From diagnosis to my recovery today, 4 1/2 months have transpired. In that time, we've gone through chemotherapy, radiation, many tests, a 10hr surgery and now we're winding down with a positive recovery period. This blog was titled "time to climb" in reference to rising above all this, overcoming these difficult, but not monumental challenges - it also shared meaning with some of my favorite hobbies - flying and mtn biking. "Time to climb" is a decision, one that can be selected each time life throws another obstacle in front of you.
At the end of every climb, comes the well-earned descent, whether losing altitude for a landing at our destination or cresting the mountain to find the sweetest singletrack trail to take us home, every climb is rewarded. As I look back on this recent climb, it was not without difficulty at times, but never did I find myself in a position that I didn't have the right gear to continue the climb. As a mtn biker, I've always been a fan of the short, technical climbs versus the long, arduous ones that continue on for miles. So I learned a great deal of patience on this climb, especially in the hospital. Good results are worth the wait. As with many of my epic rides, there was so much to take away from this journey. The outpouring of love, the shear number of people supporting me, concern from so many places I would never have expected - all of these added to my journey, to my climb, making the experience more rewarding. Know that your support - the prayers, emails, positive thoughts, therapy rides, texts, phone calls, cards, gifts - no matter how small to you, served as a significant motivating factor to me, when I needed it most. I knew I had many people to succeed for, too many to fail in front of - hence my focus through this.
I've heard the phrase "God works in mysterious ways", but I'm not a believer. There is no mystery to this - He never gave me more than I could handle and tested my faith through all of this. I hope He is proud of how I responded, never once questioning his motives or his plan. I accepted it and set out to do all that I could do to affect a positive outcome. There is indescribable peace that you feel when you consent to follow His plan, a peace that adjusts your outlook to the challenges ahead. It was this peace that made my journey through chemo, radiation and surgery appear easy to many of you. I placed my trust in Him and my stress and anxiety were almost nonexistent.
As this is my final blog, I wanted to give you an update on my condition. My cancer responded very well to the entire treatment plan. The chemo/radiation done before surgery successfully reduced the tumor and eradicated any cancer cells in the region targeted. The surgery removed 2/3 of my esophagus and 1/3 of my stomach to insure they removed any affected areas around the tumor. These were then successfully reconnected and the final results will be determined this Thursday, at which time I may part with my feeding tube - try not eating or drinking for THREE weeks! Hey, but I'm down to a svelte 180lbs!! C'mon - there had to be some benefit to cancer treatment :) Once the feeding tube is removed, I'll return to life as it was pre-cancer. So we're excited to be at this point. I will be tested every 6 months for the first 2 years and once a year after that to insure there is no change to my cancer-free status. No fears here - God's got it!
When I look back on this journey, specifically the day of the diagnosis on Christmas Eve, I never expected what I got. Through chemo & radiation, I never missed a day of work, rode my bike 3x per week and continued on with Ski Patrol. It seemed to last forever, but never had the impact on my body that I expected. Surgery was much longer than initially thought, but to think that within 24 hours after surgery I'd be up walking - well that wasn't expected either. Now to think that in less than 6 months I'd go from diagnosis to living a cancer-free life again....well, let's just call it short of a miracle. I'm so very fortunate for this outcome, but that is the one thing I expected - to be cancer-free again. I had too much going for me for any other result - God, great medical team, family and friends.
WE did it. Thank you with much love!
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