Friday ‘Breaking Good’ Song

I’m going to miss Jimmy Buffett, but otherwise everything else this week has been exceptionally good for me.

On Tuesday….I headed over to the Integris Cancer Center and had my blood drawn for my monthly labs. Big Mike, who looks likes the Philly cop Big Mike in Breaking Bad, and who is a drummer in a rock band on the side, told me how proud he was of me for how far I’ve come since he saw me the first time. I almost cried. I love Big Mike.

Then after leaving the lab, I headed over to the Phyisical Therapy room and asked the receptionist…. Shannon, if Charity was availabe for a minute. Shannon smiled and said, ” I’m pretty sure she is Michael.”

Not long after Charity stepped into the lobby and looked at me. She smiled and walked over…then said, “You look great. What’s the word?”

I said, ” I think I’m on the cusp of living and becoming a Stage 4 cander survivor quite possibly.”

She hugged me and said, ” Keep checking in with me. Okay?”

I answered, ” For sure and thank you so much for all you did. Words cannot express. Seriously…thank you.” Again..for the second time…I almost cried.

So then yesterday, it was time for my very big six month evaluation with Dr. Showalter.

Dr. Showwalter walks in with his charts, his lab results, and my two Pet Scans and smiles. He said, “This is somewhat remarkable how far you’ve come since the first time I saw you. You’re on the cusp of being cancer free. Let’s just stay on the same track, but you won’t need to see me again until mid December. We’ll stay right on the same trajectory with the monthly shots and the daily chemo prescription. We’ll still do the monthly labs, but we have turned a sizeable corner. I’m proud of how you’ve handled this.”

I have to tell you…this was a very emotional moment for me. This was the first time I cried in all of this. But these were purely tears of joy. I was so elated I walked out of the hospital and forgot to get my monthly shots in the infusion room.

I drove all the way back to Deer Creek..then realized I needed to get my shots and drove back and got my shots.

At this point…I was pretty emotionally spent so I spent the rest of the day with my wife and passed on the Barry Switzer deal at Othello’s in Norman.

But I am going to write some things about Coach Switzer sometime this week-end. And then next Monday or so…I want write some more on my cancer experience to date…because there are truly some things I want to write about all of this moving forward for me.

A huge week-end of college football tomorrow with Colorado-Nebraska, Texas-Alabama, and SMU-Oklahoma at the top of my watch list.

I think we’re almost past the brutal heat after tomorrow. Take care and enjoy the football.

MJ