most times they are all one in the same.........
Thanks for taking the time to read my Intro.........*Sorry* for the long rant, but it sure felt good typing it out.........
Ride safe all, and thanks for letting me be a part of your Forum.....
harleymike77
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