TotalCon 2023 - Day One

Returning to the scene of the crime! TotalCon 2023!

I can't thank Steven & Angelia Parenteau enough for going out of their way to make sure Rach and I returned to TotalCon this year.

For those that don't know the history, while 2020 was generally known as The Year of Covid, for me it was literally a year of life or death, and the road to healing started at TotalCon in 2020.

I came down with an upper respiratory infection that weekend and left the con early (my first con crud in many years of convention attendance). After 2 weeks, the URI progressed to pneumonia and sepsis and a short hospital stay as Covid kicked off, followed by Congestive Heart Failure over the course of nearly 2 months before seeking medical attention (and getting hospitalized 12 hours after my hospital opened a Covid Free Wing). 3 weeks and 3 stents later, and after losing over 60 pounds of water weight, I was home with a new lease on life and a new awareness.

I was told by my Heart Failure Specialist at the time that my CHF was set off by my pneumonia and sepsis, which in turn were set off by my URI. Without that specific chain of events, I likely would have simply not awoken one morning from straight-up heart failure, as my heart had been damaged over a decade prior from chemo and radiation treatment for Hodgekin's Lymphoma.

I am a healthier and happier individual for the trials and troubles of 2020, and if it weren't for TotalCon 2020, I might not have been around to attend this year's convention.

I can play my RPGs on a VTT, but I get to socialize and connect with the gaming community at conventions like TotalCon, NTRPG, and others. Heck, it may even save your life in a most roundabout way too ;)