Hope for the best, prepare for the worst. It’s been my motto for quite some time now, and it was exactly what I was doing when I posted my little “goodbye” note to my friends and family on Facebook in August of 2010. At the time, I had been through seven years of one health crisis after the next. I was only 37 years old and had already survived Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, a failed gall bladder and dilated cardiomyopathy. Even though I was incredibly tired, I could never give up hope or stop fighting (I seem to have been born without the “quit” gene). At the same time, I had also come to grips with the very real possibility each new day might be my last – actually, I was pretty sure it would be.
All that has changed over the course of the last year. Since my transplant, I have gone from someone struggling to deal with the effects of cancer and a severely damaged heart, to the picture of health. Since my transplant, I have run a 5K and a half marathon, and now I’m training to compete in triathlons. It has been a completely surreal turn of events.
As hard as I have worked to get to this point, and even with all of the support from my family and friends, none of this would have been possible if it had not been for organizations like the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and their Team In Training. TNT’s fundraising has made it possible for me and countless others to live full and rewarding lives, for which I will always be in their debt. Living with cancer is difficult, and survival is never guaranteed, that’s why I find it so important to celebrate that success. I can’t think of any better way to celebrate that success than a nice run, a good swim, or a long bike ride that raises money for the others that have yet to make it beyond their own experiences with cancer.
If cancer has touched your life, or the life of someone you know, please join me and donate to the fight to find a cure. Take it from me – it’s worth every penny.
Thanks for everything,
D
