So, I am sitting here, and thinking of how I felt 10 years ago...it was the night before my surgery for Prostate Cancer on Tuesday, August 3, 2004....I taught class on that Monday, had a great group support from my students, I promised them I would be back on the mat in a couple of weeks, which I did, but due to several complications, I was unable to teach, but I was on the mat...I was concerned about the unknown then, what this surgery would do to me, and my family, both at home and dojo...and how and what I would feel like...nervous but committed to beating the cancer inside me...and getting it out of my body...the surgery I chose to have, a robotic laproscopic prostatectomy, was supposed to be 3 hours or so, but he had never worked on a big, strong, and stubborn 51 yr old Irishman like me..so it was 10 hours long... and they kept me anesthetized for 24 hours, as they had trouble putting the breathing tube in me...my wife and kids had never seen me in the hospital before, and never sedated like that, with tubing and all connected to machines..must have been scary for them...and when I awoke and heard what day it was, I reached down to see if all of my parts were still attached.....had no idea why it was Wednesday, when I went in on Tuesday...and when I was released, the 7 days of being catheterized dragged on for 23 days..... not at all what I had hoped for...but I survived...and then the pneumonia from all that anesthesia....but I survived....and I am still alive and still kicking....a very heartfelt thanks to my family for being who they are....and to my friends and students who I also call family....your support and well wishes mean more to me than I can ever express.....I learned many years ago that humor can get you through the hard times, and I used it often to get through this episode in my life....and I look forward to using it to get through anything else, because what is life without laughter.....to all my friends and family...the important thing I learned is to enjoy life as it comes to you, and if you can laugh at the scary hard times, the rest is easy.......stay safe , and thanks for being....you. You make my life what it is, an incredible ride !!
Posted on: Sun, 03 Aug 2014 03:51:27 +0000
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