Friends, today I have a simple request.  I have not asked for much over this past year of hardship in dealing with Shannon's cancer but when I have asked for your help you have been there and I asking for your help one more time.  The help we need today is one of a political nature and one that can cause a lot of anxiety and conflict.  If this ask is too much I truly understand but have one simple request, please no political commentary.  If you can't help just stop reading and move on with you day.   If you can however find your way to take 5 minutes to help us make sure that Shannon has access to the type of insurance she needed to save her life last year and to keep her healthy in the future here is the request. [...]

One year ago I got up early, and said goodbye to my sick wife and headed off to an early morning coffee meeting. It started like most other days, it didn't feel drastically different other than I had to get my meetings and work done prior to heading to the doctor with Shannon at 2:30pm. I met my client for coffee at Espresso Royal on Fairview and Randolph in St Paul, then I headed off to the office. Just 3 days earlier we had a 3 am trip to the ER where we received some conflicting diagnosis and not a lot of information other than "you should see a specialist". So I headed home a little early to help Shannon get ready for the appointment. I remember, she was so sick and weak that it took a lot of effort for her just to get dressed and down to the car. We then headed off to Health Partners specialty clinic in St Paul. At 2:30pm on February 23, 2016 we arrived at the doctor appointment that you never want to go to. I remember many of the details from the appointment but the one that stands out was meeting the doctor. The exact words that were exchanged escape me now but it was something to the effect of "Hello, my name is Dr _______, what I've found isn't good, bad luck."
And with that our lives changed.[...]

Merry Christmas! May the New Year be filled with, health and happiness, love and light.

I thought today would be a fitting day for an update, not only because it is Christmas, it is another milestone. 10 months ago today we sat down with my oncologist and let him know that I wasn't going to accept my diagnosis of Stage IV cancer as a death sentence. I wasn't ready to accept "one year, maybe two" and there would be no more talk of working towards "quality of life" rather than "cure". We let him know that if there was anyone on my care team that didn't think I could make it, they needed to get off of my team asap. My doctor said, "that's what I want to hear, I can work with this".
They threw to works at me, and despite some pretty unpleasant side effects I have come through. An allergic reaction to one of my chemo meeds caused a full anaphylactic episode in November. My most recent surgery, (and hopefully last surgery) was this past Tuesday, thankfully I was released in time to be home for Christmas Eve. The doctors said everything "looks good".
In addition to today's milestone, I want to share the good news, the doctors say I am in "complete remission" This is the best Christmas gift I could ever receive, and the goal of that conversation with by doctor 10 months ago. Believe me, I know how lucky I am.[...]

So 9 months ago Shannon and I sat in a hospital room on the 6th floor at Regions Hospital at about this time of day early to mid morning is when you meet with all the docs.  South 6 at Regions is the ICU and also has the Oncology inpatient rooms.  If you are in that part of the hospital, you are really sick.  At around this time of the morning we were getting the news that she indeed did have cancer and it was a Stage IV Adenocarcinoma.  We both had no idea what that actually meant but when you hear cancer and then Stage IV it like double bad news.  We found out about diagnosis, prognosis(which changed, changed and then changed again) and treatment.  Whatever our lives were before 2/23/2016 was our old lives and we will never be same.[...]

Today I'm dedicating my sunrise to my friend Megan Martin who lost her battle with cancer this past Tuesday. For those who did not know her, Megan was a skilled dancer, welcoming ambassador of Collegiate Shag who has made enduring contributions to the dance, as well as a thoughtful friend, who could light up the room with just a smile.[...]

For those of you who have been through this sort of thing you know what post-surgery is like waiting for pathology reports.  For those of you who haven’t I hope you never have to wait to hear those two words you are hoping to hear. [...]

Just spoke with the surgeon and he said “Everything went fine, there were no complications.”  He was able to remove the tumor and there was no sign that it had spread to any other organs or tissue.  We will have to wait until Thursday to get the pathology on the surrounding lymph nodes. [...]

What to say about day 162?   On February 23rd we were sitting in a hospital room at Regions hospital in St Paul.  Shannon and I sat there knowing in our hearts what the doctors were going to tell us but to actually hear that the words “locally advanced tumor” is not something you can every fully prepare yourself for.  So here I sit alone at The Mayo Clinic in a similar looking hospital room waiting for news of another kind reflecting on the past 161 ½ days.  This day seemed impossible to get to and now that day seems so far away.  And in a way it is.  Shannon and I have traveled a lifetime together in the past 5 months.  Lots and lots of dark hard times, pain, grief, sadness, loss, anger, joy, gratefulness.  Hopeful and hopeless all in the same breath.   [...]

It has been a while since my last post, things have not been going so well and I couldn’t bring myself to write a post filled with nothing with grey clouds. I also needed to post about some sunshine. Since the beginning of June it has been pretty gloomy.[...]

How do you begin to thank someone for extending kindness or generosity?  It is a question I wrestle with every thank you card I write, which seemed a logical start to this post.  Sometimes the thank you that would seem the easiest to write proves the most difficult.  And the post that would seem to flow out of me the most challenging.  How do I repay the kindness and generosity I have been shown since my cancer diagnosis? [...]