Staring down 34 - thankful to have lived another year
Posted by JB aka JayBee on 6/10/2009, under friends, garden, Melanoma, Minnesota, perspective
2
First off, I want to mention that our garden is producing wonderfully. I have been enjoying strawberries off the vine for the last week.
This weekend I will be 34 years old.
I have outlived my expectations.
I have outlived my vanity.
I have outlived David Carradine.
When I fist learned about my cancer back in 1998, I didn't think I would live to see 25.
When my cancer returned in the second half of 2007, with a diagnosis of Stage IV M1c metastatic melanoma, I learned that my life expectancy had dropped to 6-18 months. The doctors gave me a 9-15% percent survival rate for five years. Here I am, more than 18 months later, living, eating, sleeping, and playing soccer with my disease. I don't know how much longer I have left, but as of this weekend I made it to my 34th birthday.
I had thought about planning a birthday celebration for myself, but then I decided that I'd give myself the gift of skipping the stress and not doing it. I don't really like being the center of attention anymore anyway.
Overall I feel strong. I am out there on the soccer field on most weekends, I have a great partner and wonderful friends and family, what more can a guy want.
JSP and I are excited to be welcoming our friends Paul and John to the Twin Cities this weekend. They will be here on a short visit from New Jersey. They picked the best time of year to be in Minnesota, especially now that we have gotten the rain we needed and it should be warming back up as they fly in.
Now if I can just get over this cough.
Life is grand. Here's to 34 and many more.
This weekend I will be 34 years old. I have outlived my expectations.
I have outlived my vanity.
I have outlived David Carradine.
When I fist learned about my cancer back in 1998, I didn't think I would live to see 25.
When my cancer returned in the second half of 2007, with a diagnosis of Stage IV M1c metastatic melanoma, I learned that my life expectancy had dropped to 6-18 months. The doctors gave me a 9-15% percent survival rate for five years. Here I am, more than 18 months later, living, eating, sleeping, and playing soccer with my disease. I don't know how much longer I have left, but as of this weekend I made it to my 34th birthday.
I had thought about planning a birthday celebration for myself, but then I decided that I'd give myself the gift of skipping the stress and not doing it. I don't really like being the center of attention anymore anyway.
Overall I feel strong. I am out there on the soccer field on most weekends, I have a great partner and wonderful friends and family, what more can a guy want.
JSP and I are excited to be welcoming our friends Paul and John to the Twin Cities this weekend. They will be here on a short visit from New Jersey. They picked the best time of year to be in Minnesota, especially now that we have gotten the rain we needed and it should be warming back up as they fly in.
Now if I can just get over this cough.
Life is grand. Here's to 34 and many more.
