DAY 193: A milestone...

CLEAR SCAN! COMPLETE REMISSION!

There is currently no evidence of disease in my body. I spent the entire afternoon with close friends, just hanging out and laughing... in a de facto celebration. It was great. This was wonderful news to hear today.

If you now gave me two options- one: to have been healed instantly last November, with no chemo, and to continue to walk in daily life; or two: to take the path I actually did, which involved a miraculous healing over six months of painful chemo, with all the ups and downs included, new experiences it brought, with all its fears, comforts, and lessons learned along the way... I would still, today, choose the latter without hesitation.

The trade-off is clear and compelling. It was a great path to take and I am eternally grateful that I have been healed.

A massive dislocation of 'normal' life, but well worth it. All 193 long days... and counting.

Through apparent suffering, my faith has grown immeasurably... and it is still evolving. The dust has not yet settled, so I still do not know the extent of the change that has taken place in me.

But I do know... it's time to LIVE.

DAY 192: Looking forward to DAY 193...

Tomorrow I will get my scan results. This will be a huge milestone to confirm that the treatment was successful and we've turned the page from treatment to 'maintenance' mode.

My hair has continued to come in... including whiskers (half-beard, still!), eyelashes, eyebrows, and scalp peach fuzz. I didn't anticipate that such a minor change would carry such a big weight: I look at myself and don't see myself as a recent cancer patient; rather, I see myself as a normal, healthy dude with a really short summer buzz cut. It's a nice change.

Still not able to play softball, due to those darn weak legs... but I am close -- I can feel it!

Update tomorrow after the Emory visit!