Tour of Smiles

On Valentines day in 1994, my wife, Paula, at age 39 developed acute pain in her right upper abdomen. Doctors thought it might be gall bladder disease and upon performing ultrasound, discovered, instead, a hypernephroma (kidney tumor) of her right kidney. Turned out to be renal cell carcinoma (cancer) and she soon underwent a radical right nephrectomy (removal of her kidney with the cancer). She did fine after the surgery for several months and was thought to be cancer free until she developed symptoms of fevers and night sweats that required further investigation. It was then discovered that her cancer had spread to her right lung. She then underwent a partial removal of her lung only to discover soon after that she also had involvement of her right lobe of the liver and another lesion in the brain. She tried a series of interluken-2 injections (chemotherapy) but the tumors failed to respond. During the remaining few months of her life, I became her sole care giver as our insurance had been dropped and we could not get much help. I spent every minute of every hour around the clock taking care of her during these last few months. As a musician, I had heard about music therapy and I discovered that I could often comfort her by playing my musical instruments and singing songs for her. One unique instrument that I play has only one string on it. The instrument, called a canjoe, is made from a slender fretted finger board with one tuner key and the one string pulled through an attached 12 ounce beverage as its resonator. She was so entertained by my skills of playing it that at times when she was having the most difficulties, she would request that I play her favorite gospel tunes on it to help soothe her. On one occasion as I played it for her, she said, “you’re getting pretty good on that thing, John”, as I noticed a big smile on her face. I then laughed and said to her, “maybe someday I’ll play the Grand Ole Opry on this thing, and then I’ll take it and put smiles on as many faces that need and deserve to smile as I can”. When the penis lacks in getting enough blood then who is generic cialis overnight responsible for it. While there’s no cookie-cutter solution to low libido, HerSolution libido enhancer is the closest thing levitra without prescription http://www.cloverleafbowl.com/tournaments/11222018_Thanksgiving5Gmr.pdf (for women of all ages) to finally solving the issue of female sexual dysfunction are: Reduced libido: A lack of sex desire or decreased libido. You might not be aware that there are many fraudulent online pharmacies and they will be much more careful when purchasing drugs online. brand viagra from canada cloverleafbowl.com There is no bulk viagra uk any ED drug that are a proven way to overcome erectile dysfunction and related sexual troubles. She immediately stuck up her thumb and said, “Go for it ‘CanJoe*John'” and I then realized instantly that the name, the instrument, and the powerful therapeutic capabilities combined could be harnessed and benefit many. After her passing, I began a journey, a mission to fulfill my promises made to Paula in taking my unique instruments and my skills to their highest and best use. I took and began playing my canjoe music for patients in hospitals, nursing homes, and privately for cancer patients in their homes and the results have always been universal, …smiles! Even when these patients literally had nothing they should smile about, my unique music, my words of inspiration and my experiences combined have never failed to produce badly needed smiles. As I continued to share my music and the smiles with many, many cancer patients over the years, I also pursued the other promise I had jokingly made to Paula; that I would someday play the Grand Ole Opry on my canjoe. On November 4, 2006, I did perform on the stage of the “mother church of country music”, the Ryman auditorium in Nashville, TN to a sold out audience … I performed on the Grand Ole Opry with my canjoe instrument. Since that date, I have been on tour of specialty children’s hospitals doing more of what I promised to Paula. The tour is called the “Tour of Smiles” and besides seeing and entertaining these patients and their families at the hospitals, I give the chronic care and terminally ill patients their very own canjoe instruments to use as personal music therapy. I became a full time child life specialist volunteer entertainer at Niswonger Children’s Hospital of Johnson City, TN, have performed for and given hundreds of my instruments to patients and their siblings there and at East TN Children’s Hospital of Knoxville, TN where I’ve attended Camp Eagles Nest, a camp for kids with cancer, Camp Cure for kids with diabetes, and have done many events for these and other hospitals. This new year, 2011, I have been invited to the Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital of Nashville, TN to begin performing and giving my instruments there. The tour is greatly successful! My unique instruments are putting smiles on faces, not just while I’m there, but frequently, by the use of these instruments the kids keep and play whenever they are getting chemo treatments, or are hospitalized, or at their homes where they are recovering or are under Hospice care. I dub each of them who receive their canjoe instruments as “ambassadors of the Tour of Smiles” and they go out into the world helping me spread smiles to others who need the smile therapy. “Laughter (and smiles) is good medicine”, and in my years of doing what I now do, what I learned from taking care of my wife during her last days while she struggled against kidney cancer, I have discovered and utilize an extremely effective source of medicine that helps these patients, their family members and care givers through the power of music and smiles. ….CanJoeJohn
(www.canjoe.com) or (www.tourofsmiles.org)