UPDATE JANUARY 23RD 2006

Well, I was just looking at my blog. Its been some time since I sat down and took a look at the last year. Wow what a year it was. Here in about two weeks or 12 days Im going to give myself a well deserved vacation. Myself and Amy, Todd and Tami, my friend Tim and his wife Michelle are sailing away on a 7 day cruise to the Western Caribbean. Sun, Cold Beer, Blue water, and white sand....One of the many things I learned is that you have to take advantage of the time you have. Enjoy life.. You still have the chance to be what you always wanted to be and to do all you ever wanted to do....I think I will be a beach bum for a week.

JANUARY 9TH 2006 UPDATE

Have not posted much lately and thought I would just give a little post treatment update for those still following along.

I guess that sometimes survivng cancer can be just as big as adjustment as being diagnosed. There are a lot of people that struggle even after the battle has been won. Im lucky that everything has gone pretty well.

I can say sometimes life was much easier when I was fighting cancer. I know thats sounds weird but its true. All you think about is beating cancer and all the people around you. You dont think about work, bills, all those little things in life. Its all about living. You know I talked a lot about how people who never experienced being diagnosed with a life threatning disease could not understand how much we all take life for granted. Im not sure that a person that has been diagnosed still fully understands it.

I guess what Im saying is certain events just cant make it happen. Its still up to you to make the choices. Easier said than done. I have struggled with a lot of things in the past few years. Divorce, not seeing my girls as much, ex-wife, ex-wives boyfriend, financial stability, cancer.

Sure I have no control over a lot of what has happened but I do have control of how I handle these things that have happened. I guess I expected I would come out of this fight and everything else would fall into place but it didnt. The struggles in life are still there. My divorce has been a cancer in my life I fight it everyday. It amazing how I can let the actions of two people affect my life more than a disease in my own body. Thats the point we should'nt.
We must forgive people for there wrongs, not for them, but for ourselves. Its time to leave that behind and celebrate whats ahead.

In the end you can have everything in the world thrown at you, and can spend the rest of your life unhappy blaming the people that throw this stuff, or you can beat it and go on.

I guess cancer has taught me something. It just took a while for it to sink in.

FELLOW HODGKINS FIGHTER LOSES BATTLE JANUARY 2ND 2006

Today I learned that Rickie-Lee a 20 Yoa fellow Hodgkins fighter lost her battle with Hodgkins Lymphoma. Although I never met her I did communicate through email several times on a Lymphoma website where people with Lymphoma share info ref to the disease.

Just 10 days ago she had posted info on site and seemed to be doing ok. The cancer had spread to her lungs.

Prayers to all her family. Below is her website...

http://angelrickielee.blogdns.com/