Episode 419 - Update - The Journey of Resilience: John Bjorlie's Die Happy Tour

The episode presents a deeply reflective examination of John Bjorlie’s 'Die Happy Tour', an initiative born from his desire to embrace life and connect with loved ones during his terminal illness. Bill Risser eloquently narrates John's journey, capturing both the joy and sorrow woven into his experiences as he travels to see family and friends, culminating in the poignant moment of attending his own wake. As John's health has notably declined, the podcast transitions to a discussion on the gravity of hospice care, which emphasizes comfort over curative treatment, highlighting the sensitive nature of this phase in John's life. Risser’s portrayal of John’s situation strikes a balance between the somber realities of illness and the uplifting moments shared among friends, illustrating the duality of life’s experiences.

The dialogue centers around the profound impact of John's oncologist's declaration of 'firing' himself from treatment, a moment that encapsulates the transition from aggressive medical intervention to a focus on palliative care. This shift reflects not only John's medical reality but also the emotional landscape he navigates. Risser shares candid conversations with John about the symptoms he faces—fatigue, appetite loss, and pain—yet he emphasizes John's remarkable resilience and his determination to maintain a sense of normalcy, including enjoying meals and engaging in social activities. The narrative underscores the importance of personal agency in the face of illness, showcasing how John continues to assert his will to live fully, even as he confronts the inevitability of his condition.

A significant highlight of the episode is the 'golf portion' of the Die Happy Tour, where Bill, Paul, and Vernon join John on the golf course, a longstanding venue of friendship and joy. Risser articulates the promise he made to John to ensure they would always share these moments together, regardless of the circumstances. The recounting of their golfing outings not only illustrates the therapeutic benefits of friendship but also serves as a reminder of the importance of shared experiences in fostering joy during challenging times. Through laughter and camaraderie on the course, Risser captures the essence of life’s fleeting moments, making this episode a heartfelt tribute to friendship, resilience, and the enduring human spirit amidst the shadows of terminal illness.

Takeaways:

• In this poignant episode, we discuss John Bjorlie's transition to hospice care as he embarks on the next phase of his Die Happy Tour.
• The episode highlights the profound impact of friendship, as we continue to engage John in meaningful activities despite his declining health.
• We reflect on John's remarkable resilience, as he maintained his passion for life and golf throughout his journey with cancer.
• The conversation underscores the importance of support systems, as friends rally around John to ensure his comfort and happiness during this challenging time.
• We explore the significance of creating lasting memories, as John enjoys golfing and sharing meals with friends during his final days.
• This episode serves as a testament to the enduring spirit of camaraderie, even in the face of life's most difficult challenges.

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Hi, everybody. Welcome toepisode 419 of the Real Estate Sessions
podcast. As always, thank youso much for tuning in. Thank you
so much for telling a friendtoday. There's no cold open. There's
no guest from the real estateindustry. Instead, I want to talk
about John Bjorlie an his DieHappy Tour. As most of you know,
late in 2023, John decided toembark on the Die Happy Tour. On

(00:20):
this tour, he was able tovisit many family and friends, attend
his own wake in Rome, NewYork, and have lots of other adventures
along the way. But as John'scondition progresses, the die Happy
tour is entering the nextphase. John's no longer traveling.
John is no longer receivingany treatment to try to curtail the

(00:43):
cancer. Instead, John is underhospice care, where their primary
concern is keeping Johncomfortable as the inevitable draws
closer. I've had manyconversations with John in the last
few months, and my favorite iswhen John described that his oncologist
at his last meeting, I thinkin April, basically said, john, I'm

(01:04):
firing myself. I'm no longergoing to be working for you. There's
nothing else I can do.Instead, the hospice team is going
to take over. This is the sameoncologist that John had worked with
since 2020 when he firstdiscovered the cancer. John has told
me many times how amazed thisdoctor was with John's condition
and the way he was able tocontinue the tour. In fact, telling

(01:26):
John, keep booking travelbecause it's really working for you.
But obviously at this point,that's no longer the case. I've asked
John what are the things theytell you to watch for as you continue
down this path? And he saidthere were three things, very straightforward
things. One would be fatigue.Second would be loss of appetite,

(01:47):
and third would be increasedpain. Now, the pain can be taken
care of, and we know John'sgot some fairly good drugs to help
him with that. As far asappetite goes, he's definitely lost
a little bit of weight, but hestill has an appetite. He's still
eating meals. In fact, I'llshare more about that in a second.
And fatigue has definitely hithim in a different way. There are

(02:07):
times and certain days wherehe really just wants to sleep, but
there are other days where hehas a lot more energy, he's up and
about. And to show you howthat works, we'll talk about what
Paul, his son and I, andVernon, another good friend of John's,
are doing together, kind ofkeep John engaged with life. So I
mentioned the next phase. Ilike to call the next Phase the golf

(02:27):
portion of the die happy Tour.It is underway in earnest. I've made
three trips out to Phoenix,Paul as well, and we've met Vernon
there and taken John out ontothe golf course at Aguilar, the city
course down in lavine, rightagainst South Mountain, for three
rounds of golf over the lastcouple of months. John and I had
the promise to take care ofeach other this way for a long time,

(02:50):
that whatever happened, one ofus would always take the other one
out on the golf course. Evenit meant getting a wheelchair and
doing whatever we had to do toget them into the golf cart so they
could have another spin aroundthe golf course. On the last trip
out in early May, John'sfriend Susan joined us for dinner.
I was craving West CoastMexican food, so we hit up a restaurant

(03:12):
called Valle Luna in NorthPhoenix with Paul, myself, Susan
and John, and we had a blast,a great time. We were probably a
little bit too loud, but wehad a lot of fun. And the next day
we were able to, you get thatthird round of golf in with John.
Now, he's not playing, per se,but he does grab the driver once
or twice around and gives it awhack. And generally on every putting

(03:34):
green, this is John's favoritething to do. He'll find the person
in the worst situationfarthest away from the pin on the
green, and he will roll a puttfor them from their spot so they
get a little bit of advantageover the other two who hit the ball
closer. It's a lot of fun.John has a blast doing it, and, you
know, you could just see himlight up as we get on the golf course

(03:54):
because it's. It's really oneof his happy places. And it's. As
most of you know, John and Iwalked the fairways of Phoenix for
17 years and just can't thinkof a better way to have fun with
John and take care of John.Trip number four is planned on Father's
Day, June 15th, Paul and Iwill meet with Vernon and John again.

(04:16):
This time we're going to playTPC Scottsdale, the same golf course
that hosts the WasteManagement Open. John and I have
played that course before. Sohas Paul, Vernon as well. But we
all can't wait to get back outthere, get on that course, get on
the back nine, see what wecould do on 16 and 17 and even 15,
the par five. We're going tohave a blast. I just talked to John

(04:38):
earlier today. He was superexcited about that. So with that,
I promise on the next updatewith John, we will go over in detail
how that round went out inScottsdale. Paul's always desperately
trying to beat me, and I'mreturning the favor by desperately
trying to beat Paul. AndJohn's there busting the chops of

(04:59):
both Paul and I as we goalong. You don't want to make a mistake
in front of John because hiswicked sense of humor has not gone
anywhere. In fact, it's maybeeven better than ever. So thanks
for listening, thanks fortuning in, and feel free to share
this with anyone else whoneeds to hear what's happening with
John and his Die Happy Tour.It continues on just in a slightly

(05:20):
different way. Thanks for listening.