The Night Before

Welcome to my blog!  I don't really know what to say in this initial entry.  It makes me think back to the days of when I would write a term paper.  I would spend as much time writing the two paragraph introduction as I would writing the entire ten page body of the paper.  It's also why I hated dating - first dates were so much more work and effort than all the other dates that came after it.  Which is why I proposed to Florence after we had been dating for only six months.  Besides the fact that I was (and still am) completely in love with her, I was sick of dating, wanted to move past the introduction and couldn't wait to get started on our life together (the meat of the paper).  So, it's highly ironic that my blog begins tonight, on January 2, as Florence and I celebrate the five year anniversary of our engagement...

My blog begins tonight because tomorrow is my first session of chemotherapy.  On November 16th, I was diagnosed with testicular cancer in my right testicle.  On December 3rd, the right testicle was surgically removed.  On December 21st, I was told that that the testicular cancer had spread to an isolated nodule on my lung.  And, on January 3rd, I begin chemotherapy that will hopefully destroy that nodule and eliminate any microscopic traces of the cancer.  My prognosis is excellent, and I fully expect to receive a clean bill of health within the next couple of months.  But, for now, and until then, I have cancer and I must deal with the impact of that proclamation.  For the foreseeable future, I will use this blog to chronicle my thoughts, my experiences and my random side stories.  Tomorrow, I'll be back to talk about the chemotherapy treatment and my thoughts on my first day of chemo...