What I am thankful for

Well the holiday season is upon us and today is Black Friday!  I spent the day with my dad shopping local for family gifts and, a pit-stop for some coffee of course.  Although I was on-call at work, I was pretty sure things would be pretty silent for the day as far as work goes.

Yesterday was Thanksgiving and the first for me in three years!  In 2017 I was diagnosed with stage 3c colorectal cancer (CRC) and began September with daily chemotherapy and radiation treatments to shrink my tumor and nuke as many compromised lymph nodes as possible.

I spent October healing up and getting ready for a major surgery to remove as much of my colon and rectum as necessary as well as all 21 lymph nodes.  Halloween sucked because I couldn’t eat any candy, but I still had a blast handing out goodies to all the kids (73) that came to our house.

I then welcomed November knowing I wouldn’t be able to enjoy Thanksgiving dinner as I was just hoping to be home from the hospital by Thanksgiving Day.  Luckily, I made it home just in time for Thanksgiving but could only watch as others partook in the turkey goodness.  O-well, I had just had a successful LAR surgery and was told by my surgeon that it was a completely successful surgery and that I should be thankful just to be going home.  Amen to that!

So, six weeks of healing up led to six months of post-surgical chemotherapy to “clean up” the mess left behind from the surgery and, the fact that I had two (of 21) lymph nodes come back from the lab as cancerous.  Apparently, the chemo and radiation treatments only got 19.

So, by July 2018 I was all done with the post-surgical chemo and we scheduled up the ileostomy reversal surgery for the end of August.  UGH….of course, yet another special moment (my birthday is Aug 26) missed due to cancer.  O-well, again, waking up every morning more than made up for the missed vacations, holidays and birthdays.

By the end of August, I was declared cancer-free (NED).  I didn’t get any special…high-five, bell ringing moment or pat on the back lol… just a call and another appointment scheduled.  I would then begin a regular cycle of colonoscopies, bladder inspections and office rectal exams that would lead anyone to prefer a colonoscopy.

So, this year I finally got to celebrate Thanksgiving (the old-school way)… with turkey and all the trimmings?  Nope, with BBQ meatballs.  I’m still having an issue with tougher meats like whole turkey and steak.  So…for now, meatballs and soft meats it is.  But this year is extra special as I can celebrate with the entire family, help cook and, say grace with a special thanks to the good Lord.

I still believe that I went through ALL that I did for a reason.  And even though I may not know (or understand) why I was allowed to get cancer, go through the WAR and, spend a year and a half in hell, I was certainly THANKFUL for being alive and beating the second deadliest cancer in the US. 

Perhaps it was because I was meant to help others (and I have NO problem with that…obviously) through their journey, or, provide valuable information to caregivers or, help healthcare professionals gain insight into the colorectal cancer community.  Whatever it is, I’m cool with it and, will NEVER question God or blame him for any of my woes.

So this year I am TRULY thankful for SO much and will continue to do whatever I can to help others.  I do have one favor to ask of you however. 

If you are shopping online this year to take advantage of all the great deals, or wanna grab some Black Friday gold or even, need to get a few necessities, please consider supporting this site by going to my Amazonian Super Store by clicking THIS link or by scrolling to the bottom of this page and clicking one of my links which will take you to a TON of Black Friday deals on Amazon.

Or, if you’re thinking about getting yourself a new domain or website before year-end, my web host partner of choice continues to be BlueHost.  They continue to provide top-notch services, website hosting and everything else you need to create a world-class website.

And, if you’re starting a new business (heads up to my consulting clients) in December of 2019, then take advantage of my special deal setting up a new subchapter S Corp, an LLC, a C Corp or even a non-profit org by going to my sponsor’s website, BizFiling. 

And just so you know, I am an affiliate partner with each of these companies and receive a small commission if you choose to purchase an item or two or sign up for web hosting or create (register) your small business.  Oh, and it doesn’t cost you anything extra.

Those commission funds…. although quite small, does go a long way to support this site which raises awareness of colorectal cancer.  That, and I will also donate some of the funds to one of five different CRC nonprofit organizations. 

In December I will be giving to the Colorectal Cancer Coalition of Minneapolis.  Be sure to give them a visit if you can and if they ask, let ‘em know that JR sent you. 

Thanks SO much for your ongoing support and, have yourself a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday and stay safe out there during the Black Friday weekend.  See ya soon!

PS:  I will release a new video this weekend so, stay tuned.