As mentioned in a previous post (A Curious Sort of Mindfulness), I am in the midst of a struggle with cancer. In November, a small amount of blood was found in my urine. Two CT Scans, an MRI, blood work beyond count, several urinalyses, two surgeries, and a lot of pain later, I am cancer free, as far as anyone knows. Early diagnoses were pretty hopeful. The final pathology report found a Stage 3 Upper Tract Urothelial Carcinoma (UTUC) in the kidney that was removed. There is no sign the cancer has spread, but Stage 3 UTUC has a 80% recurrence rate and less than 25% 5-year survival rate. So it is way too early to declare myself a cancer survivor. I intend to be one of the survivors. This series will chronicle my work to this end.
Like Dante, I find myself at mid-life in a dark woods where there is no path. So I am going to have to find my path. And will probably go through some level of Hell on the way. With grace, I will make it through.