A Personal Post.

Subscribers may have noticed a recent uptick of postings to this blog (www.oregonhousing.blogspot.com). To some extent that was in anticipation of the likelihood that I will need to scale back my postings in the coming months.

The short version of “why?” ... I have newly diagnosed lymphatic cancer of the neck and chest and will be starting chemotherapy the first week of November, with a current scheduled completion date of sometime next March.

The long version…..Out of the blue In September I found a lump on my neck.After a biopsy [a polite way of saying the doc cut into my right neck and removed lymph nodes ] and several scans over the last month the diagnosis is that I have lymphatic cancer. The treatment is a beefed up chemotherapy called R-CHOP with radiation therapy perhaps thrown in afterwards for good measure. [With scans to date, future scans, and possible radiation I may glow enough to light my own Christmas tree by the time this is done].

Therapy will start in early November, and will likely continue until March. The “cure” or “remission” rate for this type and stage of cancer can vary widely for a person of my age , as can the adverse effects of chemo.

I have spent the last couple of months undergoing various tests and medical procedures and scans, reviewing treatment options and complications and completing a will and advance medical directive that I was hoping to put off for quite some time.

Prior to my 60th birthday in January, this is not the way I would have chosen to begin my retirement. I have never had a major health problem until now, so in that respect I have been very lucky. I hope that luck continues, and I intend to do my part to give myself the best chance I can to be a cancer survivor.

Health permitting, I do expect to continue to make at least occasional postings to this blog, if for no other reason than as therapy and to keep my spirits up through the winter months. While I will be protecting against infections, I will on occasion be out and about, so keep an eye out for with me with my likely new “bald brotherhood” look.

Some of the few positives of having cancer are a greater connection to the personal struggles we all face during the course of our lives, and the renewed importance of making each day count.

I am thankful that I was able to enjoy most of the last two summers away from work--until this happened I was enjoying retirement a lot. I very much hope to have several more summers and years in which to enjoy that retirement.

(Feel free to pass this post along to others who you think may know me and have an interest).

TC