“Cancer didn’t make me a warrior.”
This came to me on a ride in December.
You have to be a warrior before the sound of gun fire or the first spear is thrown.
Your battle doesn’t make you a warrior. You battle because you are one already.
These gloves… man, they’ve been through it. The nosebleeds from my treatment, often come out of nowhere. Imagine the sight… 270lb tattooed, bearded ginger in spandex rolling at 21mph on a bike that weighs less than his ear lobes, with globs of Kleenex hanging out of both noses and blood covered American flag gloves. It’s happened…. Often since I started treatment. Wash the gloves, and more blood. But, that’s part of the game. That’s part of the journey.
The learning curve has been wild. Learning what my body can do today and then tossing it out, relearning again tomorrow. With this, I’ve had to keep my eyes pointed FORWARD. Away from the enemy. I’m out running the enemy, I know I am, so it’s needless to look back.
These blood soaked gloves are going on my wall, because we just turned a chapter.
After 9 months of chemo, 20 rounds of chemo, (and almost 2000 miles of cycling while under treatment), we didn’t quit pushing. 9 months with no solid long term plan from the medical side. We found ways to endure longer and continue on. Sometimes, you have to take the wheel and make your own plan.
Last week, I was approved by the surgical oncology board at Allegheny Health in Pittsburgh to have a procedure done, that if effective would leave me cancer free when I wake up. The cancer has been receptive to “first line” treatment (all sites have reduced in size) and have shown zero growth or spread over the 9 months. For this, they’ve agreed to plan on removing the tumors entirely via surgery.
We’re locked in for some dates in April (almost 1 year to the day from my original diagnosis) and they say they want me in the best physical and mental shape possible going into it. So that’s where I’ll be.
Thank you for the love and support. I’m posting this because you guys have kept me with my foot on the gas. Thank you.
“All I want to do is the most.” - @macmiller
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