Getting Ready to Jump Back On

Hola Mi Familia! Things have been going well here, but it has been quite hectic. The miracle that has happened with my health still has me dumbfounded. It is a good emotion though. I still cry every now and then thinking about it. Almost done, one more step. Life is a merry-go-round, and I have been watching it from the sidelines.

I did another round of High-Dose IL-2 last weekend. I won’t get into the gory details, since I have described this treatment in previous posts. Suffice it to say though, that this was the toughest one yet. My body did not react well, and I came out of it looking and feeling bad. I got out on Sunday, and I still feel like I am recuperating. I have this new condition in my shoulders that is similar to arthritis, but caused by the drugs. Thankfully, it is not permanent, but may last awhile. Ugggghhhhh…..

Most of my time is spent finding my perfect internship for the summer. Because of the timing of my illness, I did not get to do an internship after my first year of school. So, before I start my second, I am going to do one this summer. The decision of what to do is a hard one; compounded by the fact that I am not sure what my long-term goals are. I am a bit tortured right now, and I feel like I am deciding my future. The good news is that all the possible opportunities are amazing. How do you decide between awesome opportunities? I don’t know yet. It will be resolved soon.

The party is coming along, and I am glad that some people have already RSVP’d. It is turning out bigger that originally planned; but what the hell? Just like too many job opportunities, having too big of a party is a great problem to have.

One more treatment. I go in a week from Monday (the 9th) for my last chemo treatment. After that, I will officially be in recovery. I am scared of returning to life and work, but so ready. Physically, I have a lot of work to do. I have been doing nothing for a year, and I need to be able to work 8-10 hours per day. If anyone can recommend a personal trainer, please let me know. I will have about a month from my lat treatment until I start work.

With my eyes closed, I can see it. The merry-go-round is slowing down and I can get back on. All my friends are on it, and I want to ride badly. Soon. Very soon.

Death to Cancer
Cancer is Dead

Time to Party!

Hey everybody,

I said I would be throwing a party when I beat cancer. Well, it’s been beat and it’s time to party. Jen and I would like to thank you for your support by inviting you to the Fighting in Texas Cinco de Mayo Party!

Click the link below for party details. I don’t have everybody’s email address, so please feel free to forward this to anyone that may be interested, all are invited. I ask only that people R.S.V.P. on Evite so that I know how many people are coming.

Come celebrate with us!

http://www.evite.com/pages/invite/viewInvite.jsp?event=UQRPDTNUOHEFEFULQLLG&unknownUser=true

Death to Cancer
Cancer is Dead

Sinking In

For a couple of days after getting my good news (see link opt the left), I actually felt depressed. Can you believe that? I know it doesn’t make any sense, but that’s what happened. More than anything, I felt alone. I think that is how you feel when your world changes in an instant.

When I was first diagnosed, I felt the same. Obviously, the news was bad that time; but the feeling of the world changing under my feet was the same. It took some time to sink in and settle in.

I feel great now. I spent the last week in California with my brother, and we had a perfect time. I am moving forward on finding a job for the summer. I feel like I have never been closer to my son, and we are having a good time together.

I is still hard to believe that we (you too) did it! I have read through my blog posts. This is the last paragraph from my first post.

“Thank you for you prayers and thoughts.. I plan on getting through this and ending up in full remission. The is no other alternative I will accept.”

Isn’t that crazy? I am now, almost a year later, in full remission. Awesome.

Going forward, I have 2 more treatments to do. I go in on Monday (19^th), and I should be there a week. I will have 2 weeks off, and then back in on April 9^th. I’ll be out by April 15^th, and they will take my PICC line out before I leave the hospital. I’ll go back in 2 or 3 months for scans, but no plans for more treatments!

Look for the big party to happen the weekend of the 21^st or 28^th or April. More on that later.

Death to Cancer
Cancer is Dead

Bang! Bang! Bang!

It’s true, it’s true! The cancer is still gone! The doctor did not call me and say he got my results mixed up with someone else’s. The cancer is gone. In the words of Reverend Martin Luther King Jr., “Free at Last! Free At last. Free at Last. Thank God Almighty, I am Free At Last.”

Well, not quite.

As it turns out, I’m not done. I just happen to have one of those doctors that don’t consider every test they can perform enough, he wants more. He wants me to do 2 more treatments of the High-Dose IL-2 before going on a monitoring program. 2 more treatments. Can I do it?

Hell Yes!

I can do 2 treatments. I can do more than that if I have to (don’t tell my doctor). Anyone who has played a shooting video game knows that there is no greater pleasure than standing over your defeated enemy, and firing a couple shots into his now-dead corpse. Bang! Bang! Bang!. Take that, Cancer.

It won’t be easy. My treatments have gotten harder with every step. Vomiting, shaking, fevers, chills, you name it. 7 days of hell followed by 14 days of recovery.

Bring it on.

Death to Cancer

Cancer is Dead