The Beginning of It All

"I am two weeks short of my 57th birthday.  For 56.85 years, I have lived a life that has been blessed by God and I am assuming -- because I have a vague understanding of God's sovereignty -- that there is nothing that will threaten this blessing from continuing.  I have a beautiful wife.  We have been married for 31 years.  I have six children, two grandchildren, two sons-in-law, a dog, a cat, and a mortgage.  I am a teacher of students that are in the 7th and 8th grades, an age that causes many of my friends to cringe when they think of how I spend my days.  But they are indeed a spark in my life that make me smile, wonder, and gasp.  At that age, nothing ever happens without exclamation points.  "Play try-outs!"  "Basketball game!"  "Too much homework!"  "Nobody likes me!"  "I hate school!" "I think he likes me!"  Each day is one exclamation point after another.

The school I teach for is a Christian school.  Each family pays tuition for the right to have their children attend the school and then we as Christian teachers have the blessed opportunity to raise these children "...in the discipline and instruction of the Lord"  which sounds scarier than what it is.  The summary of it all is that I love my students, I love my job, I love my school.  You would have to ask my students what they think about me but then you would have to read their blogs.

Last week I was diagnosed with lymphoma, a cancer of the lymph node system.  Middle school students don't scare me, but this has.  Tomorrow I visit the oncologist for the first time after two solid weeks of visiting with other doctors who checked out this and that and whatnot.  Their job was to determine that the bumps that I had noticed in my armpit and my neck were not caused by cancer that may have originated somewhere else in my body.  Those tests proved to be negative (a good word) and so the conclusion is that the cancer is in the lymph nodes.

The purpose of this blog then is to allow those who are curious about my health, my state of mind, and whatever other details I care to throw in.  I intend to keep private what I need to keep private but also I know there are many people who are praying and want to know how I am doing on this journey.  This will be the place to check.

Tomorrow is Oncologist Visit #1.  I meet with my human exclamation points in the morning and then visit the doctor at 2:00 pm.  We hope to find out what type of cancer we are dealing with and the treatment options that will allow me to continue this earthly existence for a few more years or decades."

That was the news from a few days ago.  I am still on the edge of a major battle.  Today was about a Pet Scan, fasting, and being thankful.  My grandson is here with my daughter and her husband.  My grandson is medicine for my soul.

I intend to do my best to write on this blog frequently so that those of you who are concerned for my well-being can stay apprised of things.  I have been overwhelmed by the kind wishes, the meals, the cards, and the prayers that have been realized and offered.  You all are the best.  Keep praying -- next week we get a port and start the chemotherapy.  Bring it!