Today is Thanksgiving, and I think a short statement is in order. I hadn't planned to post much more on this site, but seeing as it's been a couple years, I thought I'd give an update, for any latecomers to the story. I have a great deal to be Thankful for.
I've been free from any signs of Lymphoma for the past couple of years. Nothing shows up on PET scans, no issues in the blood work. As they say in the business, there's NED - No Evidence of Disease. All in all, I think I'm as healthy as I was before the chemo and transplant. The docs don't use the terms 'remission' or 'cured', but for all intents and purposes I think I'm there. I turned 40 a few weeks ago, which was fun. Getting older, there are plenty of aches and pains that come up every day, but that's just life.
Since my last post, I've been pretty busy. Work and the kids keep me very busy, as do day-t0-day events at home. My family is well, and the girls are growing like weeds. My wife is as beautiful as ever, and continues to be a support and inspiration. Frankly, I don't see how one person can manage as much as she does.
I'm still homebrewing - I have a couple of batches in the basement. A porter, an oak porter, and an american brown.
I'm still growing mushrooms, but have had limited success this year. Shiitake and Oyster mushrooms did less well than I'd have expected, and there was nothing from the Hedgehog (Lion's mane) I'd put in last year. I'll probably need to modify my technique. Fortunately a large tree came down in the back yard, which will provide me with plenty of substrate for future batches of mushrooms (not to mention firewood).
I've taken up mountain biking with the help of my friends and relatives. It's a great passtime, but requires a lot of skill, balance, and strength - none of which am I naturally endowed with. I think of it as an opportunity for self improvement - and a chance to test my ability to heal following my numerous crashes.
One of my happiest achievements of the past couple of years is my completion of a marathon a couple of weeks ago. I ran at the Richmond marathon, which for those of you who don't follow running, is 26.2 miles. It was incredible. The weather was perfect, the people were so supportive and friendly, and, above all, the course was great. It took us past the old haunts of my youth. It was especially great to sprint past monuments that I was only able to walk around a couple of years ago, during my stay in for the transplant. I beat my planned time, and just by the numbers, did pretty well.
I've been free from any signs of Lymphoma for the past couple of years. Nothing shows up on PET scans, no issues in the blood work. As they say in the business, there's NED - No Evidence of Disease. All in all, I think I'm as healthy as I was before the chemo and transplant. The docs don't use the terms 'remission' or 'cured', but for all intents and purposes I think I'm there. I turned 40 a few weeks ago, which was fun. Getting older, there are plenty of aches and pains that come up every day, but that's just life.
Since my last post, I've been pretty busy. Work and the kids keep me very busy, as do day-t0-day events at home. My family is well, and the girls are growing like weeds. My wife is as beautiful as ever, and continues to be a support and inspiration. Frankly, I don't see how one person can manage as much as she does.
I'm still homebrewing - I have a couple of batches in the basement. A porter, an oak porter, and an american brown.
I'm still growing mushrooms, but have had limited success this year. Shiitake and Oyster mushrooms did less well than I'd have expected, and there was nothing from the Hedgehog (Lion's mane) I'd put in last year. I'll probably need to modify my technique. Fortunately a large tree came down in the back yard, which will provide me with plenty of substrate for future batches of mushrooms (not to mention firewood).
I've taken up mountain biking with the help of my friends and relatives. It's a great passtime, but requires a lot of skill, balance, and strength - none of which am I naturally endowed with. I think of it as an opportunity for self improvement - and a chance to test my ability to heal following my numerous crashes.
One of my happiest achievements of the past couple of years is my completion of a marathon a couple of weeks ago. I ran at the Richmond marathon, which for those of you who don't follow running, is 26.2 miles. It was incredible. The weather was perfect, the people were so supportive and friendly, and, above all, the course was great. It took us past the old haunts of my youth. It was especially great to sprint past monuments that I was only able to walk around a couple of years ago, during my stay in for the transplant. I beat my planned time, and just by the numbers, did pretty well.
Gun Time: 3:44:57
Place: 750
Place in Sex: 605
Place: 750
Place in Sex: 605
Place in Age Group:85
Age Group Division: M40-44
I have a great deal to be thankful for, and the above is only the icing on the cake.
