Day 5 of Round 2

Day 4 of chemo passed uneventfully, and I feel great.  I am just waiting for the drugs to arrive to hook up for day 5 and kill more cancer cells.  The worst part of yesterday was watching my Wolverines get pummelled by OSU, much like my cancer is getting pummelled by me!  I guess those are results I can live with.  

I spoke with the oncologist again today and he confirmed that the HCG levels indeed have a direct correlation to tumor size.  Therefore it looks like the treatment thus far has been very successful and that the tumors are likely greatly reduced.  HCG is the marker that they will continue to monitor for years to come to be sure that it is not coming back.  So it is a bright, sunny, Sunday morning and a great day to give thanks to God.  

It is fitting to be receiving this news as Thanksgiving approaches.  It seems that it may be a strange time in my life to feel blessed and full of thanks, but that is how I feel.  I would love to be home instead of here in the hospital fighting cancer, but somehow I still feel blessed.  I have a wonderful family waiting for me to arrive home today, I am strong, and I am beating this cancer.  If anything, this has allowed me to take stock in my life, and to really see how many things for which I have to be thankful.  It reminds me a bit of a paper I wrote after breaking my leg playing football in high school; it was entitled "Life is Like a Broken Leg."  Basically I wrote about how everything was going along in life so well, then a sudden accident greatly changed that.  I was in a cast for several months, and then had a cane for many more weeks.  It made me realize how many little things we take for granted in life, particularly when it comes to mobility and independence.

How does a broken leg compare to cancer, you ask?  Well, you just never know what is coming around the corner.  You could have fortune or adversity.  It could be a minor setback, or it could be have long lasting effects.  This cancer of mine will simply be part of my medical history in a few short months, but it will serve as a constant reminder to cherish every healthy day.  

If I have one wish for all of you this week of Thanksgiving, it's that you take advantage of the day that's given you.  Take stock in what you have to be thankful for, and don't take a moment for granted.  It is hard to view each day as a gift of time, but that is what it a day truly is.  None of us will likely ever make every moment count, but this Thanksgiving, take some time to give thanks, and ponder what it would mean to make each day count to it's fullest.   

You will all be in my prayers of Thanksgiving this week, may God bless you.