My Money Design

Designing Financial Freedom

Cancer Update – The Battle is Won!

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Cancer You LostI have some very exciting news to share …

As of my last PET scan, my cancerous tumor is gone!

Finally!  My cancer is in remission!

Last Thursday was also my last treatment of chemotherapy.  Even though I’m thankful the infusions got rid of my cancer, I am SO glad for that whole process to finally be over!

From here on out it’s going to be CT scans every 6 months for the next 5 years.  As you can bet, I’ll have my fingers and toes crossed every single time that I get nothing but good news.

 

Cancer Really is a Silent Killer:

Throughout this whole experience cancer has been a very mysterious thing.

It sneaks in on you when you least expect it and then does nothing but completely consumes your life once you discover it.

But then, with treatment, it slips away just as silently as it first appeared.  Hopefully for good!

 

This Chemo-Thing Really Works:

I will confess that there were many times when I sat down for chemo and thought to myself “is this really working?”

It’s hard not to think about that sort of thing when you have no hair, your skin is pale, your fingers are always numb, and your eyes look sunken on account of no longer having any eyebrows or eyelashes.

Of all the other medical problems I’ve had in my life, never has there been one where the cure (or treatment) seems to be worse than the actual disease itself.

However, I know that’s just a matter of perspective.  Just because you can’t “feel” the cancer inside of you killing your body doesn’t mean it isn’t happening.

Plus I’m sure if I hadn’t discovered my tumor when I did, I’d have much bigger problems right now then I have had for the past six months.

 

Looking at Things Very Differently:

The concept of time (and how it’s always slipping away from us) has always been at the forefront of my mind.  It’s the very core of what drives me so hard to achieve financial freedom – so I can have the ability to choose to do whatever I want with my time without any financial repercussions.

But as you can guess, this whole experience with cancer added a new layer of perspective on that mantra.

When you’re lying in a chair at chemotherapy or recovering in your bed at home for the next 2-3 days, there are only a few things you think about.  For me, it was my wife and kids, and what time meant for all of us.

I don’t know if I’ve ever revealed this on this blog before, but we live about 30 miles away from the city where my works and my kids go to school.  The reason why is because when it was just my wife and I, our house was a great “half-way point” between her job and my job.  She would drive her way and I would drive mine.  And it worked!

… for a time.

Now our kids are older – a lot older.  They do more with school, sports, friends, and other things in the community.  And every time they do it means driving 30 minutes into town.

So my wife and I made a very important decision: We’re moving!

In fact, we already bought a new house that is less than 5 minutes away from my wife’s work and both children’s schools.

And for me – I’ll more than likely have to find a new job; something a little closer and easier on the commute.  Though I’m not quite sure yet what that will be, I’m very optimistic that there will be something different for me to try.

All in all I think this whole thing is ultimately going to be a huge win for our family.  No more driving for my wife.  No more commute for her and the kids.   Heck – the kids could walk to school now if they really wanted (though I’m not sure if my parent over-protection instinct would ever allow them to do that).

Readers – Thanks to all of you for being so supportive during this whole ordeal.  It has been incredibly encouraging and positive to hear all of your heartwarming and kind words with each update.

 

Featured image courtesy of MemeGenerator.net

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Nicola says

    What excellent news to read on a Saturday morning – very, very pleased for you. And moving! A new chapter of your life, in every aspect 🙂

    Reply

    • MMD says

      Thanks JC! All these quick changes are stressing us out now, but I’m sure we’ll be enjoying them as soon as everything falls into place.

      Reply

  7. Mrs. MMD says

    We are SOOO happy you are healthy and on your way to gaining your beloved eyebrows, long eyelashes, and full head of hair back!!!! You have fought this battle with such grace and perseverance. You have selflessly uprooted our family for the sake of us, in exchange to turn your work life upside down! We couldn’t be more thankful. We love you lots, Mr. MMD….more than you’ll ever know! So excited to start the new beginning of the rest of our lives together.

    Reply

  8. Jayson @ Monster Piggy Bank says

    MMD, This is a great news! Congratulations. Now, you have less stress to deal with. Hope everything is all right.

    Reply

  15. ARB says

    Now THAT’S the sort of news I like to hear! Not just good news, but a double whammy of it! Congrats on everything, MMD. You deserve it!

    Sincerely,
    ARB–Angry Retail Banker

    Reply

  16. FF says

    I’m so glad to hear this – thanks for the update!

    It also looks like everybody in the family is going to have an extra hour per day of time to enjoy life (and an hour less in the car…). Sounds like a great move.

    Reply

  18. Matthew Allen says

    Awesome news DJ! For whatever reason, I always knew you would beat this thing. You always seemed optimistic – which (I think) plays a huge role.

    Perhaps you could find a job doing some sort of web development or internet marketing for a company. Your years of experience with this blog and your niche sites (and now Kindle publishing) will make a nice addition to your resume when you start sending it out.

    Reply

    • MMD says

      Thanks Matt. I totally agree that staying optimistic helped me to conquer this thing.

      It would be a lot of fun to try out a job with website development, but I’ll more than likely stick to engineering and keep my blogging as a hobby.

      Reply

  19. Alexa says

    CONGRATS!!! I am so incredibly happy for you and your family. I can’t imagine what the past few months have felt like for you and your family and this must be quite the relief.

    Reply

  21. Kim@Eyesonthedollar says

    I can’t believe I missed this post. I am so happy for you and your family. I imagine going through something like cancer must make you want to do everything you’ve ever thought you might do right now. I’m sure you’ll have no trouble finding a new job and that must be great not to have to drive so much for school and for your wife. Can’t wait to see the next chapter.

    Reply

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