Friends and family,
I’m sure most of you know the backstory of this by now … aches and pains this spring and summer, doctors visits, bloodwork, few tests here and there, physical therapy, chiropractor, full physical, orthopedist, etc etc. All the while I’ve been working, working out, running, and doing my thing, just complaining a little (maybe a lot) more than usual! Medically speaking my bloodwork’s been good, my heart and lungs have sounded great (in fact they told me that yesterday again!), ekg was normal, other tests have come back normal. Unfortunately, I had a chest xray on 9/21 that showed a nodule on my lung and a mysterious mass in my chest (although the report was vague enough that it could have been read multiple ways). I had my CT scan this past Monday, 9/28, and there was nothing vague about it. I do have a mass in my chest – a large tumor (or couple, globbed together), somewhere around the size of a baseball maybe? Honestly, once you get past racquetball size, I’m not sure it matters! It’d be one thing if this tumor was planted right on top of my head, and allowed me to finally reach 6 feet, but this thing’s right under my sternum. I guess that explains why the hill runs have really lost their appeal recently. We also know there’s some involvement in both my lungs (more than just one nodule). I’m scheduled for a PET scan (10/1) to see if and where else it might have spread, and I’m awaiting a biopsy to find out what kind of cancer it is (lymphoma, germ cell, thymoma?). Once we have all that info, a treatment plan will be developed, and the fight is on. That’s the story, that’s where I’m at as of today.
Now for the important stuff. This new reality has, as you can imagine, been difficult for myself, Christie and the kids (Briton, MacKenzie, Aedan, Tegan) to process. But we have a strong, unbelievably close family, and we are going to take this journey together, with God as our guide (and picking us up and carrying us when needed). I count, as one of the greatest blessings of my life, the many many amazing relationships I have with friends and family, far and wide. The outpouring of love, compassion, and prayers from so many has touched my soul and lifted me up. In fact, although this has been the most difficult couple of days, I can tell you, in many ways, I’ve never felt more blessed than I have this week. Thanks for that. Please keep my family in your prayers – especially C and the kids. We’ll keep you posted … Joe