Rocky Road

In the land and time before cancer (BC), I was heading up a major software implementation team for a very well known nationwide retail store in NYC. Shortly before we went live, we threw a small party for the project team. This included people from my company and our clients. Among other things, we served Rocky Road ice creme. It was a symbolic gesture to say we all worked hard, it hadn’t always been easy (as in it has been a rocky road), but we were almost there. It’s easy for me to compare my cancer to a rocky road. I felt pretty good for about 4 weeks, then not well for 3 days (I’ll spare you all the details) beginning last Thursday night. I’m feeling better today. That’s one of the frustrating parts of my situation. I can’t seem to put a cycle on when I’ll feel well and when I won’t. I can get through the illnesses and discomfort, but it makes it so hard to make commitments and to plan anything that requires a specific time period. So, I adjust, reduce my commitments and move on.

I have a full day at the cancer center tomorrow with seven appointments including a chemo infusion. Given the news on my health lately, which has been generally positive, I look forward to what I hope will be continued confirmation as to my well being. I expect that this will be a normal day for me.

I continue to read about Leroy Sievers (lung cancer) on the NPR website and Randy Pausch (pancreatic cancer, former CMU professor) on his website. Leroy has had a really tough 6 months, but he keeps on fighting. For anyone who wants to understand the mindset of a cancer victim, Leroy’s site is A+. Randy has a book being published in April. He received a $7 million advance payment for his book. He has had some recent setbacks and over the past month is beginning to experience the real pain cancer causes. There’s no doubt in my mind he would happily trade his book advance for good health. That's one of the things cancer does for you. It helps you understand what's important.

Thanks for checking in. Take care.