Part 9: Still Kicking

This is part 9 of my blog series. If you haven’t read the previous parts in the series, it is best to start with part one, Daddy’s dying.

Looks like it has been over a year since I checked in here. It is now January 2024. Not only am I still kicking 11 years post diagnosis of Stage IV Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumors, I am still thriving!

One year ago we moved into a cute little rental house in a cute small mountain town called Brevard, NC. We literally live on Main Street in a hundred-year-old home with a white picket fence. We often walk into town, two blocks away. I’ve never lived in a place where I can walk into town. I get my hair cut by a barber on main street with one of those rotating stripped poles outside. We go to the movies in a theater that only shows one movie at a time. We have really enjoyed small-town life this past year. But what we love most about this area is we live in the mountains. Within 20 minutes we can be driving up a mountain. My son and I hike twice a week either enjoying beautiful Blue Ridge Mountain views or one of the 250 nearby waterfalls.

Also, my daughter Taylor did end up getting married in 2023 in Idaho! There was a time, given this cancer, when I assumed I could never live to walk my daughter down the aisle on her wedding day. Certainly the doctors didn’t see me living 11 years, let alone be thriving. How fortunate I am!

My focus has been more along the spiritual line, exploring with an open mind everything from presence to the “law of attraction”, manifestation, meditation, soul contracts, previous lives, multi-verse, etc. This really has nothing to do with the cancer, which I give little thought to, if it is indeed still there. It is about life, why we are here and where we are going and how I am meant to live. One thing I keep in mind, at least for me, is this lesson I’ve learned: love is greater than any doctrine, religious or political.

Another lesson worth mentioning this time that is important spiritually and medically and for pretty much every part of life is to have an open mind. I think it’s hard to go wrong with an open-minded attitude and you never know what you will find.

Onward to 2024. Life awaits!

Lessons Learned:

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1: Focus on finding out what cancer you have before thinking about cutting it out.

2: Do not let them rush you. Take your time and make good decisions.

3: Trust your instincts. Don’t be afraid to do something different than your doctor suggests.

4: Take time to find a specialist, especially if you have a rare condition.

5: Learn and get support from other patients going through what you are going through.

6: Question if the medications are necessary. Is there some alternative? Consider the cause of the condition and see if there is anything that can be done to address the cause rather than treat the symptoms.

7: Doctors are not God. They do not fully understand how the human body works and often are focused only on their specific area of expertise.

8: Do not rely solely on doctors. Take control of your own healthcare.

9: It is important as a cancer patient to have something in the future to work towards, despite the cancer

10: The body is a self-healing machine. Help it heal.

11: What you eat is important in your healing. Be open to different ways of thinking about what a healthy diet is.

12: Don’t wait. Live life to the fullest while you can!

13: Learn to recognize when stress is impacting your body and learn how to de-stress.

14: Love is greater than any doctrine, religious or political.

15: Keep an open mind, about everything!

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Coming next in the series: TBD

Disclaimer: I am not a physician nor any kind of healthcare worker. Nothing I say should be taken as medical advice. I will simply tell my story for my particular situation and hope you will get something out of it.