{"id":2529,"date":"2025-11-07T23:25:01","date_gmt":"2025-11-08T04:25:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/walkingdeadman.com\/?p=2529"},"modified":"2025-11-07T23:25:01","modified_gmt":"2025-11-08T04:25:01","slug":"raw","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/walkingdeadman.com\/index.php\/2025\/11\/07\/raw\/","title":{"rendered":"RAW"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Almost mid-November, and I was supposed to be enrolled in another clinical trial. I think I wrote something about that before, yeah, I did. But right now, I don\u2019t have to see my urologist again until January. He just checked my bladder and said everything looks clear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Because I\u2019m still on my lymphoma medication, I can\u2019t participate in the trial, and I can\u2019t come off those pills. So instead, I\u2019m just keeping faith that God is doing what\u2019s right for me. For a while, I thought the clinical trial was the way to go; after all, I\u2019ve been through two of them already over these ten years. But I realize now that my journey isn\u2019t about the next medical move, it\u2019s about faith, purpose, and trust in His plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">My faith is undeniable. I truly believe I\u2019m here for a reason. Over the years, I\u2019ve seen the lives of people I\u2019ve known and cared about take different turns, some no longer here, others facing their own battles. And yet, I\u2019m still standing. That tells me something, that I have a message to give. Maybe that\u2019s why I write, to share that message through poetry, through faith, through the stories that come straight from my spirit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I\u2019ve come to see myself as a balancing act on the edge of infinity. I could go one way or the other, but right now, I remain in perfect balance, right where God wants me to be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Peace and blessings!<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"870\" height=\"1157\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/walkingdeadman.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/IMG_8643.jpeg?resize=870%2C1157&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2432\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/walkingdeadman.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/IMG_8643.jpeg?w=1290&amp;ssl=1 1290w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/walkingdeadman.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/IMG_8643.jpeg?resize=226%2C300&amp;ssl=1 226w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/walkingdeadman.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/IMG_8643.jpeg?resize=770%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 770w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/walkingdeadman.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/IMG_8643.jpeg?resize=768%2C1022&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/walkingdeadman.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/IMG_8643.jpeg?resize=1155%2C1536&amp;ssl=1 1155w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 870px) 100vw, 870px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"870\" height=\"1157\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/walkingdeadman.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/IMG_8643.jpeg?resize=870%2C1157&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2432\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/walkingdeadman.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/IMG_8643.jpeg?w=1290&amp;ssl=1 1290w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/walkingdeadman.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/IMG_8643.jpeg?resize=226%2C300&amp;ssl=1 226w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/walkingdeadman.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/IMG_8643.jpeg?resize=770%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 770w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/walkingdeadman.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/IMG_8643.jpeg?resize=768%2C1022&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/walkingdeadman.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/IMG_8643.jpeg?resize=1155%2C1536&amp;ssl=1 1155w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 870px) 100vw, 870px\" \/><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Almost mid-November, and I was supposed to be enrolled in another clinical trial. I think I wrote something about that before, yeah, I did. But right now, I don\u2019t have to see my urologist again until January. He just checked [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2529","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-living-life-with-cancer"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/s8zBYf-raw","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2578,"url":"https:\/\/walkingdeadman.com\/index.php\/2026\/07\/16\/growing-faith\/","url_meta":{"origin":2529,"position":0},"title":"growing faith","author":"Michael","date":"July 16, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"my faith is so stronglook in the mirror to seenow ever growing then what shall i do?live without having belief?i do not think so! cancer taught me howi see beauty everywheremy eyes are opened so i ride my bikeand lift my head to the skynow i see farther now i\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Living life with cancer!&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Living life with cancer!","link":"https:\/\/walkingdeadman.com\/index.php\/category\/living-life-with-cancer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/walkingdeadman.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/IMG_8809.jpeg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/walkingdeadman.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/IMG_8809.jpeg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/walkingdeadman.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/IMG_8809.jpeg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/walkingdeadman.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/IMG_8809.jpeg?resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/walkingdeadman.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/IMG_8809.jpeg?resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":198,"url":"https:\/\/walkingdeadman.com\/index.php\/2017\/07\/05\/15-recapitulation\/","url_meta":{"origin":2529,"position":1},"title":"Recapitulation!","author":"Michael","date":"July 5, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Since I'm now just beginning my 3rd year of treatment something occurred to me. \u00a0Mind you, I'm still here through the grace of God but it goes much deeper than that. The simple fact is that I've made it this far in my life\u00a0only through the grace of God! There\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Living life with cancer!&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Living life with cancer!","link":"https:\/\/walkingdeadman.com\/index.php\/category\/living-life-with-cancer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":2594,"url":"https:\/\/walkingdeadman.com\/index.php\/2026\/09\/13\/nature-of-the-game\/","url_meta":{"origin":2529,"position":2},"title":"nature of the game","author":"Michael","date":"September 13, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"in life i tread lightlyi say my prayers nightlynothing is ever the same my days i live brightlyeach thing i do rightlysuch is the nature of the game to love so mightilyit means so much to mepins and needles in my brain so i always tread lightlywhile speaking eruditelyliving with\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Living life with cancer!&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Living life with cancer!","link":"https:\/\/walkingdeadman.com\/index.php\/category\/living-life-with-cancer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/walkingdeadman.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/IMG_8643.jpeg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/walkingdeadman.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/IMG_8643.jpeg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/walkingdeadman.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/IMG_8643.jpeg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/walkingdeadman.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/IMG_8643.jpeg?resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/walkingdeadman.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/IMG_8643.jpeg?resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2572,"url":"https:\/\/walkingdeadman.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/29\/eleven-years\/","url_meta":{"origin":2529,"position":3},"title":"ELEVEN YEARS!","author":"Michael","date":"June 29, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Eleven years ago today, I received what I believed at the time was a death sentence: Stage IV lung cancer. It was not. Ironically, I walked out of that doctor\u2019s office with my head held high. But as I turned the corner and began the quarter-mile walk home\u2026 the tears\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Living life with cancer!&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Living life with cancer!","link":"https:\/\/walkingdeadman.com\/index.php\/category\/living-life-with-cancer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/walkingdeadman.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/IMG_6476-scaled.jpeg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/walkingdeadman.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/IMG_6476-scaled.jpeg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/walkingdeadman.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/IMG_6476-scaled.jpeg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/walkingdeadman.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/IMG_6476-scaled.jpeg?resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/walkingdeadman.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/IMG_6476-scaled.jpeg?resize=1050%2C600 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/walkingdeadman.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/IMG_6476-scaled.jpeg?resize=1400%2C800 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2574,"url":"https:\/\/walkingdeadman.com\/index.php\/2026\/07\/03\/talking-only-to-the-wind\/","url_meta":{"origin":2529,"position":4},"title":"talking only to the wind","author":"Michael","date":"July 3, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"when riding in the parktalking only to the windi require no voice to answerquestions that live within how many sunrises are left?how will my surgery go?what is next to see?will the seeds i\u2019ve planted grow? though grateful, purpose i still craveas time spins toward this waiting graveforever waning while i\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Living life with cancer!&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Living life with cancer!","link":"https:\/\/walkingdeadman.com\/index.php\/category\/living-life-with-cancer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/walkingdeadman.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/IMG_9024-scaled.jpeg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/walkingdeadman.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/IMG_9024-scaled.jpeg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/walkingdeadman.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/IMG_9024-scaled.jpeg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/walkingdeadman.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/IMG_9024-scaled.jpeg?resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/walkingdeadman.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/IMG_9024-scaled.jpeg?resize=1050%2C600 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/walkingdeadman.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/IMG_9024-scaled.jpeg?resize=1400%2C800 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2547,"url":"https:\/\/walkingdeadman.com\/index.php\/2026\/03\/29\/the-blog-lives-again\/","url_meta":{"origin":2529,"position":5},"title":"The Blog Lives Again!","author":"Michael","date":"March 29, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"After some time away, I discovered something surprising. Without realizing it, my blog site had been down since December 4, 2025 \u2014 which also happened to be the date of my last post. As a matter of fact, I eventually discovered that the entire site had actually been deleted. That\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Living life with cancer!&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Living life with cancer!","link":"https:\/\/walkingdeadman.com\/index.php\/category\/living-life-with-cancer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/walkingdeadman.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/IMG_9024-scaled.jpeg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/walkingdeadman.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/IMG_9024-scaled.jpeg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/walkingdeadman.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/IMG_9024-scaled.jpeg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/walkingdeadman.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/IMG_9024-scaled.jpeg?resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/walkingdeadman.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/IMG_9024-scaled.jpeg?resize=1050%2C600 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/walkingdeadman.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/IMG_9024-scaled.jpeg?resize=1400%2C800 4x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/walkingdeadman.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2529","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/walkingdeadman.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/walkingdeadman.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/walkingdeadman.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/walkingdeadman.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2529"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/walkingdeadman.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2529\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2530,"href":"https:\/\/walkingdeadman.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2529\/revisions\/2530"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/walkingdeadman.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2529"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/walkingdeadman.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2529"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/walkingdeadman.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2529"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}