A Peaceful Fourth of July

This was a very introspective Fourth of July for me. On the first week of March my hemotoligist/oncologist finally figured out why my hemoglobin was sticking at a dangerously low rate after having me take a bone marrow test.

He sat me down, closed the door and said, “Tell me what you think I’m getting ready to tell you.”

I said, “Based on what your practicioner told me on the phone…I think you’re getting ready to tell me I have cancer.”

He calmly said, “You have prostatic bone cancer Stage 4. I would suggest you get your affairs in order if they aren’t already. But we’ve got you on four different medications as of today….so we’ll see. Every individual reacts differently to a Stage 4 diagnosis.”

So here I am four months later after being on Dr. S’s holistic approach and my latest lab results as of last week were very encouraging. My PSA count was close to zero, my hemoglogin has doubled, and my body weight has gone from 160 lbs. to 185 lbs. and stablized. My BMI (body mass index) is a stellar 24.6 which puts me in elite company compared to other Americans. My stamina, strength, and flexibilty are better than anytime in the last twenty years minus the fact I still need my right knee replaced if I get beyond this hurdle of not dying.

Dr. S’s holistic approach is multifaceted beyond just the immune and oral chemo drugs….it involves a diet in which I have tripled my vegetable and fruit ratios to meat by a 14 to 2 count. I do physical therapy twice a week with two female ex-college softball players named Audra and Charity who have lit a fire in my competitive soul.

Occasionally, I get Tyler as my PT. I asked him the other day, ” Why is it your workout is so much more fun than what Charity does to me?”

He answered, ” Because I figured you need to have fun in here from time to time and not die here at the facility.”

And, of course, I now do three other PT sessions on my own because of the fact Charity and Audra lit a fire under my ass.

Plus, prayer, reading and meditation make up the final components of Dr. S’s holistic approach to dealing with cancer.

It’s a day by day, week by week, month to month process for me, but the truth is when you get a Stage 4 diagnosis it’s clearly the ephipany of all ephipanies. You never take a day for granted. You make sure you say the right things and do the right things.

It’s been a complete awakening for me when I go to the medical facilty for either treatment or physical therapy and talk to the other people with their own cancer human stories.

This may sound crazy, but in a way getting the diagnosis has been a reboot for me in a good way for however long my journey takes me.

It was a great Fourth for me. I caught a bass. Ate a hamburger. Drank one Pacifico. Watched a video of my grandson using pedals on his bike for the first time….. and then cried a lovely little bit to myself as I heard Brad Paisley sing ‘So Many Summers’.