A time to sell & a time to buy

[Tokoloshe Safaris]

As some of the AH hunting members have known I have been dealing with cancer for a long time and in intense pain for the last year. This week I have sold not only my pre war Rigby .416 DG rifle one of 189 and trust me there is a difference between the original and the ones being made today. To pay for my last operation which takes place tomorrow I had to sell that Rigby another pre war Rigby in.404J. Also sold was my dearly loved Jefferies 404J. What a handy little rifle.

During the years that I have been a sponsor I have enjoyed reading the many posts. Unfortunately a few have just have painful. PF versus CRF. .45-70 for buffalo, embargo on Zimbabwe. How many times can these subjects be beat to death.

As to our continued business operation. Thanks to my wonderful wife she will continue running the business as she has this last year. I am always amazed at her abilities. From a farm girl, to a safari paper shuffler to learner PH to PH. When she is in charge of a camp, a hunt, a broken down vehicle she can do it all. If you wonder why she does not post on the form as a co owner only one owner is allowed to post on the forum. We were told if she claimed to be the agent for the company she would be allowed to post. We do not misrepresent anything. She also read where one member refers to her as a “trophy wife” her reply “axx hxxle”.

Tomorrow will determine what my short term future is, I know what long term will bring. Oh and yes many of my posts have been written while under the influence of prescription drugs, it beats howling like a car hit dog.

I hope my Rigby’s find a good home along side of my Rigby rising bite that I had to sell to pay for my first C op.

Cheers, Lon

 

[Mark Biggerstaff]

Lon, sorry to hear about all of this. I new you were having health issues. Prayers for your recovery and all comes along well and you get back into to bush doing what you love to do.

 

[USN]

Blessings and prayers!

 

[62flint]

I may not know you personally, but my heart and prayers go out to you.

 

[kdenn]

May God bring comfort and peace.

 

[JES Adventures]

Keeping you in my prayers Lon for a speedy recovery.

 

[shotgungibbs]

Prayers from me too! And we're ALL with you through thoughts & prayers, during your fight! Your wife sounds like one of the best!

 

[SETH RINGER]

MANY PRAYERS FOR GOOD NEWS ON YOUR RECOVERY.

 

[Whit]

Prayers for you and your family, Lon

 

[spike.t]

Good luck

 

[russ473]

Good luck Lon and keep fighting and stay positive allot of us are fighting the same fight..........

 

[BRICKBURN]

I hope that the surgeon realizes the incredible sacrifice you have made to foot their bill and that they match the effort in investment in your future.
Sincere good luck with the surgery. .

ps I feel the pain about the threads to.

 

[jpr9954]

To paraphrase Thomas Hobbes, cancer is nasty and brutish. Prayers to you and your wife that you keep fighting the good fight and beat it.

 

[Wyatt Smith]

I’ll be praying for you.

 

[Tokoloshe Safaris]

I will keep the fight going I want ti see a few more take their first buffalo and rare breed take elephant.

Lon

 

[Just Gina]

@Tokoloshe Safaris
Lon, we will be praying for you and your family and will pray for the surgeons performing your surgery!

 

[alby]

Thoughts with you Lon! All the best for your upcoming surgery!

 

[Ontario Hunter]

So your wife is handy AND good looking too? You are blessed indeed. Please feel free to pass that along. I'm sure she's felt equally blessed.

Hang in there, Lon. Ten years ago I let the dogs out for their morning constitutional. The older Lab Black Pearl stumbled in the yard and then fell over. She completely lost her balance. I rushed her eight hours to Minneapolis and an MRI at the university hospital showed glioma brain cancer. Fortunately, she was not yet in any pain. Take her home and wait for the inevitable. Due to vertigo she did not want to be on anything soft so I rolled out sleeping bag and slept with her on the floor. The two dog beds were stacked under the window and my other Lab slept on them. The second night home at three in the morning Pearl stirred. Then I heard her scratching at the dog beds. "You want your bed?" So I pulled it out and she laid down. Hmm. In the morning the three dogs know they have to wait for me to wake before I'll feed them. So that morning I was aware dogs were standing over me, noses sniffing a few inches away. I opened my eyes and all three, even Pearl, were standing over me. "Pearl, are you ready to eat?" And she scampers through the kitchen door just fine on all four legs. What? Her head was cocked slightly till about one in the afternoon. Then perfectly normal. I called the neurologist two days later. "Oh, it's just the steroids have reduced the swelling. Only temporary." Over the next three weeks the dosage was decreased and then stopped. I called him again. This dog seems fine. "You know she's going to die." Well, someone needs to tell her. She's in the back yard playing with the Fr Brittany tugging on a toy. He figured we may as well give her a chance to live longer and started her on canine chemo. That was June. In October I drove down for another MRI before heading to Montana for our annual pheasant hunting. The neurologist didn't believe it was the same dog! Tests showed the huge tumor was almost gone. Just a few little spots left. She lived two more years before succumbing to progressive kidney disease. To this day Pearl is the only dog they have seen at U of M that recovered 100% from glioma cancer. In fact they are now using her DNA for important cancer research.

Fast forward to last year when the Fr Britt "Puppy" became deathly ill right after New Year. Rushed her to Minneapolis in the worst blizzard of this century. Surgeon removed a cancer tumor next to her liver the size of a softball ... and she's only thirty-five pound dog! The "long term" prognosis was not good but she was already eleven so not likely to be much long term in any event. But Puppy deserved a chance to live. And live she did. We've had a great year. My Lab Ellie (Pearl's successor) tore her ACL hunting geese and was out of commission in Montana. Puppy did all the work this year hunting like a dog half her age. She'll be thirteen soon and doing fine other than becoming deaf.

Don't give up, Lon.

 

[Hunt anything]

Prayers to you and your wife! Keep the faith and keep fighting brother!

 

[tward1604]

It breaks my heart that you have to sell your rifles to pay for treatment. But, at the end they are only things and someone else will get some miles out of the. I said a prayer for you and your family, Hang in there!