4/17/09 I am no Superman. I am no Ironman. I am just a guy with cancer, fighting for a life with his wife and son. Six months ago today, I was told I had tumors in my chest, abdomen and lungs. The next day, my son turned 10 weeks old. Four days later I had a biopsy and diagnosis of testicular cancer. Four days later I started treatment and had no idea what was in store for me for the next six months. I started with tests (ultrasound, CT scan, MRI, EKG, thyroid scan) and then began chemo. The regime was BEP for four rounds. That's three strong drugs – 2 of them 5 days in a row and one of them once a week. That treatment was three months and I did well. My doctor said better than every other patient. My HCG went from >200,000 to 503. I had my testicle removed and was ready to hear that my HCG was 200 or less. It was 3,689. I was on my way to Indianapolis to see Dr. Einhorn. Up until this point I was fearless. No doubt that I would beat it. I had rough days, but Megan was there to pick me up; either with her smile or by showing me all the cards that had come in that day. By no means did I do it by myself. Now I was nervous. The cancer proved to be a greater foe than I expected. Dr. Einhorn delivered the news; 2 rounds of high dose chemo with stem cell rescue. Each round was 3 weeks in the IU hospital with 1 week rest, and he wanted to start in 1 week. Never mind the fact that we had just moved into a new condo 9 days earlier. So, it was another night in Indianapolis, more tests the next day, then I headed home with my young family to spend 4 days preparing to return to Indianapolis for 3 weeks. My wife is a saint! The next 7 weeks were hell! I don't know if there is any way to really explain what it was like. The cancer and the treatment broke me down and my wife pulled me through. The start of treatment was apheresis. They placed 2 catheters in my jugular and filtered my blood through a machine 12-13 times over 2 days, pulling out stem cells that would later save my life. Then there was 3 days of chemo. We noticed the chemo was in a glass bottle instead of a plastic bag. Megan asked the nurse why and the answer was shocking. This high dose chemo was so strong that it would eat through the plastic. This is what they were pumping into my veins for 3 days, 3 hours each day! Then, after 2 days of rest came an infusion of my stem cells, then the crash. The treatment took all my energy. There were several days that I slept 22-23 of the 24 hours. I barely woke up to eat. I barely recall visitors or conversations. I looked forward to days when Megan came with Ethan, but my state scared even Ethan. Megan tried to bring Ethan to the hospital daily, but he sensed how sick I was and it just upset him. For the second trip down we left him in Toledo with grandparents. Going back for a second round of high dose chemo is the hardest thing I have ever done. Knowing that I would be completely drained of energy, appetite and strength and that I would be in one room for 3 weeks seemed to suck the life out of me. We left Ethan in Toledo and drove away, both of us crying. Megan would return on the weekends, but I knew it would be 3 weeks until I saw him. I hated the cancer at this point. It brings tears to my eyes now to think about leaving him behind.