Tonight I thought I would give Leah a break and take a moment to reflect on the roller coaster ride the last year has been... in full disclosure, she is the English major, so this post will probably be much less eloquent. ;)
I never ever expected to be writing a blog post on my battle with CANcer, much less, this early in my life... although the last year has been brutal, I have grown a lot and conquered a few fears along the way.
First, I am less afraid of needles (but not much). Now, you won't find me hanging out at the blood bank, but I am much more likely to actually go and get my annual flu shot and may actually get my cholesterol checked on a regular basis... neither of which happened before all of this!
Second, my kids now think that I am "Iron Man"... how cool is that!?! Initially, I was hesitant to tell them that I had CANcer, but they have been more encouraging than they will ever know. I still get goose bumps when I hear Braedyn tell his friends that my daddy went through chemo to get "special powers." While special powers may be a stretch, I have found an inner strength that is far greater than I ever knew.
Lastly (and most importantly), my priorities are a lot clearer. Fighting CANcer allowed me to do a lot of (overdue) "soul searching" and for that I am actually grateful. My work/life balance is great and my triathlon training is better than ever. Leah is (not really) loving my latest idea of signing both of us up for a Half Ironman!
So, what a difference a year makes... a year ago, I wasn't sure if my life was over, but now I feel more "alive" than ever! Thank you all so much for your support, encouragement, and motivation over the last 12 months... it takes a village to beat CANcer, and together we can do this!
I am off to brave the barium on Wednesday and then on to see The Ninja on Friday... hoping for a "clean" report!
Allen
