Some of you may have noticed that I have not been posting for a few weeks. Last fall, my doctor noticed some abnormalities in some regular tests performed during my annual physical. He sent me to see a specialist and on February 7, I was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma - bone marrow cancer.
Wow. That was a shocker. Took my breath away. Made me angry. Made me cry. I have always been healthy and when, all of a sudden, you are diagnosed with a life threatening illness, your focus on life changes... drastically.
Luckily, they seem to have caught it in the early stages as my only symptom so far is chronic fatigue. I am undergoing 3 monthly cycles of chemotherapy and when that is finished in another 2 months, I will undergo a stem cell transplant.
On February 7, my life changed forever. Luckily, my wife Pauline is my Rock of Gibraltar. I really don't know what I would do without her. My family is also very supportive as have been the few close friends that I have already told. I cannot stress how important the encouragement and support of my family and friends are to me.
Interestingly, one of the things that I thought would change, but has not, is my interest in collecting. It has almost become therapeutical for me.
Pat and I had a few recent lengthy discussions about collecting and I thought it necessary to explain to him that even though I am going through a rough period, talking about and discussing aspects of collecting are actually helping me cope.
One of the few positives to come out of this is that I have decided to retire. As such, although my buying power will be seriously curtailed, I will still endeavour to pick up a piece here and there from my friends on GDC.
So I would just like to say that I will be back in the game here on GDC, my health permitting, and will endeavour to continue to monitor the SS Dagger Forum to the best of my ability.
I have been keeping a "blog" of my experiences so far and have decided to make it public. For those of you interested, it is located at
http://mylifewithcancer.blogspot.com. I will endeavour to keep it updated with my treatments and my personal thoughts and experiences on the road ahead.
It's good to be back.
