First, I want to say "Thank You" to everyone.
Secondly, if you have any symptoms, have them checked out.
And, if there's a history in your family, as there was in mine, have a heightened sense of awareness and begin the routine testing process early, long before symptoms can manifest themselves.
Don't be afraid of the results and the diagnosis.
You can deal with both.
Give yourself and your family the best gift you can, vigilance and aggressive follow up/through
Michael Moss,
I ran into Nathaniel Crosby this past Thanksgiving and mentioned that our dads were paired together in the 1940 U.S. Amateur. You may recall that he wore his dad's medal around his neck when he won the U.S. Amateur at Olympic.
I forwarded a photo to him shortly after his victory, but, he misplaced it. I told him that I would send another copy, and Neil's posting reminded me that I'm long overdue in that endeavor.
Tom Huckaby,
He and every other scholarship athlete should be thrown out of school for being arrested for possession. When the NBA's drug testing program doesn't test for Marijuana, it sends the wrong signal, and you know that they've got their priorities poorly arranged.
As to Sand Hills, every patient reacts differently to the chemo-drugs. I was one of those rare patients who still experienced adverse side affects long after the chemo treatments stopped. I was also one of the very, very rare patients who wanted to remain on chemo after the treatment program ended. I thought it would act as an additional safety net and I was willing to take the consequences, despite approaching the point of toxicity.
During chemo it was very painful to walk. The bottoms of my feet were incredibly sensitive.
I had to put a two inch sponge pad on the shower floor because it was too painful to stand on the tile bottom.
When I was at Sand Hills the bottoms of my feet were still highly sensitive and it was very painful to walk. Maybe that's why I'm so aware of the walks from green to tee and from tee to fairway at Sand Hills. There was something very comforting about sitting back and putting my feet up on the rails on Ben's Porch, and it wasn't just the view, food, drink and company.
Paul Thomas,
My life changed dramatically, in one second.
From living a good life to fighting for survival and all that that encompases. No matter how well we take care of ourselves, it helps being lucky and appreciating the things we have, especially family and good friends.
JES II,
Fortunately, my desire to engage in the activities associated with reproduction remained strong throughout my ordeal.
My wife has indicated that if I want more children, I'll have to find a new, younger wife. She also told me that when things stop working, she's shipping me back to an old girlfriend who keeps callling. She was spectacular throughout my ordeal.
I believe that the process is harder on family members, who are helpless to do anything other than observe, than it is on the patient. That's why I tried to hide most things from my family, I didn't want them to worry or get upset.
TEPaul,
That was an age of "elegance", and you're correct, my dad did have two more blissful years before I complicated his life.
We had a unique and special relationship.
When I gave his Eulogy, I mentioned that I lost my best friend, my partner, my teacher, my biggest critic, my biggest supporter, my golfing buddy and my father, all in one.
I think of him often and wish he were still here.