instead of being a time of joy and celebration, my sixtieth birthday became the turning point of my life! four months later, i was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer, and i could tell from my primary care doctor avoiding my eyes that this wasn’t good.
after going through the five stages of grief, i decided to approach life differently. i started to truly see the magnitude of the beauty surrounding me each and every day!
i began to ride again.
i had stopped bike riding in 1996. then came 2017, and i was back on the road. but bike riding this time around was a completely unique and exhilarating experience for me. i found myself being drawn closer and closer to the early mornings.
i knew that with my diagnosis, my sunrises were finite, and i didn’t want to miss any.
but it was not just the sunrises… my whole worldview had changed! i took notice of everything within my sight.
then came the physical changes.
my rides got longer and longer. now i’m doing 25 miles each time i ride! and it’s not the mileage, but the freedom i feel from my diagnosis!
2019 arrives.
September, i ring the bell. after years of treatment, i was finally free from it!
a breath of fresh air and a weight off my shoulders.
seven months of freedom.
and then…
out of the left field bleachers…
wham!
mantle cell lymphoma in April 2020.
at first, i believed the lung cancer had metastasized and that my life would soon be over. i did not ask. i just numbly went through the motions.
time passes…
treatment continues…
i keep riding and witnessing sunrises…
life goes on!
then, in 2025, i had a tumor removed from my bladder. no treatment because of my mantle cell treatment.
now i prepare for a cystoscopy next week. if my urologist sees that the tumor has returned, i will undergo my second bladder surgery.
i say all this because now i know who i am.
and i can tell you in one sentence…
i am a man who holds faith dear, i am a man who is resilient, and i am a man who will always rise when knocked down!
peace and blessings!
Leave a Reply