Yet, the Battle Continues

 

January 2019

This picture was taken five years ago. I had just begun a 33 week stay in Princess Margaret Cancer Center.

The first of many stays.

I looked so old.

As the song says, “I was so much older then. I’m younger than that now.”

To think of all I have survived since then just blows my mind.

Look at this next picture.

Taken a few weeks after my spleen literally exploded. Causing me to bleed out, be resuscitated and spend yet another spell on life support (yes, again!)

The battle was catching up to me.

The two cancers, losing my gallbladder, my lymph nodes, my hearing, my teeth, the use of a kidney, a part of my bowel and the numerous other afflictions that challenged my will to survive tested me to my limits and beyond.

Not to mention the abdominal abscess that led to my dropping out, being resuscitated, then being on life support (again!).

 I had an enormous abscess growing within and it almost took my life. Thankfully, it began to surface at my gastrointestinal feeding tube sight and alerted the doctors in time

Then there were all the other ailments that I overcame.

Despite the pain.

Knowing that positivity was my only hope of survival, I considered each new battle to be merely steps along this path we call “life“.

I refused to accept my diagnosis of death being eminent within six to eight weeks.

By the way, over sixty weeks has since passed.

I knew that my time was not then.

I have survived.

“Old Man With The ‘C'”                              A Cancerous Walk With Dann

Physically I am half the man I used to be. Mentally, I have exceeded past the fear of death and the darkness of depression.

I went down to a scary 67 pounds. Losing 100 pounds in 3 months. It would take 4 years to gain it back.

I have risen above that storm cloud of life and, even though the battle still rages, I fear not dying.

I fear only not trying.