Good friend, Kate Nerone, sent me this link to a video from The Moth, a show about storytellers that is sometimes featured on NPR. It is the most raw, honest, heart-rending cancer rant I have ever heard. The honest stories that come from people who are hurting and afraid because cancer has come to visit them in their lives are chilling, if properly told. And oh, is this one properly told!
Be prepared for a couple of things. Be prepared to shed some tears. Be prepared to hug the sick and the healthy members of your family. Be prepared to be thankful that you have friends, like Kate, who share content like this with you, even though it might be too real, too soon, too raw, too powerful. What it did for me, was to help me reclaim some strength, to feel my humanness, to get ready for the very difficult week that lies ahead at Duke, in another tiny room with the woman I love and a PICC line that will be flowing with poison and misery.
I just spoke with my Duke doctor who says the lab work that I’m on the way to town to get will likely clear the way for me to return for the second half of round one of HD-IL2 to start on Monday. We’re ready to continue the fight. Thanks, Kate, for girding me for battle.
Beth Joiner says
Mike, I follow your blog religiously and am always inspired by your strength, humor, grace, talent and courage!! You and Jill are in my daily prayer and I wish you continued strength and faith that this battle has come to you for a reason: one I hope you may already realize or that will come to you one day. In the trenches of this battle,so many years ago now, I could not understand “why me” but In the ensuing years I now know one of the reasons; to help those who have faced this battle since then and to become a sister in a family I never thought I would have. It is a family that I love and am proud to be a part of: battle scars and all!! So, my brother in this fight, stay strong… For ALL of your families!! Love, Beth
Kate Nerone says
I stared at the screen, & my message, for a long while before I summoned the will to hit send. It came down to one thing: the consuming desire for truth. And my son, Charlie, telling me 50 times, “Send it, Mom. Mr. Mike can handle it.” But I already knew that. I love you, Mike. God Speed for Round Two. The Monkey Mob will rally on Monday. xo Kate
Callie says
Thank you, Kate, for giving Mike what he needed to reclaim his strength!!
Mike, watching your journey from the sidelines is as real as I can handle. I was in tears just reading your blog post. No video necessary. But I’m thrilled that it gave you what you needed to get psyched up for Round 1 Part B!!
Sending strong vibes for low creatinine numbers!!
Cj
Laurel Blackwell says
Wow… Let me also add, Godspeed, Mike and Jill.
Bonita Cantrell says
I’ve missed very few of your articles since your journey with this “mess” started. I hate the word cancer. I hate what it does to people. I’ve never had it…but have seen it up close with loved ones. I want to comment on every single article to let y’all know I care. Seems I really don’t know what to say but ,”I will pray for you.” I should be able to come up with something better to say than that. But, I’m right back to those 5 words…and NO other words will come to mind. I just followed the article to “The Moth.” Now I’m weeping like somebody just beat me up! I’ll continue to keep up with you & your wife and this battle that you are fighting. Remember those 5 words….I am doing that, I will not stop, and I care. I think all I want to tell everybody that whines over junk… is to suck it up! Don’t sweat the small stuff. When real problems hit in life….they’ll quickly learn what is important and what is not. I’ll be keeping up with you two, whether I comment or not. Love, Bonita
David Adams says
No words can explain the feelings I have for you as you cope with something we all fear. Even though i have not seen you in some 30+ years I seem to have a connection with you & your family. I anxiously await your posts each day to see how you are dealing with the latest treatment, etc. My prayers are that you will COMPLETELY healed & I can see you once again like in our college years together. Hang in there & continue to fight the fight as you have done giving us all inspiration as we encounter our trivial meaningless daily trials. Yours is the fight of a lifetime & we’re there with you every step of the way in our daily prayers. Love ya man & wish I had kept in touch more over the last 30+ years…..until tomorrow. Hope to see you real soon.
Teresa Holland says
I just saw this heart-breaking video as I was catching up with your blog/your journey. It has been awful battling cancer in my forties; I can only imagine how exponentially worse it would be for a father watching his baby girl battle this heartless foe, and lose the fight. I keep you in my prayers, for you to keep up the fight and for the treatment to work — for God to heal you.