As we ebb our way through life, we dream of great adventures and memorable stories to share with our loved ones. We dream of shedding of the drab and dreary rigors of work and responsibility and going “full-throttle” into the tantalizing opportunities life offers from time to time. For Dr. John Hamilton, an eclectic pursuit of adventure was, quite simply, his lifestyle. That life was almost shattered in early 2000 when Hamilton learned he had an ependymal brain tumor, which began as a tumorous lesion in the cells that line the passageways in the brain and, depending on the severity, could move throughout the nervous system, potentially becoming fatal.
Before knowing of this grim reality, Hamilton was a successful orthodontist by day, but after hours, he pursued bicycling, distance running, swimming, SCUBA diving, canoeing and kayaking, skiing both downhill and cross country, flying, snowmobiling and motorcycling. Hamilton’s true passion, however, was reserved for sailing, which he spent much of his time pursuing. To put it lightly, Dr. Hamilton was a man of remarkable enterprise.
“I guess it would be accurate to identify me as an ‘adventurous’ person,” Hamilton reflects. “I was never interested in traditional ‘stick and ball’ sports.”
Hamilton’s need for adventure fueled him to lead a life that few can imagine. For years, he took life on at full speed and filled every moment with astonishing feats of courage and devotion. Now that courage and devotion would be needed to answer his greatest challenge yet.
The Battle For Life
Dr. Hamilton was used to facing challenges and conquering them. If a sport caught his attention, his drive and enthusiasm gave him the strength to perform and even excel in whatever sport he participated in. The ependymal tumor, however, was one challenge he never thought he would have to face.
“The only thing for certain about brain tumor surgery is that you certainly don’t know what you’re going to get,” says Hamilton. “When the doctor tells you that you have a brain tumor and that you need to get your affairs in order, it really gets your attention!”
Hamilton’s first craniotomy operation to remove the tumor began in May of 2000. The whole tumor couldn’t be removed during the first operation and a second operation would be needed to rid his brain of the ependymoma. The balance of Hamilton’s life had been tipped in his favor, but at a devastating price. Hamilton experienced significantly damaging side-effects to his hearing, vision and motor functions. His life, once full of adventurous experiences and memories, had been changed forever.
“The disabilities were severe enough to end my career as an orthodontist, mostly because of my vision,” says Hamilton. “In order to function with double vision, I had to block one eye, which left me with no depth perception. All of these effects ended nearly every one of my ‘adventurous’ activities, which all required good balance and excellent vision.”
Among the physical challenges Hamilton faced, subtle changes to his personality such as a low tolerance to stress, high anxiety and problems controlling his emotions posed new challenges for him, his wife, Dianne, their son Jeremy and his growing family, who stood unyielding through the unexpected changes they now faced. Dr. Hamilton wouldn’t let this keep him down. He had spent his life enjoying everything he could and although his lifestyle had to change, his fiery determination to live and enjoy life would fuel him through his recovery and his next pending surgery to remove what had taken so much away from him.
In February 2012, Hamilton underwent his second and final craniotomy to remove the tumor that had rocked the foundation of his life 12 years prior. After the surgery, he and his family were again confronted by the onslaught of taxing side effects. No longer having a sense of balance, losing even more motor function in his right arm and leg was further exacerbated by the struggle of physical therapy to regain his ability to walk. Hamilton’s perseverance and strength of will led him through the arduous task of walking, which he could no longer do without some form of walking support. His abilities had become drastically limited and it seemed that finding even a semblance of his former life would be all but possible. But Dr. Hamilton wasn’t the kind of man to admit defeat in the face of adversity and he would do what was needed to get his life back.
Hope Reborn
After all of his years in sailboats, Hamilton never imagined himself finding any thrill or enjoyment out of a pontoon. With his impaired vision and mobility, however, he realized that there may have been more to a pontoon than he thought. On June 29, 2012, on his 68th birthday, he was released from the nursing home where he had attended physical therapy and finally made his way back home. One glance at the lake where he spent so much of his time and he knew things had changed.
“It was obvious I had a new baseline of what I could do and the many things I couldn’t,” admits Hamilton. “One of those was concerning the boat. I was just too unstable to board the MasterCraft and operate it. Even going as a passenger was risky business. It looked like the end of my boating life.”
Hamilton’s son Jeremy and his daughter-in-law Megan had been trying to get him to get into a pontoon boat for several years.
“I had always looked down on pontoons as ‘not real’ boats,” says Hamilton with a grin. “They didn’t have a ‘pointy’ end, everyone sat on top of it, not ‘in’ it, and all the drivers left their fenders or bumpers dragging and used their docking lights as if they were headlights.”
But then Hamilton recalled the rides that he and his family had with their long-time friends, Larry and Clare Baumgardt on their pontoon. Larry was National Sales Manager at JC Manufacturing and each season they were offered the option to try the newest demo boat JC was offering.
“I recall being impressed with the incredibly smooth ride,” says Hamilton.
So he decided it couldn’t hurt to at least take a look and see what was available. The pros found in a JC pontoon were far too many to ignore. He discovered TriToons provide incredible stability, comfortably upholstered seating and smooth handling, which suited his specific needs.
At the request of Larry, Hamilton was led to specifically take a look at the JC Sun Lounger. Equipped with a 200 horsepower Evinrude outboard, the Sun Lounger gave Hamilton the speed and power he was used to, but with a level of comfort his new life required. Along with the power the Evinrude outboard offered, the addition of the wide gate entrance, easily accessible seating and wide walkways gave Hamilton the space needed to easily climb aboard and man the captain’s chair.
“There was no need to look further; we had found the TriToon of our life,” recalls Hamilton. With that, the doctor found himself with his family on “his” beautiful Lake Wawasee in Indiana, powering off in the comfort of his JC Sun Lounger. While some people enjoy the recreation that can only be had while on a boat, Hamilton found the perfect therapy and once again found himself able to sail through the swells on his Sun Lounger, which answered Hamilton’s quiet desperation to be back on the water.
Summer 2013
As the frozen months of winter thaw, and the warmer months of spring bear the first blossoms of new life, Hamilton can be found with his family aboard their Sun Lounger, floating lazily on his Lake Wawasee, toasting a glass of wine to the day and enjoying the passion that was once taken from him. Dr. Hamilton’s life was radically changed 13 years ago, but with the help of his friends, family, and their Sun Lounger, he fought through those changes and faced his challenges head on, as he always had.
