Stay Positive

When you tell someone you have cancer, they usually don't know what to say. Most will say something along the lines of "stay positive." They all know that it's much easier said than done. For me, that is especially true.

Anyone who knows me knows that I'm generally a "glass is half empty" kind of guy. I like to refer to it as being stoic or practical but the reality is its just negative. One of my biggest challenges ahead will be to change this perspective but I know that I must. One thing I plan to do is simply smile more. It sounds silly and trite but smiling makes you feel better. Another thing that I can do is to count my blessings. There are many things that I have to be thankful for and here are some:

• I'm thankful for my wife, Michelle. She has been a rock through this whole ordeal so far. I'm awed at how strong and supportive she's been.
• I'm thankful for my son, Mason. It's amazing how much joy a little boy can bring with just the simplest things like hearing him giggle or watching him play. The other day I took him to the driving range to hit golf balls and then to get some ice cream. As I'm watching him eat, he stops, looks at me and out of nowhere says, "Daddy, I love you" before going right back to his ice cream cone. Nothing in the world could ever make me happier.
• I'm thankful for friends and family that have been so willing to do anything they can to help out.
• I'm thankful that Michelle and I both work at companies that are so understanding and flexible.
• I'm thankful for the wonderful doctors and nurses who have cared for me and have gone well out of their way to expedite this whole process.
• More than anything, I'm thankful that this happened to me instead of my wife or son.

When Mason was a year old, we had to admit him to the hospital for an unexplained fever that lasted well over a week. Of course we scoured the Internet for information and were terrified by what we found. One of the possible causes was leukemia. I was never so scared in my life. I prayed to God that if Mason really was sick, that he give that sickness to me. After a few nights in the hospital, the fever went away with no real explanation as to the cause.

Perhaps this is God's way of answering a prayer and if it is, I'm thankful.