November 4, 2013 - Light the Night

Cancer.  It is inevitable.  At some point in your life, you will be confronted by this disease. It will either be a loved one, a friend, a colleague or quite possibly yourself. In 2010, a study was released that stated there is a 41% chance that each of us will develop cancer in our lifetimes. Every four minutes someone in the United States is diagnosed with a blood cancer and, every 10 minutes, someone loses their battle. Approximately one million Americans are currently battling blood cancers.

A little less than five years ago, I had that unenviable talk with my doctor that I had become one of those with a blood cancer.  At the time, I wasn’t sure if it was a death sentence or not. The average life span for someone contracting Multiple Myeloma and finding it in Stage III was 27 months. I really didn’t know what to think. I knew that both of my parents and several other relatives had died of cancer. I couldn’t help but think that it might be my fate, too.

The bad thing was I had cancer. The good thing was a number of new chemotherapy options had recently become available and more were on their way.  I began my first round of chemo within days and followed with a stem cell transplant.  Two years after the transplant, my cancer had returned to the point that chemo was again necessary. I then started a protocol that works for most but, unfortunately, didn’t for me.  Six months later we tried a new regimen that has worked miracles for me for over a year and a half. I am able to write this today because I had options. Aside from a cure, that is what cancer patients need.

Because of your helpful donations to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s 2013 Light the Night Walk, more blood cancer patients may also have options in the future. We all hope for a cure for cancer, but it is only through donations that this will ever happen. The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society not only helps fight for a cure but they also help patients and their families’ work through the difficulties that many of us face when confronted with cancer.  This ranges from research to medical bill assistance to counseling for both patients and their family members to group gatherings so that cancer patients can interact with others that are facing the same issue and learn about new advances in their treatment future.

We set a record for TeamOutlaws last year collecting over $4,000.  Please help us again gain an upper hand on cancer this year by visiting:

http://pages.lightthenight.org/az/Phoenix13/teamoutlaws

Thank you again for all of your help over the years. As it is every year, I hope to continue this tradition next year and for every year that I can. Help us beat cancer. The walk is this weekend and we are nearing our goal of $4,500 in contributions.

On a personal note, I have been in remission for four months now and chemo free.  It is a month to month proposition but it is a wonderful feeling knowing that I am where I am.  I have a blood test in another week that should give me an idea if things are continuing to go well. Stay tuned.