Overcoming Life's Challenges: A Father's Fight Against Cancer

There are good days and there are bad days. This is just how life is.

July was supposed to be a fun race filled month for me. I was supposed to race two Half Ironman Races. This would have been my first year ever racing a total of 3 of these races. I came into this year feeling like I was in my prime starting it out strong with a marathon only to have cancer sweep everything out from under me. I haven’t stopped racing though. I am more realistic with my goals and what I am able to do. Being almost a month post op I am I have clearance to start doing easy training sessions again.

I thought coming into July planning on going and at least watching these races I was going to feel ok and content to a degree with things. That isn’t the case though. I feel angry and frustrated. I feel robbed from my opportunity to see what I could do this year.

Often times it is simple things that really get me lately. It took me 2 days to change a garage door opener which in the past would have been a few hour project. It takes a lot just to pull the hose around the back lawn just to water my garden. I can’t even lift my son and walk around with him to comfort him when he is crying. I can’t help my other son work on his car because I can’t get in the positions needed to do work on it.

So, right now it feels like there are a lot more bad days than good days.

This weekend while I am not able to volunteer as I wanted to in Geneva at Mussleman so I could feel some sort of normalcy I will at least be at the event to see my friends and cheer them on.

Next weekend I will be volunteering at Ironman Lake Placid as an EMT so that way I can have that sense of normalcy I crave.

This past weekend I was able to see high school friends who I haven’t seen in years and have a campfire with them.

While I can’t lift my son I can still give him a bottle and hold him and see him smile and hear him babble on as he talks to me. I know he doesn’t know this now but the joy I get out of this is immeasurable.

So, while there are bad days where I can’t do what I want to do, or it takes me longer to do things I want to do. There are so many other times and days that I have learned to really soak up the good times and enjoy them and cherish them as much as humanly possible. These good days with family, friends, and loved ones are what I am fighting for. Time and more moments with them are why I am fighting to live as long as I can and will never give up this battle.