My Journey 3/23/10

   I spent a little time in bed last night thinking about this hole cancer deal.  What I guess seems so ironic about it is the stigma the word cancer has and what it means to people.  I’m incredibly fortunate that I was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.  Not Colon, Kidney or Prostate cancer or another nasty type of cancer where the treatment is much harsher.  A friend of the family’s had a type of colon cancer where his chemotherapy treatments involved him going into the hospital for four to five days at a time every three weeks.  I go into my treatments for two and a half to three hours every two weeks.  Easy in comparison.  I completely understand why people want to give up!  Not only is it a very depressing experience, but it beats you down physically.  Being a retired professional athlete, just the thought of not being physically healthy takes a toll on the psyche.  Fortunately there have been glimmers of hope through this hole thing.  Family, friends, community (local and abroad), positive test results, and a fighting attitude make going through a serious illness tolerable.  I have three more treatments left, April 29th is my last day of treatments.  Believe me, I look forward to that day!  I dropped into the process head first with the full intention of beating my illness as fast as possible!         

   I guess there are times in life where you really realize just how fortunate you are.  This hole experience has made me realize just that!