It's hard to believe that it has been since November that I have posted anything in my blog. I guess its an indication of two things. One I am extremely busy these days and two my life is really going well. This month makes one year cancer free and I am incredibly grateful. I have had three scans in the last year and all of them have come back clear. Honestly I feel the best I have felt in a long time and the localized occurrences of melanoma that I couldn't seem to stop last year were finally halted by the radiation treatments. I can still remember sitting in Dr. Baders office and him telling me with all the confidence in the world that he could help me and he was very confident that radiation would be effective. I hoped he as right and he was. I was just thinking that its kind of sad that if all goes well I will never see him again. I will definitely drop him and his staff a thank you card this month and drop off some bagels or something the next time I am at providence for an appointment.
Thanks to everybody who has supported me this difficult year. I couldn't have gotten through this without you. Unfortunately I also had to say goodbye to a new friend this weekend. Dan is in the middle of the picture below. It was our one and only time meeting in person the day that picture was taken but he made an impression on me. Dan was called home on Easter Sunday and his celebration of life service was this last weekend. Dan was a great guy and he never gave up and I will always remember his smile and his attitude. The week before he passed we were texting back and forth about going skiing together next winter after he completed a new trial drug. Well that day will have to wait . Rest in peace my friend. Melanoma is not just skin cancer. Please pay attention to your skin. See a dermatologist annually for a skin check and use some common sense while out in the sun. I spend more time in the sun now than before I was diagnosed with skin cancer but I am much smarter about it now.
Paul
