On January 14, 2021, I was diagnosed with cancer, multiple myeloma to be exact. There is no cure, but it can be put into remission, which it is now. When I was first diagnosed with cancer, I thought I was a dead man, but I didn’t understand the path I would walk.

I underwent many tests, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and a bone marrow transplant. I endured a blocked bowel, being poked and prodded, getting x-rayed, having gallons of blood taken, long stays in the hospital, and being isolated from family and friends for several months. Cancer challenges a person physically and mentally through its effects and side effects. Unless cancer has affected you, you do not know what it's like from diagnosis to treatment to post treatment.

There is no right or wrong way to live with cancer because it affects everyone differently, but staying positive is important. That is easier said than done at times. There are good days, and there are bad days. Being optimistic brings a better quality of life. The words “If He brings you to it, He’ll help you through it,” which I found on a white board in the hospital’s transplant unit, have encouraged me and given me motivation to keep going.

We need to be cheerful and have a sense of humor. If we didn’t laugh, we would do nothing but cry. My youngest son said to me one day, “You are heavy into taking drugs, you just got three tattoos (for alignment of radiation treatments), you have stopped going to church (because of my immune system), and you drink a lot (staying hydrated). Are you happy with the life choices you’ve been making lately?” Then we laughed.

From diagnosis to remission, I’ve wondered if and when the cancer will return. I will be on chemo medication for the rest of my life, if I choose. I will also do everything I can to be as healthy as I can. I exercise as much as possible as part of my process of living with and recovering from cancer.

I have a good support network of family and friends. These people lift my spirits and give me a big HUG when I need one. They are there when I need someone to listen to me with love, and understanding. There are many angels with us, but my greatest angel consented to marry me in 1973!

The war that was and is still going on is real. It is a constant fight both physically and emotionally. Basketball Coach Jim Valvano of North Carolina State said, prior to his passing away, “We are starting the Jimmy V Foundation for cancer research. And its motto is, ‘Don’t give up. Don’t ever give up.’ And that's what I'm going to try to do every minute that I have left. I will thank God for the day and the moment I have.”

Well said!