A Day In The Life…

4-26-2024. Up and at it early again. Decent sleep. Back in my own bed since getting the pump off. Feeling ok this morning just lightheaded with the chemo fog. Heading to get my shot around noon then another round is finished. Hope to enjoy the weekend!

4-25-2024. Two years today since my original diagnosis. It's hard to believe. Not celebrating like we did last year on this date with the clear scans and everything was looking good. This year it seems just like another day. Let's keep fighting this bastard and get another two years! Felt much better yesterday than Tuesday. Just really weak yesterday but was able to move around a bit. I didn't sleep to good last night. I was wide awake from 4-6 then dozed back off for a couple hours. Weird how this treatment works. It's so day to day. Not feeling the best right now. We're heading back to get this chemo off in a bit. I'm expecting to get the unhook come down but we will see. I hope to rest, hydrate, and hopefully eat a little more today. My appetite has been terrible. Back tomorrow for my shot and another week of treatment will be done. The referral is in and next Thursday we will be heading to Cleveland for second opinion/clinical trial options. As tough as it can be we're doing all we can to keep this train moving.

4-24=2024. I'm finally able to post after a miserable day yesterday. We had a good conversation with doc after my bloodwork. My platelet count went back up to 95. He told us that the multiple new lymph nodes could be from pseudo T cell inflammation. This can come from the immunotherapy (opdivo). He also put a referral into the Cleveland Clinic for clinical trials. Amanda already contacted them so hopefully we will get up there for another plan. After our conversation he gave me my 8th total treatment. 5th this time around. He still want's me to do another 2-3 if I can handle the heat. This shit once again knocked me on my ass. It for sure has been getting worse every treatment. I was sick as hell from around 2pm till bedtime. Couldn't really move or sleep. Just laying here looking at the walls. So bad you get those thoughts of I can't take this shit anymore. This shit can can really make me so angry! Not even enough energy to touch my phone. Once I fell asleep last night I got some good rest. Still really weak today but I feel much better this early morning. I'll just be relaxing all day with my chemo pump. I know it will go back and forth especially after I get unhooked tomorrow. Now it's time to toughen up and get through these next 4-5 days. Tomorrow will be 2 years since my diagnosis. What a 2 year run it's been.

4-22-2024 Back at it today. Up here at the lab for a few hours. My mind is still going in circles over Friday's scan. Tomorrow is a big day. Will I get another treatment or not? Maybe time for a different approach. Maybe even clinical trial time. We'll see what doc has to say. We have some questions that need answered. A huge thank you again to everyone that was involved with Saturday! Love all of you. Yesterday we finished are great run with our Team Cure team. We finally got knocked off but what a run these boys had. 25 or so straight wins and 5 golds in a row. I made it through 7 weeks with these boys and a great group of parents. It helped me more than anyone can imagine. Updates from the hope center tomorrow.

4=20-2024 First off I would like to thank everyone who helped out with another benefit for my family. Those who worked the car wash, baked and worked the bake sale. Also to Sr. Jalapeno for this day. I truly have no words. The support from this community, friends, family and those who I don't even know is overwhelming. I really wish I can pay every single person back. My family and I will do everything we can to pay it forward. The date was perfect timing for me because I needed a little uplifting after getting my cat=scan results this morning at our bball tournament. I guess nothing is set until we talk to the doc on Tuesday. To sum the scan up it seems like the bone mets is about the same which was kind of what we expected. The crazy thing is I have new multiple lymph nodes that are enlarged. Kind of surprising that the heavy treatment might not be working. I guess the only positive is a few nodes did get smaller but not by much. It is a big kick in the nuts but it seems to be par for the course since the middle of December. Hope to find out on Tuesday if we can do anything. Time to dig even deeper and really toughen up! Can't let myself mope around. Have to think as positive as I can that I can still fight this.I need to enjoy every moment like tomorrow's tournament with the boys and the golfing I was able to get in yesterday. Get your popcorn out everyone. It's going to be a very interesting couple weeks....💪

4-18-2024 Made it work for a bit today. High anxiety for tomorrows scan. Just hope this treatment is calming this spread down. Should find something out this weekend and what the plan is when I meet with doc on Tuesday.

4-17-2024 Got my shot and bloodwork yesterday. Platelets were really low at 42. I think it's the lowest they have ever been. I have to watch out because I can easily bruise with them being so low. That's why he pushed me out another week for treatment. I got out and hit nine holes on the course yesterday afternoon. Didn't go crazy but it felt so good to hit the ball around without hurting myself. The girls won their softball game last night. So all in all besides some lower bone pain from the shot it was a pretty good day. Back at work today for a few hours. Let's keeping going nonstop. Big scan coming up on Friday!

4-16-2024 Up and at it early! Heading to the hope center for my favorite shot and bloodwork. Feeling ok the past few days. Got about five hours in at work. Got home and took my usual after work nap then got the back yard mowed. I'll say it again it's harder doing shit with this treatment but feels good to something accomplished. Hope to see the girls softball game this evening.

4-15-2024 Fun busy weekend. we had two games at Slippery Rock on Saturday and got another championship yesterday. Five golds in a row for these boys. How fast these past five weeks have gone. This has kept my mind off thinking of treatment 24 hours a day. One more tourney next weekend then we can close the door on a great season. As fun as it has been after this past weekend I think everyone is ready for some time off. The one thing that sucked was I didn't get to see Gs games because they were scheduled far apart from our games. Feeling ok on this Monday morning. Just tired from a long day yesterday and didn't sleep very well. I got a quick front and side mow in before our games. lol. Heading up to work now and I'm sure a week filled with softball games with the girls. I get my Xgeva shot and bloodwork tomorrow then Friday I go for a Cat-scan. This will be a huge couple of weeks for me to see if we're making any progress.

4-12-2024 Finally getting around to put out a post. It's been a goofy week to say the least. I felt really good on Monday and Tuesday. I was getting around good and felt better than I have in weeks. When Wednesday morning came I had a lot of chest congestion and had the chemo brain fog return. How that lightheadedness comes and goes is beyond me. I believe the congestion was from when I aspirated. It's giving me a little hack and I'm getting my voice back today. I really felt it yesterday morning. Enough to where I didn't even make it into work. My appetite has been bad with the last two treatments. I'm not sure if it's from the treatment or I need to head to Cleveland and get a scope/stretch on my tube belly. lol. It's such an up and down rollercoaster ride dealing with this shit everyday. You have to train the brain to be as mentally tough as you can. So on the bright side of things it's Friday and I made to work. Looking forward to another weekend of hoops as our team plays in the Slippery Rock tournament in Pa. Two games tomorrow. We'll see if we can push for another gold!

4-9-2024 Finished off the weekend with the boys winning the Pittsburgh tourney. Proud of these boys. I felt stronger on Sunday and made it for the 3 games. Much better than Saturday. Hope the chemo fog goes away soon. Yesterday I had a pretty good day. Starting the week off by going to work for half the day. Then peaked at the eclipse with the family. And yes I did it, got the yard mowed. It took me some time but job finished. The most I've moved in three weeks. Today hope to get another half day in at work then check out the girls softball game this evening. It's such a relief that I get at least a week off from the hope center. Give this body a chance to heal up for the next stage.

4-7-2024 Up and at it early on this Sunday. Heading down to Pittsburgh for bracket play. The boys went 2-0 yesterday. I was pretty weak during yesterday's games but so glad I made it. I was still really run down all day yesterday. Not sick just really tired. When we got home last evening I relaxed for a bit then hit the sack about 10pm. Had a good night sleep and feel stronger today. Just some chemo brain right now. My head is a bit foggy. Let's go get this done. Hope to have updates later today. Also my Cat scan has been scheduled for April 19th. Busy April coming up.

4-5-2024 Tough week but another round in the books. I got my chemo bag off yesterday and had the usual weakness. I made it to our teams practice last evening. No idea how I even made it there. Didn't do much kind of just sat there and watched. Just being able to be there helps me out mentally. Just got back this morning from getting my neutrophil shot. It seems like these treatment weeks never end. I'm sure I'll start getting some bone pain. Now it's that time to get a scan scheduled. I thought it would be a PET scan but I think it might be a Cat scan. I will try to get that scheduled before my next treatment in three weeks. At least we'll know soon if the treatment is working. My next Xgeva shot is scheduled for the 16th and treatment the 23rd. I will keep everyone posted on when the scan gets scheduled. The things you'll do to keep pumping. Sometimes it's hard to believe. For today it's lay here and stare at the walls, rest, maybe some tunes. Have to feel better and make tomorrows tournament in Pittsburgh!

4-3-2024. It's 3pm and I can finally find enough energy to create a post. Yesterday was a tough one. Each one these treatments are getting tougher. To make a long story short I was pretty sick. I had really bad chills and spiked a fever again. I tried to sleep but was so miz I just visited with the family and starred at the walls. It was a day that tested me. It was one of those times that I actually said how much more of this shit can I take. Then my bullheadedness kicks in and I start talking to my chemo saying you got nothing on me, bring it on! Yes I can get crazy sometimes. lol. I rested from about 12-3am then got up wide awake from 3 to about 5am. Today weak as hell but feeling better than yesterday, Just chilling out with my chemo pump. Going to try like hell to make our bball practice tomorrow night. Looking forward to our tournament in Pittsburgh. Should be a good one. Tomorrow I will get this pump off around 11am then get my bag of fluids. Then Friday will be my shot to end another round.

4-2-2024. Live from the Hope Center. Treatment is on. My platelets are still kind of low at 77 but he is going forward with the treatment. This will be a rough one I'm sure. He is already pushing my next one out three weeks. After that I may be getting scanned then we'll see what the plan will be. He also said the pain from my legs and having trouble walking is most likely from the shots I've been receiving. Here we go. Let's get another one done. Updates later. Steroids and anti-nausea has entered the system. Next up opdivo then the lovely chemo. Just got home. I'm hooked up to the chemo pump for the next 48 hours. Already feeling it. Time to get some rest. Hopefully I can fall asleep!

4-1-2024 I wish all this shit I've been going through was just a bad April fools joke! lol. Still felt pretty banged up this morning from Saturday's reflux. I made it up to work for about five hours which I think really helped me out. I'm going to head home and get ready for another big Tuesday. We had some great company last night which really boosted me up a bit. I will have updates tomorrow morning on what the doc says and if treatment is a go. I'm really anxious for tomorrow. For the first time I'm not sure if I even want it based on last treatments side effects. I go back and forth. I know I'll get super pumped tomorrow morning and have the mindset of give me all you got listening to my pump up playlist. Speaking of music I only got in 41 full length albums for March. Time to step it up with the tunes.

3-31-2024 Happy Easter! Sitting here this afternoon hoping to get through the weekend. Started off good Friday evening. I got to see the girls softball games. Based on what I've been going through lately anytime I can make it to any of the kids functions I consider it a bonus. Saturday I took G down to his aau games in Salem. Got to spend much of the afternoon there because his team made it to the title game. They played really well just come up a bit short. I got a nap in when I got back and it did not go over very well. I had one of those miserable reflux attacks. Anyone that had an esophagectomy can relate. With my belly being moved up it happens every now and then. Not often but when it does it puts me on my ass for a good bit. Feeling better today just trying to get this shit out of my lungs. Really sucks when you aspirate like that. Takes a lot out of me. That's the last thing I need right now in the middle of this treatment. But anyhow that was yesterday and it's in the past. Today I'm just going to relax and enjoy the rest of the day with the family. Have to get ready for the new week!

3-29-2024 Heading up to work again for a few hours. Yesterday I got the front and side yard done. For me right now that's a pretty big accomplishment. Took a little bit out of me but felt great. We went to the the girls softball game in Hubbard last night. Feeling a little better everyday. Last night I got up around 2am soaked in sweat. Not sure what the hell is going on. This is the 3rd time this has happened to me since my last treatment. Putting this in the notes to go over with doc on Tuesday. Well let's get to the weekend. No tournament for our team this weekend. Taking a weekend off although G's team has an Easter tournament today and tomorrow. Let's see if and how active we can get this weekend!

3-27-2024 Made it up to work today. We'll see how long I can last. Yesterday I went home and got a good nap in. It was one of those naps that made me feel much better. Today just about the same as the last few days. So nothing new on the health front. I would like to thank everyone once again for the amount of support for me and my family. A special thanks to Amanda's work at Sharon Regional and all the local support we are receiving now and also in the past. I really have no words. People have gone above and beyond and I will never forget it. We appreciate it so much and we will do everything we can to pay it forward. So I'm gonna get through a few hours of work then see if I can make it out to Hubbard for the girls softball game. Finally good luck to Samantha with cheerleading tryouts today!

3-25-2024 Feeling a little off again today. Not sure what the hell is going on but the same lightheadedness and weakness. Not enough to put me on my ass but enough to keep me in check. I made a good move by not going into work today. Hope to make it in tomorrow. We'll see how I feel. I spent most of the morning chilling with Mike before he headed back to Michigan. Gave Zeke a trim and got one of the mowers started. Yes it's that time and I have the itch to start cutting. Not sure about the energy. I had a good nap then headed down to the girls softball game. Hard to believe it has started already. Although they took the L the team played well. Samantha got to pinch run in a varsity game (for Morgan). Morgan had her first career home run. Of course it happened as soon as I left because I was running out of gas. Super proud of her. Amanda called the hope center today about my bloodwork. She discussed with them everything that happened to me since last treatment. My CEA levels have gone up a bit from the last time. I'm not thinking to much into that now. I'll just wait untill I talk to doc next week. Tonight I'm not thinking about levels, markers, etc. I'm listening to my body and something as I started this post with is off and I know it. Not sure if it's the chemo, immunotherapy, shots, or the cancer itself but hope we can turn this feeling around soon. Tomorrow is a new day and I hope to start the charge again!

3-24-2024 I made it down to Lisbon yesterday for our two play in games. I was still not feeling the greatest but made it. When I first got there I thought "oh shit' bad move but as the games started I got the juices flowing again. This is what I've been saying all along. As miserable of a week I had just being there to help is big for the mental game. Feeling a little stronger this morning as we're heading down to play for the ship at 10am. A little lightheaded and noodle legs but not nearly as bad as last the few days With some of the opposing teams parents and things that have unfolded with scheduling has made this one lose some luster. But now it's easy for me to laugh, enjoy the moment and realize nothing matters but this group when the day is over. G is also playing today and would be a bonus if I can see his group go for the gold also. Great night last night visiting with in laws and good friends. So the plan is to rest after all the Sunday craziness. Start to recharge the body for the next go around. 💪 We got the gold again!

3-22-2024. Just got back from my second home. The hope center. Received my shot to boost my blood counts. Finished for the week and done with another treatment. This week was a tough one. Not being dramatic but just speaking the truth. The first two days as I said were tough but yesterday really did me in. I went to get my chemo pump off and actually stayed another hour to get a bag of fluids. With my patience to stay another hour for a bag of fluids tells you how beat up I was. When I got home yesterday things really got weird. Had a fever which didn't break until 1am. I also had another bad side effect where I had trouble walking with bone pain in my legs. Probably from that dam Xgeva shot. I didn't even have the energy to get on my cell phone last evening. The neuropathy was also bad this time around. The nurses told me today that each treatment may show more side effects as it goes on. Now it's time to let the body heal up for a few weeks. I have to get stronger and start preparing for the next treatment whenever it may be. Time to rest and watch hoops all day. Going to try like hell to help coach the boys again tomorrow afternoon! We'll see what tomorrow brings.

3-20-2024 Sorry for not getting back last night with all the texts and calls. I really appreciate everyone checking in. Treatment yesterday beat me up pretty good to say the least. Every side effect Doc said I might get happened. I tried to sleep but I was really restless. Weak with no legs and lightheaded. I actually had the chills for a bit which I never got with any other treatment. My bone pain was bad as he said it would be due to the shot I received. I did not move from the couch/recliner till this morning around 10am. For me that's saying a lot. Got washed up and I hope get walking/moving around a bit. I still haven't had any food since yesterday which was a few crackers and one cheese stick. lol. I'll be carrying my chemo pump around until tomorrow. I have to be there at 11am to get unhooked. Even though this shit is bringing the thunder right now I'm going to keep pushing! Goal is to make it through another weekend of bball with my team and maybe catch G's game as he starts also this weekend. We'll see. Hope to have more updates soon when I start to feel better!

3-19-2024. Ask and you shall receive. The snakebite has entered the veins. lol and guess that song! Bloodwork looked good and platelets were up over 100. Got my bag of fluids and now I'm on to the steroids. Next up Opdivo/chemo then the Xgeva shot. Gonna be a long 5 hours or so. I'll be giving live updates with the good old laptop! It's noon right now. The oxaliplatin and leucovorin will be dripping for about another hour. Next up will be the folinic acid with pump to take home for two days. We'll finish with the Xgeva. Sorry for the boring details. Not too much to do except peck away on the laptop. I did start my Dave Grohl book 'The Storyteller' today. Also getting some tunes in. Get all this in before I go home and hopefully get some rest.

3-18-2024 Let's hope we get this treatment tomorrow. We don't want another let down. We have to be there tomorrow at 8:15 so we should know early what the game plan will be. I will have updates in the morning!

3-17-2024 So far it's been another good weekend. Finished the week of work Friday on a good note. Yesterday morning had a good walk/run at the park. Work days and walks equal a good hour or so nap everyday. It's amazing how drained I get. I also had some time to visit my man Jeff at the record connection and check out some vinyl. We headed over to New Castle in the evening for some late night hoops. The boys played great and went 2-0. Finished the night with some great friends at a St. Patty's day party. Up and at it early Sunday morning heading back to the tourney. Hopefully the boys can bring home another ship just like last week. Hope to have some updates this afternoon!

We got the tourney win in New Castle this afternoon. Couldn't be more proud of these boys. They are having so much fun right now!

3-14-2024 Late night post. Finally out of my funk from not getting treatment this week. Dealing with more back pain today than I've had in a few weeks. I put in a good day at work today. Didn't leave till after 3 which is longer than I've been staying. That lead to a longer than normal after work nap. I try as hard as I can but somedays I have nothing left in the tank. We just relaxed the rest of the evening. Yesterday I received a ton of results from my biopsy. A good ten pages worth of biomarkers, genome sequences ,etc. Lots of terms I don't even understand. This will hopefully give us insight on another plan if we need to go there. This is what my oncologist wanted so we have a plan B, C or whatever letter we're on! It's kind of stressful reading over it especially when they are talking about clinical trials. I'm just hoping we don't have to go down that road yet. We also got the results from my CEA blood test. My level went from 14.6 down to 8.6. So maybe just maybe the few treatments I've had might be helping. Long way to go but it's heading in the direction. Time for some rest and hit Friday morning running. Going to be another busy weekend but my mind is focused on next Tuesday

3-12-2024 Up and at it early again. We'll know in a few hours if I'll be getting my chemo cocktails in a few hours. Let's hope these counts are good. I'll have updates from the center in a bit. No updates on treatment today. We got the usual kick in the balls wait another week news. All my bloodwork looks good except my platelets. They were 47 which is too low for treatment. He confirmed again that these heavy three day doses do that. The mental rollercoaster continues. I'm not as pissed off as last time we got the rejection for the injection. lol. At least my neutrophil levels were way up which means those shots might be working. He also ran a CEA test which will tell us if this is helping calm the cancer down or not. He told me some of my pain is coming from the shots for sure. So now we have to wait another week to get the juice. The only thing that sucks is I'm also scheduled for my Xgeva shot the same day as treatment. That's going to be fun. So for now let's take this week to get stronger. Already took some aggressions out with a long walk/jog to get started. Not going to stop. Practice this evening with the boys to get ready for another tournament this weekend. Back to work tomorrow if I'm feeling good enough to make it in!

3-11 - 2024 Wow what a weekend of hoops. To say I'm exhausted this morning is an understatement. Two games Saturday afternoon in Barberton. Yesterday was all day event with us leaving around 7:15 with the time change for our first game at 9am. We ended up playing in the bracket rounds and ended up going all day winning it all. We did not get home until 10:30. Yesterday beat me up pretty good but so worth it. A great accomplishment for these boys. To come out on top in a tournament with 25 other 7th grade teams is pretty good in my book. Can't thank these boys, parents and other coaches enough for keeping me going! Now today back to reality. Heading up to work for a bit then coming home and napping for a few hours and rest up. Tomorrow will be another big day. We'll see if I will receive another treatment. I'm not holding my breath. Once again we will have to see how my counts are. We have to be at the hope center at 8:45 in the morning so we'll have an early start. If it's a go tomorrow we'll have live breaking news updates!😊

3-8-2024 Another Friday! This week went by pretty fast. Even though I'm still a little off I did a lot of moving and shaking this week. I'm heading into work again which will make it a full week. Of course not full days but still pretty good based on how I've been feeling. The last few days I've been waking up with some bad headaches which is unusual for me. I rarely get them. Maybe it's from the shot I received on Friday. I hope it's from that. I 'm staying hydrated so who knows what's going on. Now to some fun topics of the week. Had a good practice with the team on Wednesday nigh. Coach Danilov who coaches at Westminster College showed up and helped the boys out. Great guy and the boys loved it. Joey G and I went to the YSU basketball tournament game last night. The placed was packed with a lot of energy. Fun time sitting with good friends even though the took the L. Well let's get through Friday and head into a weekend of hoops!

3-6-2024 Back to work yesterday and heading in this morning. I know it seems like nothing going in for short days but it can be exhausting. Especially being out 4 days every two weeks. I have to play catch up not just with work but also with employee issues. Hard to believe with everything going on I'm still trying to get up there as much as I can. Yesterday just like this morning I have a weak lightheaded feeling. Kind of weak in the legs. Just still a little bit off. It's similar to the way I felt before I didn't get treatment a few weeks ago. I hope my blood counts are holding up. Hoping that shot I received Friday afternoon will help the counts go up. Practice tonight with the boys. Have to get ready. Big tournament in Akron this weekend!

3-4-2024 I made it through a weekend of hoops. Six more to go. I will try my ass off to be at every single one of them. Still thinking about yesterday's 2nd game! Team Cure played really good this weekend. Not bad for our first tournament. Got a short walk in yesterday afternoon and relaxed most of the night. So far it's been a really good Monday. Feeling better than I did a few days ago. Made it up to work for a bit today. It's nice to know I have a week of normal and rest to get ready for next week again.

3-2-2024 So far so good this weekend. I found out Friday the shot I need every day after treatment will only be a one day thing. Not a three day like we thought. That's one positive to take out of last week. So now it's take the next 10 days regroup and hope for another treatment next Tuesday the 12th. We are up early this Sunday morning heading to Garfield Heights for our basketball tournament. I made it through yesterday pretty good with games at 9 and 11. I got a bit tired towards the end of the second game. Thank the heavens I have two great guys along with these boys to take me on this ride. Means so much for me to just be involved at all. We have two scheduled this morning also. We'll see where the day takes us. Hopefully I'll have some good updates later.

3-1-2024 March is here! Happy Friday everyone. Up and at early again. Feeling a little rough since getting pump off yesterday. That's what I expected. Today is what I call the grind out day. Starting rough but I'll try to get moving and start prepping the body for another treatment. The difference in this treatment than past ones is that I was pretty sick the first day. I was able to get a lot of fluids in but I did not eat nearly as much this time around. So far today not much of an appetite. Anyway we have another one down. Just hope it's calming down this disease down a bit. Only time will tell. One more step to end this long week. I have to hit up the hope center again today at 1pm for my shot to boost some levels for next treatment. Can't wait to finish this week and get to the weekend. Surprised myself and got in 45 full albums for February.

2-29-2024 Had an early start to the day today. I got up from the couch around 3:30am and stayed up. The weird thing is I felt pretty good. Just wide awake. This three day treatment does some crazy shit to your body. After the kids left for school I got about a half hour nap in. Just got washed up and ready to go get this bag off of me and get ready for the big crash. No idea why it happens but when I get this off I have nothing in the tank. I'll probably be run down this afternoon into tomorrow. But I will at least try to do something. That's for sure. I sucked it up and made it practice last night. So glad I was able to make it. So right now heading to the hope center again then back tomorrow for my first shot of Nivestim to increase blood counts. The hope center is becoming my second home. 😊

2-27-2024 Well here we are live from the hope center. It's nice to have Morgan's laptop. I can actually give play by play and live updates. This was a long morning but a good one. My neutrophil count is back up and we're back in action. Talked to the doctor and got some questions answered. We will see how I respond to todays treatment and go from there. Now that the shots are approved if my levels are low again I will have to get the shots 3 days in a row to boost them back up. So at least now we have a backup plan. So right now I'm sitting here chatting with everyone. This placed is packed today. Started my infusion about an hour ago. Got my bag of fluid, steroids to make me a mean bastard, now I'm on the anti- nausea drip.Next up Opdivo then the chemo. Updates in a bit. Opdivo finished now time for the chemo.. The oxaliplatin and leucovorin has entered the system. Thinking this should be about another 2 hours then I'll get my 5fu pump to take home.

Finally at home. Everything went as good as it could have. Pretty smooth day compared to the last couple of weeks. I talked to some really nice people today. It made the day go by pretty quick. We're hooked up to the pump with the fluorouracil (5-FU) for the next 46 hours.I'm pretty cashed. I know the fatigue will only get worse the next few days but I'm ready for it. Maybe get a little nap in. Who knows maybe a walk later.😊

2-26-2024 Hopefully we're getting some treatment tomorrow. After the last few weeks who knows what the hell is going to happen. One positive thing happened today. The shot to boost my neutrophil levels has finally been approved! Thanks to Amanda getting a little nasty with the insurance company today. Still crazy it took this long to approve. I get high anxiety the day before these treatments. But at the same time I try to pump myself up. Almost like going into a fight. Being out three weeks now I hope to get it tomorrow. If not I'll have some quick decisions to make. Hopefully I'll get some rest tonight. I'm usually pretty restless the night before. I will keep everyone updated tomorrow at the hope center. I'll be using Morgan's old laptop while I'm there. I appreciate everyone pumping me up today! Let's go get it done! After the day I had I have a quote for you peeps. 'Some things in life are just not getting worked up over'. I'm sure you guys heard that one.😊

2-24-2024 Finished a pretty productive day. Another good night of sleep. I think I'm just that exhausted lately. Even though the pain is still in my back I've been sleeping pretty good. Hope I don't jinx it. I had a nice long walk today and we had a really good two hour basketball practice this afternoon. Just being able to get out there and help out with this group of boys means the world. Doing this pushed me before and I'm sure it will continue to make me get off my ass and do something productive instead of sitting around thinking about everything. Really tired tonight. I'm just going to relax and watch some hoops. Tomorrow I'm hoping to step it up and be active. Hydrate tomorrow and Monday and get ready for Tuesday.

2-23-2024 Another Friday is here. I'm feeling a little bit stronger today but that's not saying much. Feel good enough to head up to the lab. At least try and go up for a few hours. Yesterday was a pretty shitty day weather wise so Joey and I did an evening walk at the mall. I am now a certified mall walker.😊 Insurance declined one of the shots to boost my neutrophil levels. Go figure. Hoping to make Gs final jv game tonight. We'll have to see how the day goes. Hope to start feeling stronger this weekend and get ready for Tuesday all over again.

Made it to Gs game tonight and ended up visiting some friends for a bit tonight. Time for some rest!

2-21-2024 My frustration with yesterday has calmed down a bit. Had some friends roll down last night which really helped out. A little weak in the knees today but managed to get a good walk at yellow creek. Thinking maybe I did come down with something and that's why the neutrophils are low. Just thinking positive. I did not make it in to work today. I have to get this body right for next week. Tuesday will be a big day for me. I've been saying that for two weeks but if something doesn't get done I will have to start thinking about plan B. Since I've calmed down a bit I can explain a little more about why I didn't get treated yesterday. My platelets were fine. They actually went from 76 to 110 or so. The problem was my neutrophils. They were down to 850. They will not do treatment if they are under 1500. So they are not sure if I'm fighting an infection or it's from the previous treatment. If they would have treated me I might have gotten pretty sick. I talked with the clinic today and they gave me some questions to ask on Tuesday. Amanda talked with the hope center this morning to ask about an injection to boost the levels. I need another injection like I need another hole in my ass! But yes there is. The funny part is it's hard to get that shot approved by insurance. Yes it's a fucking joke! So for now I have to wait another week. Heads back in the game. Here we go again.

2-20-2024 Getting ready to head to the hope center in a bit. Hopefully we get the treatment. I will try and keep everyone updated on the day.

Another let down again this week. No treatment again. Got my shot of Xgeva and that was it. My platelet count was up but my neutrophils and white counts were really low. My neutrophils are about half of what they should be. I guess I'm a little more beat up than I think. Surprised I'm not more sick or run down than I am. Just the mental thing again. Can't really fight this if I'm not getting the chance to. I'm really at a loss for words. One thing I will not do from now on is expect to get treated. I guess for now it's just wait another week and see what happens.

2-18-2024. Relaxing getting ready to watch some of the all star game. Had a really productive weekend. Yesterday turned out to be a busy day for me. Got the driveway done followed by a good walk with the beast. After that we had a good practice with our team cure boys. Amanda and I then headed out to the jv/varsity game at south range. G actually got some good minutes in the varsity game. Mike Sherri and the girls were in town and visited us last night and today. Today visited with them and got to spin a few vinyls. Planning on going into work for a few hours tomorrow. I'm going to hydrate the body tomorrow and get ready for a fun filled Tuesday with a round of treatment. After getting it pushed back from last week I have no idea what to expect anymore.

2-17-2024 Pretty good morning so far. Shoveled the driveway this morning with some help from Sam. We got a few inches but enough for me to get a little workout in. I'm going to keep it up today while I'm feeling good. Getting ready to take Zeke for a walk then practice with the team cure boys at 1:30. Hoping to make Gs jv game tonight at south range. Maybe have some updates later on a productive day.

2-16-2024 Happy Friday everyone! Getting ready to head up to work for a bit today. What a rollercoaster of a week I've had with the treatment being pushed back. We're going to get through today and have a good weekend. I was asked again to give a little more detail on how I'm feeling physically. I'm still moving around ok. Not nearly as good as before but enough to get the blood pumping. The bone pain is real. Certain spots especially the ones that lit up on the Pet-scan can really bother me at times. The weird thing is the pain is worse when I'm at rest as opposed to moving around. Nothing really helps with the bone pain. Hopefully after some treatments it will get a little bit better. I'm still eating fine and maintaining my weight. My goal this weekend is to start getting on the treadmill along with my walks. Hoping to get a team cure practice in tomorrow with the boys. Have to get to Tuesday and get my treatment.💪

2-14-2024 Back at it today. Since I'm not hooked up to the pump and getting my treatment I went up to work today. Got my mind back in the game today after yesterday's setback. Yes I was really pissed off at first. One of the few times I can say I lost it! I had David Banner in my head saying 'Don't make me angry, you wont like me when I'm angry'! Doc tells you the treatment is a must and need to start it asap or we know the outcome. So it drives you crazy when you can't get it. Much better today. Mind is back in the right frame. It's only pushed back one week and probably for good reason. With counts low he's looking out for me. I know this aggressive treatment can do that. So let's start right now and get the body ready for Tuesday. What a difference a day can make. Time to chill and watch another Bosch episode. Got to see gs freshman game out in the range. Hoping to make it up to work again tomorrow. We'll see how the sleep goes tonight.

2-13-2024 Up and at it early this morning. Not a great night of sleep. Mind thinking about today. Hope all bloodwork looks good and I'm able to get my infusion. We have to be there at 9am for bloodwork and then I see Doc. Then treatment so I'm guessing we'll be at the hope center for 5-6 hours today. I will try and update as the day goes on. Round 2 of fight 2 begins today. Let's get it done!

Not the update I wanted to give but no treatment this week. A total let down. My platelet level is on the lower side and to be safe they are delaying it a week. You think to yourself for two weeks to get this done today and you can't even get the treatment. It's such a kick in the nuts. I know they are looking out for me but this sucks.

2-11-2024. Sitting here watching the bowl. Trying to keep my eyes open. Pretty tired tonight. great weekend. I got back to back walks in on Friday and Saturday. Yesterday morning I made it to Joey's game. They got the W and will play Poland tomorrow in the semifinals.Last night had some company and visited with some good friends.Just relaxed most of the day and hung out with the family. My cousin Chris Rachel and Sal visited today. It was great hanging out with them this afternoon. Treatment day on Tuesday. Big week coming up!

2-9-2024 No idea what the hell is going on today but I feel better today than I've felt since last week. Less pain and lots of energy. Got a really good nights rest and got up this morning ready to rock and roll. Had a good day at the lab now getting ready to head home. It will be a weird Friday night with no hoops to go to. No jv or varsity game tonight. It's been sometime since we had nowhere to go on a Friday evening. Nice day so I'm gonna try to go on a good walk with the beast. I guess I should get moving and shaking while I can. Hope to feel this good all weekend. Got some good tunes in today.

2-7-2024 We lost a great one today. I found out this morning my Uncle Vince passed away. Great man and will be missed. My brother and I got to swing over my aunts house and see my cousins for a bit. I'm hoping to head up to work again in the morning. I need to get some better sleep. Two nights in a row of mind racing. Still have the back pain and just a little off. Got our first team cure bball practice scheduled for Saturday. That will definitely keep this man moving.

2-6-2024. Another day in the books. Had about a 5 hour day at work today. Felt a little off today. Not as much energy as yesterday. Probably because I had a bad night of sleep last night. My mind was in over drive last night. At the end of work and on the way home I was running out juice. Although I'm not there full days I still feel like I'm getting some things accomplished. Being there and chatting with people really gets my mind off things for a bit. Everyone seems concerned and always wants to know how I'm doing. I really appreciate it. I'm writing a little late tonight. I made it to G's jv game in Poland then we stayed for the varsity game. Even though the cats didn't get the W it was a great game. It was great seeing a few people I haven't seen in some time. Got another three albums in today. Now I'm gonna lay on the couch and crash.

2-5-2024. I made it up to work today.I got about a half day in. A little tired but I was able to make it to Joey's game. The boys played well. Best part of the evening was finding out my man Carl had a clear scan. So happy when I hear that kind of news! Gives me hope and pumps me up to not give in. I'm hoping to make G's game tomorrow night in Poland. I want to get to as much as I can this week before treatment starts next week. Tonight time to chill out and relax.

2-4-2023 Had a great night at the fights last night. Such a good event with a pretty good turnout. The kids got to meet Boom Boom. I made it through. Got pretty tired towards the end but was not missing the final bouts no matter what. My man Aiden fought a good fight. Super proud of him. I give credit to all those kids/men who get in there and have the balls to scrap it up. Got up today feeling really good. Got Zeke for a nice long walk at the park this morning. Followed by some really light arm weights which Amanda wasn't too happy about. 😊

I have about 9 days to get ready for my next treatment. In my mind it's like I'm training for a competition. Pretty goofy huh? Relaxed this afternoon and made the mistake of doom scrolling for the first time in a while. Just reading on some of my groups about those dealing with the same as me. As positive as I try to be sometimes I will go down that wormhole. Here we go with a new week to look forward to. I'm planning on making it up to work tomorrow and having as close to a normal week than I've had in a long time. I hope to have results on my biopsy sometime this week.👍

2-3-2024 Let's go everyone get off your asses and get moving! Nice long walk with Zeke the beast to start the morning. Not 100% but feel much better than yesterday. Easy for me to talk trash when I'm feeling a bit better. 😊 Good energy so far today. Hope I can keep it up. Not sure what else I will get into this afternoon. Fight night in the STR tonight! Can't wait to go watch some live boxing and get my mind off this shit for a few hours.💪

2-2-2024 I was a bit sluggish this morning but starting to snap out it. No idea why but it takes a few days to get some energy back. Last evening I dozed off on the couch for about an hour or two. Very deep sleep like someone hit me over the head with a brick. Body just shut down but then it turned into a pretty good nights rest. This time around it's a bit tougher mentally. Every time I got through a treatment before the goal was surgery and possibly cure. This time around it's feeling like getting drilled with this shit until I can't take anymore. So I have to say bring it on and think as positive as I can. My goal is to make it to the fights tomorrow night. I'm really looking forward to going. Finally got some tunes in today!

2-1-2024 Well it's been a long two and a half days of getting my chemo cocktails but the pump is finally off. I feel like a lion that just got out of his cage. Not sure to call this treatment one of battle two or treatment four of round two? I'll take suggestions.😊 Feels so good to get that bag off but I know from the past I'll be a bit sluggish the next few days. My next scheduled treatment will be Feb 13th if my blood counts are good. Going to relax rest of the day or maybe get moving around a little. Hoping to feel good enough to go watch the fights Saturday night! We'll see how I feel. I have to get stronger and get ready for the next treatment. At least I get a little break from getting poked and pricked for a couple weeks. I have to get back to my tunes this month. I only logged 34 complete albums in January. A music disappointment😒 . It's a new month so let's go get it. I'm planning on helping coach a team cure team again this spring which will keep me motivated. As long as I'm able to help I will be there.

1-31-2024. Pretty laid back day. Nothing exciting to talk about. Had some company which really helps out. Amanda worked midnight last night so my man Randy and Morgan babysat me last night. I was planning on getting out for walk today but I did not have enough juice. Still a bit weak but moving around the house and eating/drinking good. The countdown is on. I have about 18 more hours of having this chemo pump going. When this comes off tomorrow Katie bar the door. i'm busting through! Not too much you can do physically with this thing hooked up. I'm sure it will still hit me a few days after like it did before but my goal is to make the hometown fights Saturday night! You know how the fight game gets me pumped up. We'll see how I feel. Looking forward to tomorrow and getting this first treatment of second time around in the books.

1-30-2024. Writing today live from the hope center. Some really good company here today. Lots of conversation and some laughs. Met some really great people going through their own battles. I'm getting my chemo cocktail right now. Started with the immunotherapy. I've been here for about 4/half hours and should be leaving in about an hour after we get my take home pump all set up. It's hitting me pretty good today. Can't wait to get out of here and go relax at home.

Iv'e been telling everyone I really got my ass handed to me today. Long day now at home resting. Just weak but I'm still forcing food down my long stretched belly.😀 I'm sure by tomorrow i'll be telling my siamese pump that is attached to me you ain't shit! I already dropped it once. Nothing pulled out this time around Tomorrow is a new day. Thanks for all the good vibes today and everyone that reached out.

1-29-2024 Getting ready to head to Cleveland. Anxiety pretty high this morning. Used some of that high energy and took Zeke for an early morning walk. Hope to have an update later tonight.💪

Well we can add a CT guided biopsy of a lymph node to my long ass medical chart. In case anyone is wondering they did not put me out for the procedure. They gave me a little versed but it didn't really do anything to me. I think I needed something with a little more octane. They did stick me a few times with a numbing agent which wasn't pleasant. They went in on my lower right side above my right ass cheek. The procedure was all good. I was in recovery for almost two hours. We missed G's and Joey's games which pisses me off a tad. Amanda and I just got home a little bit ago and I'm a little sore. This was one long day and tomorrow is going to be more of a challenge for sure. My anxiety is through the roof right now! I'm going to go relax and hopefully get some rest. I have to be there by 9am for bloodwork and treatment. Probably be there for 5 hours or so. A little longer than last time because of the immunotherapy and hooking me up to the pump to take home for two days. I'm not sure what this will do to me the 2nd time around but even though I'm a little beat up from today I'm bringing the thunder tomorrow. Let's get this started!

1-28-2024 Get your popcorn and junior mints. The show is about to start. Tomorrow afternoon we are headed to Cleveland to get my biopsy. They will be taking it from a retroperitoneal lymph node. Not sure what the procedure is but I'll soon find out. My check in time is noon and the procedure is scheduled for 1:30. They said I will be in recovery for a couple hours. My mind has been going crazy all day thinking about the next four days. I had the football game on earlier and wasn't even paying attention to it. Going from tomorrow afternoon right into Tuesday mornings treatment is going to be a tester. We'll get through Thursday. We don't want to hear about taking it one day at a time! Right Carl?!😊 Going to relax this evening and wake up ready to rock and roll! I will try my best to have updates tomorrow night.

1-27-2024 This Saturday morning flew by. Amanda, Zeke and I got in a little walk today. It was enough to get the blood pumping. It's hard for me to push it right now with the pain I'm in but I can't just sit on my ass all the time. Got my tickets today for the fights coming up at St. Nicks next Saturday. Hopefully I will feel good enough to go. Going to watch some hoops and maybe have some company over tonight. Started a new puzzle and got some music in today. I'm doing a pretty good job of keeping busy and getting my mind off of Monday.

1-26-2024 I finally had a day were I didn't have to go in and get poked. Sucked it up and made it up to work again today. Got my best night of sleep in a few weeks last night. Trying to wrap some things up at work since at a minimum I'll miss next week for sure. Looking forward to a relaxing weekend before the madness begins on Monday. It will be hard but I have to not do too much thinking. Made it to Gs game last night. Not sure if I'll make the varsity game tonight. It will be a game time decision.

1-25-2024 Had to get bloodwork again today for my biopsy on Monday. Getting a little

tired of being a human pincushion the last month or so. So irritating. After bloodwork I made it to work for a half day. Feels like I got something accomplished. Morgan and I made it to Joey's game yesterday. Gonna head home and hopefully make G's freshman game in Poland. We also got a few good old hair bands in today.😊

1-24-2024 I wasn't planning on posting today but I got a surprise call from the hope center and had to go in for a calcium infusion. Doc said it was a bit low and he just wanted to bring it up a bit before next week. I was there about an hour for the infusion. Bad news is we used the new port we put in two days ago which is still a tad sore. Good news is that it worked and had good blood flow. Hope that continues for next week. For those who don't remember my old port the first time around was a real pain in the ass cheeks. Clinic called to set up Monday's biopsy. I have to get more bloodwork done before I head up on Monday. I'm going to try and hit Joey's game here at 5pm.

1-23-2024 We had a big day at the hope center today. Got my bloodwork and wonderful shot of Xgeva. We spent most of the morning there. The place was packed to the gills. It is unreal how many people are affected by this cancer bullshit. We had a long conversation with doctor today about our options and the plan of attack. He was up front with us but also very concerned. He went over my pet scan and told us what we already knew from our meeting in Cleveland. It has reached my bones. Yes I had to ask that question no one wants the answer to! He told us if I didn't do treatment more than likely I would not make it to the summer. His plan is to be fast and aggressive to try and settle this down. So as bad and tough as it sounds here is the plan. I will get a biopsy on Monday the 29th in Cleveland. This biopsy will give him an idea of any mutations of the original and maybe give other treatment options down the road. Tuesday the 30th I will start Folfox chemo which I started this journey on. This is the three headed chemo with folinic acid, fluorouracil, and oxaliplatin. Same as before I will go Tuesday and they will send me home with bag and pump to be hooked up for 46 hours. They will also be giving me Optiva which is an immunotherapy treatment at the same time. He wants to give me at least 6-9 rounds. Yes seems like a lot but I'm gonna give it hell. He said we'll see how much I can handle and go from there. I had a little talk with him about how I'm going through this angry stage. His reply was that's fine. Stay angry it's ok. Whatever emotions I'm going through he will help me out and be there. I really don't want to give the old ra ra speech and have a huge pep rally before a high school football game because this is real life. My life. The one thing I will say is I'm going to give this everything I have and then some. I have too much riding on this to give up anytime soon. Stubborn bullhead coming to a town near you. Time for me to start talking to the myself and the chemo again. 😊

1-22-2024 Just got back from getting port number 2 in. I'm pretty sore right now. I was still trying to make it to Joey's game at 5 but Amanda won that battle. Just going to relax tonight and get ready for another morning at the hope center tomorrow. My biopsy was also scheduled for next Monday the 29th at the Cleveland Clinic. Going to be nonstop the next couple of weeks. I can't say enough how smooth it went today at Southwoods. Everything was on time and the staff was amazing. Had a pretty weird why is this happening to me moment last night. I don't get too many of those but last night was a tough one. Totally different this morning as I got in that pissed off bring this shit on mode. Moved around a bit and actually did a few sets of curls before my procedure.😊 We should have some good information tomorrow on what's coming down the road. Thanks for everyone checking in today. Another step down and many to go.

1-21-2024 Well here we go again. Tomorrow starts the next round. I have to be there at 12:30 to get my port put back in. Sucks because I have to go all morning without any eat/drink. I'm guessing tonight will be another rough night of sleeping. At least after this is done I can get back to some ibuprofen.

Get through tomorrow and back it up with trip to hope center Tuesday morning for bloodwork and Xgeva shot for sure. Not sure what he has in store as far as treatment since I'm waiting on the biopsy. Hope to get something started fast because this pain is no joke.

1-20-2024 I got up early yesterday and did some of the driveway. Probably shouldn't be doing it but what the hell. I have to beat Sam to the punch.😊 After that I made it up to work for a few hours. Tried to clean up some lose ends. Not sure how much I'll be going up there in the near future. Always feels good when I can get there even if it's for a few hours. On the way home I was in a really weird head space. Lots of thinking in the car plus my pain made me come right home and snooze for a couple of hours. Then I met with a few buds to discuss getting another team cure bball team together. It sounds nuts but it might be just the distraction I need. Even if I can't make it I know they can run the show. Had a bad night of sleep. Can't take anything for the pain because of the port procedure on Monday. Today is going to be a chill out watch football listen to some tunes kind of day. Right now not much energy but maybe later see if I can get a walk in.💪

1-18-2024 Happy Birthday G! Hard to believe G is 15 years old today. Time is flying by. After his and Joey's practice we'll celebrate with some dinner and cake. I was planning on it but did not make it in to work today. Not surprising but a shitty night of sleep for me. I'm hoping to get up there tomorrow but we'll see. The clinic has ordered my biopsy but we don't have nothing scheduled yet. Looking like Monday will start the madness. Got some tunes in today and got a walk in with Zeke at the park this afternoon. A little cold but well worth it. I sound like a broken record but the people reaching out through this blog, many that I don't even know is unreal! Thank you so much. Keep the good vibes rolling in.😊

1=17=2024 This morning we took our talents up to the Cleveland Clinic. We met with Dr. Suh who is the chairman/director of the clinics radiology/oncology department. Him and his staff were great. We got so much information my head was spinning. We finally got to go over my Pet scan results and get confirmation on what we thought. They showed us the scan and I'm pretty lit up. I told Amanda on the way out we should have just used my scan instead of a xmas tree this year. That's how many bright spots I have at the moment. I have 3 spots on my upper vertebrae along with my left shoulder. They are also on my hip and tail bone. I also have some lymph nodes affected. I think it was a total of 12 spots but it could be more. To be blunt and make a long story short it will be palliative care to get me some more time. I know crazy to say when 6 months ago I was clear and everything was looking great. Is it worth going through hell again? Not sure but I'm about to find out! So here is the plan. I will first have a biopsy to see if I can get chemo and targeted immunotherapy. We're hoping to get this scheduled asap so I can start treatment and dim these body bulbs inside of me. I have too many spots for them to do targeted radiation to remove lesions but I have an option to get radiation on my T1 and shoulder to help with pain but I'm not sure if I'm going to do that. I'm getting my port placed in again on Monday at 1pm. Tuesday back to the Hope Center to see Dr. and get my Xgeva shot. As crazy as this sounds I'm so glad the ball is rolling. Now I know exactly what I have to do. A totally different mindset than I've had the past month or so. Lets go. Sounds so cliche but starting right now I'm going at this like no other.

1-16-2024 I made it to work for a few hours today. Stefan is on his way back to SLC. It was great having him. He got to see a couple of Joey and Gs basketball games. My brother in law Mike also surprised me on Sunday with the guys from the mountain trip and a some of my other close friends to watch my Cowboys get there ass kicked. Boy we sure made a day out of it. Yesterday my local oncologist called and talked to Amanda and I. He was pretty blunt which is ok in my book. He said it's in the bones and some lymph nodes which is what we expected. He wants to get a biopsy to see if I will need chemo along with immunotherapy. Of course it's not the news you want to hear but at least he is getting the ball rolling and doesn't want to waste any time. I'm already scheduled to get a port placed in on Monday the 22nd. For how happy I was when my first one came out I'm equally irritated about getting it put back in. Tomorrow morning I meet with my radiology oncologist for the bone lesions to see if they can do something. It's looking like I will be having a ton of appointments coming up. Enough to where I'm thinking, how the hell am I going to do this? At least everyone will have some good reading material.😊 Hope to get some answers tomorrow.

1-14-2024 Got an early morning snow shovel in. Stefan gave me a hand. Feels so much better to get moving. Not as easy as it used to be. I haven't been very active lately. Still have some pain in the back. I got a little more sleep last night than I've been getting. We are going to make some early phone calls tomorrow and hopefully get some answers. I wonder what will be next. Right now I'm relaxing listening to some vinyl. Getting ready to watch my Cowboys this afternoon. Hope to have updates for everyone soon.

1-12-2024 Update on Pet-scan. This actually might be the hardest post to write since I started. We received the results a few hours ago. I know I'm no doctor and nothing is for sure until I talk to my team but the results do not look good. It shows more than what we thought. Seems like I have multiple vertebrae affected by this mess. It's showing T1 T4 T12 and also C1. It states I have some lymph nodes affected also. To come this far and get dealt this news is so hard to take in. Feels like I'm shock at this moment. Probably not gonna sleep much this weekend. I made it to G and Sams Jv game and had to leave halfway through the varsity game. Mind just going in all directions. I was talking earlier and said physically I think I'm pretty tough and can handle anything but mentally this has been brutal. It's been so easy to write in this blog when things are running great. Didn't realize how hard these updates would be the last month or so with things just going down hill. Just shooting from the hip and writing whatever is coming into my mind. So I guess the pain I've been feeling is the real deal. Not a stiff neck or pulled muscle like I try to believe. We already talked to the kids which we've been totally up front with right from the start. This is not going to be an easy weekend but we'll get through it. We'll have to get some answers and an explanation of these results. Once we talk to the team we'll find out if it's something we can fight. As I said right now we have no idea. Right now I need everyone to toughen up. The support I have from my family, friends, and everyone around me will keep me pushing no doubt.💪

1-12-2024 Pet-scan finished. Got my injection early waited about 45 minutes then the scan. Now we just sit and wait for the results. I will be pacing around until we get them. I will keep everyone updated when we get them. Pretty tired right now. Tonight we are heading to G and Sams Jv game where the cats will be taking on the Poland bulldogs.

1-11-2024 Early morning rise today. Going to sack up and head into work for a bit today. We got a ton of information from Dr. Angelov the neurologist at the clinic yesterday. We had our virtual on zoom and we could not have been more impressed with her. The relief you get from talking with someone that deals with this on an everyday basis is huge. So here are the cliffs notes of our meeting. She is almost certain the lesions on my T1 and T4 vertebrae are from my EC. That is what is causing my back pain. She thinks it's early enough on to where we can do SBRT radiation to zap these off my bones. They are on the outside and did not enter the spinal cord. Sad to say but that's about the best news I got in a month or so. She leads the way in finding the exact location of the lesions and Dr. Suh who we meet next Wednesday will be the shooter. She said they have done thousands of these and the success rate is 85%-90%. And of course for me it means more scans! Really tired of all these scans. I will need two more Cat-scans so we can get the markings for radiation. She also wants another MRI of my neck to rule out any other type of spread. She said the Pet-Scan I get tomorrow will give us more information. She will consult with my oncologist about a biopsy to see about further treatment. It's going to be two years in April since my diagnosis and it feels like I'm starting over again. Maybe not starting over but heading into the middle rounds. I will have updates tomorrow on my Pet-scan. Now heading to work and get my mind off tomorrow for a bit. We actually have a night off. No hoops tonight. Stefan and I went to Joey's game last night in the Range and had a really good night just relaxing. Let's get this done one scan at a time.😊

1-9-2024 Going straight from work to pick Stefan up from the airport. It will be nice having him in town. Hopefully will get my mind off some of this nonsense. The pain in my upper back is still the same. Hopefully after the scan on Friday we can figure some things out and move forward. This waiting around is pure torture. One of my appointments scheduled for next Wednesday in Cleveland has been moved to a virtual tomorrow at 2:30. It's with the neuro surgeon. It's hard to believe where I started from that now I'll be talking with a neurosurgeon and radiation oncologist for my spine. Pretty hard to believe and take in. Not sure what to expect tomorrow but at least we can ask some questions. At least we'll be getting something started. Last night we hit Joey's game in Hubbard where the boys played pretty good. I will have updates tomorrow on my appointment.

1-7-2024 Now for the weekend recap. Busy enough to keep my mind off things for a bit. Pretty decent day at work on Friday then we headed out to Gs basketball game in Niles. Saturday I headed out to see my man Jeff at the record connection and snagged a few vinyls. Starting this week I have to get back to my music. Also on Saturday Amanda booked us a night in Cleveland to hang out. We bummed around city and hit the casino for a bit. We got back early today and just relaxed watching football. Just got done watching my Cowboys wrap up the division! My pain today is much better than it has been. Hope it stays this way so I can get some sleep tonight. Looking forward to my main man Stefan coming in this week to stay with us for a few days. He'll be great company to have this week going into Friday's Pet-scan.

1-4-2024 Yesterday headed to work for a few hours and for the first time in awhile me and zeke got a good walk in at the park. I followed that up with G's freshman game then from there Joey and I headed to Westminster College to watch some late night hoops. Coach Danilov got us in the locker room for pregame which was pretty cool for Joey to see. Chalk yesterday up as a good day. Today still yet to be determined. Didn't sleep all that good again last night and did not make the trip to work. Had some more pain this morning and last night. Just got up from a 3 hour nap. I think the best power sleep I've had in some time. I just got a call from the Cleveland Clinic. They scheduled me to meet with a neurologist and after that a radiation oncologist. You get these calls then everything starts to sink in again. I will be heading to that appointment on January 17th. January is going to be one hell of a month. Not sure what I will get into the next few hours. Later we will hit Joey's 7th grade game at 5pm. Also I listened to 668 full length albums in 2023. Pretty good for me. Have to get back to my music. I've really been slacking lately.

1-2-2024 Wow we had one hell of a holiday run. I managed to suck it up and enjoyed xmas/new years like it was my job. Surrounded by family/friends for the last week was great. Mike pulled a fast one on me new years eve getting a bunch of family and friends to come down sing happy birthday. That was earlier in the evening followed by our annual get together. All the birthday love was unreal. Yesterday was not a really good day for me.It was so strange. I had the biggest let down day. I trained my mind so much to enjoy the last week now that when it was done I had a total shutdown afternoon. My mind was now back the upcoming scan and I could not shut it off. All afternoon staring at the football games but really not even paying attention. I haven't got like that in quite some time. Of course it didn't help my sleep last night. Upper back still bothering me a bit which never helps the sleeping situation. So now today I'm going to head up to work for a few hours and get out of this funk I'm in since yesterday.

12-31-2023 Well I made it to 50! Been a crazy ending to the year but I'm finishing strong. I'm still a bit sore with the bone pain. No time for that today. Having a great time with family and friends. We're going to enjoy tonight and ring in the new year. Trying like hell to put what's coming up with my health out of my mind. Got a surprise visit from my in laws two days ago. A great birthday gift. It was that boost of energy I needed, Can't wait to see everyone tonight. Tomorrow the new fight will begin. Happy New Year everyone!

12-29-2023 Another bad start to the morning. My back is giving me trouble when I first wake up. Got up to work today for a bit. My Pet-scan is scheduled for January 12th. It's actually the quickest they can get me in. The Cleveland Clinic has all my reports and information from the Hope Center. They will get back to me by next Friday or the following Monday to set something up to meet the neurologist and get this biopsy scheduled. Had a great time last night hanging with my brother Joey and Paula. As hard as it's going to be I have to enjoy this long weekend!

12-28-2023 Not a great start to the morning .The pain in my back has been really bad at night and when I first wake up. Not sure if the Xgeva shot is giving me more pain or not. Once I get going and moving around it seems to get a little better. I made it up to work today. Physically I'm ok the mental part of focusing on work is the tough part. The worst part is the 50 minute drive up and back home is were my mind really starts spinning. I need to get buried back into my music. Today might call for some heavy metal to the juices flowing. So far we have no word on the PET-Scan or biopsy yet. I'm gonna try like hell to get some walking/exercise in when I get home today. We'll see about that. Also another thing I've said 6000 times before. Thanks to everyone for reaching out calling, texting, messaging on assbook, I have no words to explain how much that helps and keeps me grinding.💪

12-26-2026 Well it's almost like I'm in a bad dream right now. We met with the oncologist today for a good 30 - 40 minutes. The news was not what we wanted to hear but not surprising based on my last Cat-scan and MRI. Of course nothing is 100% positive but he said with his experience the two spots on my t1 and t4 vertebrae are more than likely from my original EC which he said is rare. So here we go again. To be honest this news is actually just as hard if not harder to swallow than the original diagnosis. Everyone I talked to today I said the same thing. I know I'm a fighter but after going through the shit show of treatment/radiation and the 9 hour surgery that beat me up last year where do I get the motivation to start again. Right now I don't know where to even start. I know my family and my hardhead will not let me give in. So I can probably write a novel about what we talked about today but I will just give everyone the cliff notes. First he is ordering me another pet-scan just to see if anything else in my body lights up. He also is scheduling me to get a biopsy of the vertebrae lesion at the Cleveland Clinic which does not sound fun. From this biopsy they will be able to see what treatment plan I will be on. He said it could be chemo or even immunotherapy but for sure I will need a certain kind of radiation to hit the exact 2 spots. It will be different than the radiation I had before. This may help the pain in my back. The thing that works me up is I'm going to get another port put in. Wish I never had the first one taken out!

And finally I had to get a shot of a bone treatment drug called Xgeva. It's a bone modifying agent that will help my spots from fracturing. I just hope I do not get any of the crazy side effects from this drug. I will need this shot every 4 weeks along with vitamin D and Calcium supplements. So here we are again. I started this blog to help out those recently diagnosed. I thought positive and never thought I would now be doing this to help out those who are dealing with it spreading. But I know I will continue to help and also now learn new things about my new battle. I have tons of things running through my head right now so I'm sure I will be writing more once my head clears. I will be posting as my test get scheduled. We talked to the kids and they now my path. We already had a great Christmas and I promised them this will not ruin our new years!

12-25-2023 Merry Xmas everyone! Yesterday we did the traditional Xmas eve fish dinner with great company. We also watched my Cowboys blow another game. We were up and at it super early this morning. Watching these kids open up there gifts is such a joy. Especially today with not knowing what the hell I'm going to be dealt tomorrow. I thought the last two days would be really tough but I think I did pretty good. This is really tough going into tomorrow not knowing what the plan (if any) will be be moving forward. How bad is it? Hundreds of questions in my head right now. I get down but then my bull head comes out and I get a bit pissed off and try to pump myself up. Used my high anxiety to get two walks in with Zeke. One at the park and one in the neighborhood. Nothing we can do now. Just wait until the morning and put trust in my team to keep this fight going. Thanks again everyone today for the good vibes and energy for tomorrow. Tonight gonna try and rest if I can. I will have updates tomorrow after I see my oncologist.

12-22-2023 How the hell I made it in to work is beyond me. At least getting up to work keeps my mind off things for a bit. My mind is in a pretty crazy place right now. It's like I'm on auto pilot right now. Actually got a good walk in yesterday and hit a few weights. Hopefully get a good one in again today and try to hit Gs game in Girard. First up is to enjoy the long weekend and xmas with the family. I just got scheduled to meet with my oncologist on Tuesday the 26th in the morning. Now we have to see where I stand and what the plan is moving forward.

12-20-2023 Well I must be on Santas naughty list because we did not get the news we wanted today. My MRI came back with the same results as the CT scan. It says 'Abnormal marrow signal within the T1 and T4 vertebral body concerning for metastatic disease. After everything we've gone through. All the hell I've been through the last year and a half this is not what I was expecting. Never in a million years did I think this would spread to my spine. Had some low moments through this journey but this is a tough one to swallow. It kind of takes me back to when I got originally diagnosed. We really can't confirm anything until we talk to the doctors on what's next. Just like starting over again. The clinic reached out to me and my next step is to get in touch with my local oncologist and see what's next. They said maybe pet scan, bone scan or maybe a biopsy of the spine. We will call them tomorrow morning. Just when I thought I might be writing less on this blog. It turns out I'll be venting more and hopefully helping someone else out. I talked with the kids so they have an idea what's going on. I asked them one favor. We will NOT let this ruin xmas and the new year. I will have updates when I get more answers. Hopefully tomorrow.

12-19-2023 Well this is probably the latest post I 've done in sometime. This has actually been the longest 36 some hours of a mental fuck this year. Counting the bowel obstruction in July. Still no word on my MRI results. Got about 45 minutes of sleep last night hoping my results would post to mychart at any second. I'm being positive it's just the anxiety makes you want to explode. Everything goes your head. Is this a joke? Did it really spread to my spine. Just hoping my discomfort is from me being a nonstop jackass and maybe tweeking my back. Iv'e come way to far to start a new fight. But I will say it now if I have to my dukes are up and ready for whatever round we're in. Now that I'm done venting. I did meet with my oncologist today at the Hope Center. All my bloodwork is looking good and yes I actually gained almost 7 pounds since my last scan. Not bad for a guy who is yacking a few times a week. Doc said we'll just wait for results and go from there. Although EC spreads to other places first it can go to the spine. Lets hope I get some news soon and hopefully some rest tonight. Update tomorrow for sure.

12-18-2023 It's going to be a really tough stretch waiting for this MRI. I have an MRI scheduled for December 28th. We have to see if this lucency found on my vertebrae is from the cancer or maybe I jacked it up somehow. It is amazing how your mind can mess with you. My head is totally consumed with this test. Right back to my mind set a year or so ago. The old saying stay positive, stay mentally tough, is much easier said than done when dealing with this bullshit. I have to put my big boy pants on and get off my ass. Haven't moved or slept decent since I got the scan results. I really haven't listened to much music since. That's when I know I'm bothered. Once again here we early in the morning trying to get pumped up for the week. We're going to try to get this MRI moved up. Tomorrow hopefully my oncologist at the Hope Center can give me some more info on this. Maybe my bloodwork will tell us something. I still had a pretty busy social weekend clearing my mind a bit. Friday hit the cats bball game then after met with some friends. Awesome night celebrating a friends good news with a good scan herself. Saturday net with uncles and cousins at the annual guys xmas party. Yesterday finished the busy weekend at the Mascarella xmas party followed by coming home and watching my Cowboys get an ass beating. Headed to work in a bit. We're going to clear this mind and get my ass going today.

Update! My MRI just got moved to this afternoon at 3pm! At least I don't have to wait until the 28th. Let's go get this done.

12-14-2023 We got the scan results back last evening. Definitely not what I was expecting or wanted. Scan says indeterminate lucency in the T1 vertebral body worrisome for metastases. I also have two other enlarged lymph nodes. Just something else we have to worry about now. I really don't think this spread. I have had some pain on the left side of my neck for a couple of weeks and I'm thinking maybe they're seeing a tweek in the neck or upper back. We messaged the clinic and Dr. Rajas office last night to see what the next steps are. Since I didn't sleep much last night my Dr. google says EC can but usually doesn't go to the vertebrae but who the hell knows. This is another mental test. Have to wait and see what the next step is and attack it and stay strong mentally. I'm going to get a long walk in and maybe even hit the treadmill till I fall over to get rid of this anxiety. Once I here from the clinic I will keep everyone posted. No choice but to keep pushing.

Evening update. Dr Rajs's office just got back to me. He is not as concerned with the enlarged lymph nodes at the moment. He wants another cat scan in 3 months to monitor tham. They are ordering am MRI asap to check out the T1 vertebrae. Hopefully we can get this scheduled quick so my mind can rest a bit.

12-12-2023 Here we go! Catscan eve today. I go in tomorrow at 9am scan is scheduled for 10am. Hope to get results by tomorrow evening. We'll go over results and get my bloodwork at the Hope Center on the 19th. Thanks to everyone throwing the good vibes my way today with the messages. After everything Iv'e been through the last year and a half it seems like a miracle that I'm in this position right now. Those just diagnosed or getting through treatment stay strong and you'll get here. No matter what results we get we're going into beast mode.😊 Tonight heading right from work to Gs game at the field house. I will keep everyone posted tomorrow!

12-11-2023 It seems like every weekend during the holidays is crazy busy. Really been nuts with hoops starting up. We headed to Liberty for Gs high school game Saturday afternoon. Saturday was fight night in Youngstown. Love my boxing. Yesterday we went to Gs football banquet. Really good day honoring the great season they had. This will be another busy week with the boys and hoops. I think they both have two games each this week. I'll be heading to Girard after work for Joey's game. Watching my group of boys again. I have to get moving more. Been slacking on the walking and exercising this past week. Anxiety level on high! Scan on Wednesday. Let's keep grinding!

12-7-2023 Rough getting out of bed today. Super tired. Amanda's procedure went well yesterday. Straight from work to Joey's game in Niles. The boys got the win. Hit the couch when I got home and was out like a light. Been a busy week of work then going straight to the games. Same thing tonight as G and the freshman have a game. Definitely keeps my mind off of the next few weeks.

12-6-2023 This past weekend flew by. Monday started off with a crazy day at work. I hit Joey's first 7th grade basketball game Monday evening. It was so weird sitting in the crowd watching this group of boys I've coached for the past 4 years. I'll get used to it. Last night we went to the cats first game. G played a lot in the JV game and Samantha cheers. It's going to be a crazy basketball season with the 3 of them involved. Early rise today around 5am. Had to take Amanda in for a procedure at 6am then head to work when she is finished around 8 or so. From work I'll head straight to Niles for another 7th grade game. Hope these boys can play some good ball tonight. My mind is totally consumed with the 13th and 19th. I'm plugging along but it's always in the back of my mind. Keeping busy helps out a ton. I get people when they say don't think about it. Everything will be fine. I know they mean well but believe me it's a lot easier said than done. Can't wait to get through these appointments and enjoy the holidays.💪

12-1-2023 December is here! We made it. Big month coming up filled with the holidays, scans and oncologist appointments. I'm asking Santa for the greatest gift of all. A clean scan and good bloodwork. As hard as it is with my mind going crazy it's about time to get into the xmas spirit. Maybe some xmas tunes today! Yesterday got out of work a little early and hit the park with Zeke. Actually hit the treadmill for a bit. As hard as it is sometimes I have to keep moving. Only logged in 37 full length albums for November. Slacking a bit but I should be able to set my yearly record. Big win for my Cowboys last night! Let's get through this Friday and ready for the weekend.

11-26-2023 Had a pretty productive weekend. Friday after work was as relaxing as possible. Just watched some tv and got some good shut eye. Saturday was a day to remember and a day that reminds me of why I'm going to keep fighting this non-stop. Joey and I made a last minute decision to go see the YSU playoff game. Such a great decision. We had a blast. Believe it or not it was his first YSU football game. Just go and do things like that is my advice. Don't get caught watching the paint dry. 😊Lots of moving today. Got my final cut done today. Cleaned up the garage and got it ready for the winter. Stacked the shed and actually through around some weights. Back at it tomorrow. Bring on the 13th!

11-23=2023 Happy Thanksgiving! So thankful to be here to celebrate with my family!

11-22-2023 Thanksgiving Eve! Up early this morning getting ready to head into work. Let's get this day over with and enjoy the holiday tomorrow. Cats got knocked off last friday. What a great run they had! Morgan got an academic letter yesterday from school.It's for students that have carried a 3.5 or higher. Super proud of her. Feeling just ok lately. Not sick just really run down and really tired. Still moving like crazy just a little off the past few days. My scan has finally been scheduled for December 13th. December 19th I will meet with the oncologist. Two big days coming up. Hopefully Sant brings me a clear scan and bloodwork for xmas!

11-16-2023 Crazy day at work yesterday. Much better today. Trying to get my scan date locked down but no word from the Hope Center yet. I really want to get this scheduled. It will be high anxiety for the next couple of weeks. Hope to get some exercise in tonight and get ready for Friday.

11-13-2023 We got back from the mountains yesterday afternoon. What a great two days. We did this trip in January for about 17 or so years to the cabin before we starting going to Geneva for our poker weekend. Hope we can all keep it going come January. Backed it up with another good day. Day off of work today and tomorrow. Early walk in the park this morning with the paps. Might have got the final cut of the year in today. Who knows maybe one more. Cats with another playoff win Friday night. This Friday they will play for the regional ship! G is still dressing. What a great experience for him. Something I'm sure he will never forget. Tomorrow back at it. Non-stop moving is the goal. We'll be ready for that next scan in early December.💪

11-10-2023 Heading up to Tionesta for a few days. A little two day getaway to play some cards and relax. Should be a fun time. Good luck to the Cats tonight in the third round of the playoffs. Hopefully I will be getting good updates!

11-6-2023 Day off of work today. Early rise watching the kids head out to school. Already have my long walk with Zeke done with. We hit Roosevelt again. What a great morning to get moving. Lots of tunes so far today. What a relaxing weekend. Got so much accomplished. The girls reminded me yesterday it's been one year since my benefit. So hard to believe. A day my family will never forget.

11-5-2023 Up and at it early again this Sunday morning. Joey having to be at basketball tryouts at 7am yesterday and today really got my ass moving. Big win for the Cats Friday night. Another playoff win. Proud moment seeing G get his first varsity play on special teams. Like I said not too shabby for a freshman! What a productive day I had yesterday. Got Joey off to tryouts then got the beast on a nice walk. Finally got the yard done after about a week of terrible weather. Had enough energy to hit the treadmill in the afternoon. Didn't make it very far (almost a mile) but I was definitely done. I will definitely get moving again today and hopefully get some things done around the house before the big Cowboy game. Let's go beat the Eagles!

11-3-2023 Happy Friday! Cats Dogs rematch tonight in the Po. Should be fun. Getting a lot of feedback from the interview. It's unbelievable how many people are affected by this disease. Just hope I can continue to help out as much as I can.

11-2-2023 Finally got to do my interview with Dara last night. Thanks Dara for all the work and time you put in to help people out with esophageal cancer. Check out the interview on youtube or even facebook. Got a game of hoops in last night. I'm feeling it today for sure! Back to the tunes today.

https://youtu.be/PSvBfxTGNFU?si=WKyqaw-EjhmA0AyV

11-1-2023 November 1st! Where did October go? Had a crazy household last night with all the tricks and treats followed up with a visit to our cousins house. I'm scheduled to do a short interview this evening on facebook live with Dara from The Salgi Foundation Brooklyn Chapter. She does a great job of getting awareness out to people about esophageal cancer. I'm honored to hopefully help out someone recently diagnosed and going through the same journey. Hope to keep the train a rolling and get a game of hoops in later tonight. I logged in 52 complete albums in October. Once again another month of slacking on the music front.😊

10-30-2023 A lazy rainy weekend. Last week was pretty much a blur with work. Just a normal week with not much to really talk about besides getting some exercise in the evenings. Still have to get this morning workout train going. Much easier said then done. Friday night watch the cats for about a half. They got the playoff win. We had a great time hanging out with the cousins after the game. So much fun! Saturday was another fun night as we headed out to a Halloween party. It's so nice being able to do these things again. Big win for my Cowboys yesterday! Let's attack this new week. Heading to the lab in a bit. It's the end of October already. Before you know it I will headed for my next scan in December. 💪

10-24-2023 Another crazy weekend and Monday! Started Friday night with a great football game between the cats and dogs. Saturday was a really good day. Proud day moment when Samantha and I went back to Poland to look for an earing she lost while cheering at the game Friday night. The earing was given to her from papa Chuck. We found it! Must have been a sign from papa. It was like finding a needle in a haystack. Made our day for sure! Watched a lot of football, got a good walk in with Zeke then hit the treadmill for well over a mile jog again. I'm gonna keep trying pushing myself with the cardio. Long way to go for out of shape patient.😊 Next goal will be 2 miles of straight jogging. Saturday evening hit a birthday party with some good friends Sunday I was back on the treadmill and of course had to watch some football. Sunday evening into Monday morning hit another bump in the road. Bad reflux again. I was up for about 3 hours. Not a good sleep to say the least. Anytime I slide down in bed I'm screwed. It really sucks not being able to sleep flat. Even though I have the adjustable it's going to happen. The burn did not go away till yesterday morning. This morning I feel much better. Off to the lab I go for a good week of work.

10-20-2023 Back on the court last night. Feels so good to out there and run around like a little kid. Pretty gassed but hope to keep playing. Hard on the insides with the heavy breathing but hope to keep getting more wind. Little things like that help out so much mentally it's hard to explain. Big game tonight between the cats and dogs. Should be a good one. Almost done with another full week of work. Time to relax and enjoy the next couple of days. Quote of the week...'Don't let Hope become a memory". Yes that's from a great song.😜

10-19-2023 Big day in the Minno house today. Samantha got her drivers license today. Good lord help us! Stay off the sidewalks everyone.😊 We now have two daughters driving. Unreal. Here we go again! Coming out of retirement again tonight. Lacing up the sneakers and heading to play some basketball. Call me crazy but still at 49 years old and everything I've gone through I still love to play. Updates on the big game tomorrow,😊

10-16-2023 Another busy weekend. Friday night we headed down to the football game. Great win for the cats. Saturday morning we hit Gs last JV game in Niles. He did really well this year. Saturday afternoon I had some good energy and got Zeke for a long walk then busted out a mile on the treadmill at home. First time run/walking since I last got on the bball court. Can't wait to get back to playing after my last setback. My energy has been up and down lately. Some days feel great and others I'm pretty worn down. A lot of that comes from the lack of food I can put down my 3 inch esophagus.🤣 Saturday evening Morgan had a bunch of friends over taking over the house which means for me it's watching football in the garage. lol. Yesterday just a lazy rainy Sunday watching football. We celebrated Morgan's birthday and relaxed. Hoping to get a walk then treadmill again if I have the energy tonight and watch the Cowboys get a victory tonight!

10-15-2023 Happy 18th Birthday Morgan! We love you!

10-13-2023 Last night we hit Joey's final 7th grade game in Niles. Now it's on to basketball for these 7th graders. I got to talk to my man Carl again. I have said it a thousand times before the bond we have battling this together is something I can't explain. It's been a pretty tough week with the mental game but we made it. Thank god for my tunes this past week. One more day at the lab then the weekend is here. Tonight we got some Friday night football. Remember some people will surprise you for the good and others will surprise you for the bad. My new idea. Quote of the week.😊

10-9=2023 Besides seeing my Cowboys get a beatdown last night we had a great weekend. Morgan was crowned homecoming queen on Friday night before the game. So happy for her. Such a joy to be there after missing it last year. Saturday was like a circus with Morgan, Samantha and G all going to the dance. House full of people most of the day with Amanda running around doing the picture thing. Great time hanging out Saturday with some family and friends. Yesterday was a grass cutting football filled day. Now back to the grind with a new week.

10-6-2023 Big night for us tonight. We get to walk Morgan out for the homecoming court at tonight's game. As most of you know last year I couldn't make. It was my last night in the hospital and was not easy knowing I couldn't be there. A tough mental night for sure. I will never forget certain days which I had to get through to get to this point. Sounds strange but it helps me to keep rolling. Hopefully the weather holds up for the game tonight and for the kids tomorrow with homecoming. This week physically I've been pretty tired. Just a little out sorts. Maybe I should slow down a bit...never! Another week of work almost done. Ready for a chill weekend for sure. Having some issues with my music blog. It's not saving my new albums. Hope to get that fixed soon.👍

10-3-2023 The people reaching out is amazing. From my one year surgery post on one of my assbook groups there have been a handful of people contacting me. I'm learning so much from them. Some have been fighting longer than me. Getting some good advice for sure. Of course everyone is in a different position with this disease. From what stage, age, and how people are coping are all different. The one thing everyone deals with are those who have surgery have a whole different way of eating. It takes time to learn how to eat again. Sounds crazy but it is so true. It's a new way of living. No more enjoying a big steak dinner or a full bowl of pasta. If you push the eating you will get sick and believe me it doesn't feel good. With that being said this is where the positivity and strength comes in. You know the positive attitude people don't think you carry all the time! I know this is what I have to deal with and as everyone knows can be a hell of a lot worse. For now we move on.💪

10-2-2023 Happy Birthday Zeke!!!

10-1-2023 - One year ago today I got home from the hospital. Certain dates I guess I will never forget. What a crazy day it was. Got home in time to see the girls before homecoming. It was like a circus. Nurse was here getting me set up along with a house full of people.😊 Makes me cringe thinking about the shape I was in that day. But look how far we've come! Fun weekend. Visited with great friends Friday night. Watched Gs jv game yesterday morning then we had a house full last night to watch some boxing. Such a good time. It was great getting together again with my boxing buddies. Big win for my Cowboys today! Now for another week and a new month. Homecoming week for everyone. I'll be looking forward to being here this year for Friday nights game and walking Morgan out for court. Kind of slacked again on the music front. I only logged in 49 full albums in September. Back to jamming starting tomorrow.

9-29-2023 Another great day off yesterday. Did my morning walk in the park. I got my mall day in and also hit the record store. The little things that I enjoy.😊 We finished the day off with the 7th grade football game. I got to see my man Carl again. Always a joy anytime we talk. It's pretty weird heading back into work on Friday, No Friday football tonight. The cats are away and we'll get back to it next week. Let's get through this day and hit the weekend. Ordered some boxing for tomorrow night. Can't wait!

9-27-2023 Great day off today. Kept busy. Hit the store then an early walk with Zeke at the old school Roosevelt Park in Campbell followed by giving him a good scrubbing. Getting that beast in the tub is for sure a workout. The little things like dropping Joey off at school means so much. Jesus one year ago this morning I'm still in Cleveland all banged up with tubes and needles all over my body. Non-stop today. Also got the front/side yard cut and my weak ass actually threw around a few weights. Have to go light. Last thing I need is to hurt myself trying to be muscle man...😊 Now to relax the rest of the day. Maybe get some more tunes in.

9-25-2023 Another fun weekend. Friday night football game followed by Gs jv game Saturday morning. Saturday I got some yard work done and a walk in the park with Zeke. Saturday night Amanda and I hung out with some family and friends. Yesterday morning hit an early 18 holes and relaxed watching football the rest of the day. My Cowboys got their ass kicked! Not happy about that. Heading to work for another week!

9-22-2023 One year ago at this moment I would be in Cleveland getting sliced and diced on the table! Sounds a bit goofy but I will enjoy every second today. I look back on everything we accomplished this past year and it's hard to believe. So happy to have come this far in one year. Long way to go but we're gonna keep moving forward!

9-21-2023 It's been a really interesting week for me. Everything is going pretty good just a weird mental phase I'm going through. All because it will be one year tomorrow since my surgery. I keep putting myself back to what I was doing a year ago at this time. For example right now last year I would be on my 48 hour fast and doing the prep. Now I'm heading to work. So in the big picture is work that bad?..😊 The funny thing is I'm not getting depressed or worked up about it. Not singing the sad 'poor me' song. Instead I'm really pumped and keep realizing I don't have to go through that mess tomorrow. I guess anyone who has gone through anything close to this deals with it different. I'm enjoying every second right now. Been through hell and here we are! Heading to the 7th grade this evening for some football.

9=19=2023 Happy Birthday Amanda Minno! We love you! Enjoy your day. Way better day than last September 19th. Up and at it again this morning. Hoping for a good day today!

9-18-2023 Another Monday. New week. Crazy day at work. We had a really good weekend. Watched a great game Friday night. The cats came up a bit short but it was one hell of a game. Relaxed Saturday during the day. Got a good walk in then met some friends and family out later in the evening for Amanda's birthday which is tomorrow. Yes our family has a lot going on in the month of September. Yesterday was also relaxing watching football. Really enjoyed another Cowboy victory! Tomorrow will be one year since my pre-op day at the clinic. Going back and reading my blog from this week last year makes me cringe. My life was never the same physically since. Friday will be one year since my surgery. Still here and still fighting.....🙌

9-14-2023 7th grade cats with their first win of the season yesterday. Long day yesterday. Right from work to the game. Got to talk to my man Carl yesterday at the game. His grandson plays on Joey's team. Such a blast talking to him. Having the same disease and having gone through the same treatment/surgery we can really relate to what the other is going through. I have said it before, so glad we crossed paths. Finishing off work then heading home to get some exercise, cut the grass then watch some NFL. Eating still a bit of an issue lately. Still bringing up some food. Gonna wait and see if it improves. If not might have to head up to see Dr. Raja and get my esophagus/belly stretched. Just part of the suck ass battle.

9-12-2023 Had the day off of work yesterday. We celebrated our anniversary by going to the high school and meeting with Morgan's counselor about college. First she's starting grade school next we're talking about college. Amanda and I just had a little lunch and chilled out most of the day. 19 years sure went by fast. Back at work today. Getting through our busy month of September.

9-10-2023 Another weekend in the books. Friday night watched a big wildcat win. Yesterday got the yard done then celebrated Ann's 83rd birthday. God bless. Last night hung out with some friends and today watched the browns game with Duritza's crew. Now time to get hype for the big Cowboy game! Sunday night football is back.

9-7-2023 Happy Birthday Samantha! Our second born is 16 years old today. Hard to believe. Gonna get through another day of work. Joey has game then after that we'll celebrate Sams bday. First NFL game tonight! Get your fantasy team ready. Minno is coming for you..😂

9-5-2023 Reading a few posts today from my cancer groups on assbook and read a pretty good quote I haven't heard of in some time. To make a long story short they were talking about treatment vs non-treatment for this cancer. Of course non-treatment is just about a death sentence. Even with the aggressive treatment I know it's a battle and the outcome is unknown. We all know the percentages and we also know everyone is different. But seeing a comment today really stuck with me and makes me understand my will to keep pushing forward. He said "the treatment is so rough hope springs eternal". Thinking positive and having hope in the even the worst situations. Maybe I need to watch the movie.😊

9-4-2023 Up and at it early on this Labor Day. Fun weekend. We hit the fair on Saturday. Through the years I would never really get that excited to go but this year I was. What I went through last year made me appreciate it much more. My perspective on little things like that has changed so much. Of course I couldn't pound down the fair food like I used to! We got to watch my man Carl's band play for a bit at the fair. As I said many times before it's so great seeing him. Going through the same hell together gives you a certain kind of connection. Saturday evening we hung out with some great friends and yesterday I relaxed all day. Not the worst but had a bit of reflux yesterday morning. It can be really bad at times. Today going to get out and hit some golf balls and enjoy a day off. Only one full album so far this month. I have to step it up starting today. Maybe some vinyl later on. Up and at it. Crush the day.💪💪

9-1-2023 Boy did the month of August fly by. Logged in 63 full albums in August. Not bad but we'll try to do better this month. Busy September coming up. We have a lot going on this month. Samantha, Amanda and Ann all have birthdays this month. Last September was a huge month for me. Changed my life forever with the surgery. I missed a ton last September and I hope to make up for it this year. We'll start by hopefully hitting the fair this weekend. Last night we had Joey's 7th grade game followed by Gs freshman game. Back at it tonight for the varsity game watching Samantha cheer. Gotta love football season. Happy September!

8-29-2023 A so so day yesterday. Eating pretty much sucked yesterday. Been having some trouble keeping food down the last few days. We're going to have to see where this takes me. Any worse I'll have to contact Cleveland. Maybe I need stretched out again with a scope. We'll see. On a brighter note I had a good walk with Zeke and hit the treadmill for the first time in a bit. Only got 1 mile in but it's a start. The only cardio I'm getting is walking and the few times I got back on the court. I want to start ramping up the cardio. Heading into work. Let's see where this day takes me. Cancer advice for the day which I'm sure everyone knows. Stay the hell away from people who will drag you down with drama and negativity. Be around people who bring you up and give you a challenge you to fight this....💪

8-27-2023 Up at the ass crack of dawn this Sunday morning. Going to go hit the golf course. Nice relaxing way to finish the weekend off. Had a busy day yesterday. Nice walk in the morning then hit Gs JV game for a bit. Got the yard done. Not to jinx anything but I'm moving around pretty good with no issues. Last night was my first fantasy football draft. Good time with the guys!

8-24-2023 As good as the social media groups that I belong to on social media are they can really make your mind go crazy. I have learned so much and also helped out more people than I thought I would ever think of. But last night reading some posts about how often this disease comes back in people can get to you. I know everyone is different and it's a major part of the fight. Just have to get up everyday pumped up look in the mirror and say Minno your gonna beat this. That's the only way to keep moving forward. No worries it's all good today! Just venting on a Thursday morning....😊

8-23-2023 Happy Birthday Uncle Mike! Good energy this morning. It's really nice seeing the kids off to school. Last August the only thing going through my mind was surgery, surgery, surgery 24 hours a day. I say it all the time but it's hard to believe where I'm at now. Off to work for another day. Work has been trying as of late. The work force is definitely not what it used to be. Don't get me wrong great people just a different type of work ethic for sure. Glad I'm still able to do the daily grind! Fast forward to this evening. Forgot to mention I finished my book on the Black Crowes a few weeks ago. Pretty good read. Next up will be the book on Maynard from the band Tool. Hope it doesn't take me as long to finish this one.

8-21-2023 This weekend went by way to fast. We were running around nonstop. We hit the varsity game in Beaver Local Friday night. Good win for the cats. Saturday morning G played really well in the JV game. It was also Samantha's first time cheering in a JV game. Got a lot done at the house Saturday afternoon. Saturday night was a chill at home Netflix night. Hit the golf course yesterday for the first time since my last setback. Felt great hitting the ball around again. Yesterday afternoon Amanda and I attended a benefit for local man fighting esophageal cancer. It's amazing the connection you can have with someone that is going through the same battle. Off to work today. Good energy today. Kids first day of school today. Where did summer vacation go? Hard to believe Morgan is a senior this year. Time is flying by. Morgan,Sam, and G all in school. Get your popcorn ready.

8-18-2023 Football Friday! First varsity game cheering for Samantha and G dressing tonight. Should be fun. About 1 day to get back at it after Wednesday's battle. Feeling good this morning. Getting ready to head up to work. Scheduled to testify in the morning which should take my mind off things for a bit.

8-17-2023 Not a good day yesterday. Bad reflux in the morning. Couldn't make it in to work. I ended up laying flat again. One of the major downfalls of having my belly in my chest. We have the adjustable bed but sometimes I will still slide down and it sucks. I was pretty miserable for a few hours. Got through the rest of the day with no issues. Made it to Joey's first football game last evening. Today feeling a bit better. Made it back to work today. Looking forward to a good weekend of football. STR game tomorrow night. G's jv game Saturday morning.

8-15-2023 My plan was to get up early today and start walking in the morning. Did not happen. Hopefully tomorrow and start it up. I want to try something different. Since I'm feeling pretty good lately it would be nice to get the blood pumping to start the day. We'll shoot for tomorrow. Good luck to Cheryl who started her treatment this week! We're all behind you! Good walk tonight and actually did some light weights. Great day of music. Got 7 full albums in today.

8-13-2023 Another good day for me. Good energy. Got the grass mowed and another good walk with Zeke. Samantha and I hit the store. Relax tonight and get ready for another week of work...

8-12-2023 Good start to a Saturday morning. Nice long walk and already got two vinyls in before noon. Nothing really planned today which doesn't happen much on a Saturday. Not sure what we will be getting into today. Football is back. Last night hit the Struthers scrimmage. Really proud of G. Only a freshman and dressed with the varsity. Good being out there watching some ball. Gonna be a crazy season with G n Joey playing and also Samantha cheering. Let's go and see what we can get into today.

8-9-2023 Day off of work today. I was down in Salem with the boys for a 3 on 3 tournament. with the Struthers boys. They're all in football now but went down just to play a few games of bball in the morning. Hard to believe this group I have been with for 4 years will be starting 7th grade in a few weeks. As I said before these Wildcat boys along with my Team Cure boys will probably never know how much they helped me get through a brutal time. Maybe one day....😊 Pretty productive day. Feeling really good today with good energy. Grass mowed and a good walk. Been doing much better with my eating which I think is helping. Eating a little at a time. Hope I'll figure it out someday.

8-6-2023 Good Sunday so far. Got a pretty good sweat today doing some yard work. Definitely feeling a bit better than I did the last few days. We had a great time at the local fights last night. Not only do I love boxing seeing these local kids is so much fun. Congrats to Aiden and Keith for getting the win. Also chatting with G another local fighter. These three are a joy to watch and easy to root for. It was good to see a lot of people I haven't seen in quite some time. Back to the grind tomorrow. Bring on the new week.

8-5-2023 Had a pretty bad day yesterday. Got up Thursday night/Friday morning around 3am with some bad reflux. Even though I sleep elevated with the adjustable bed I sometimes wake up flat or not up all the way. When that happens the reflux is terrible because of my new stomach. Usually it will go away in a half hour or so but this time it did not. Didn't get any sleep and couldn't make it to work which really gets in my craw. It's going to be a never ending battle. Slept in pretty good yesterday and feel pretty good today. Took Zeke for a good walk at Yellow Creek this morning. Gonna hit the store with G Samantha and Joey. Might go watch some local boxing tonight...💪

8-2-2023 Late night walk in the park with the beast. Getting the body moving again. Who knows maybe I'll be back on the court next week. Found out today I may be doing an interview about my journey Monday evening. It's for The Salgi Esophageal Cancer Research Foundation hosted by Dara Mormile. Plans are to interview me on facebook live then she will put it on her youtube channel on a later date. It's part of her survivor series which helps out those with questions and going through this disease. Time to relax and finish our netfix Bloodline series tonight.

8-1-2023 August 1st! Hard to believe. One year ago today was my last radiation treatment. It was my last of 28 radiation treatments. Let's start August off on the right foot and hopefully stay out of the hospital...😊 Have to get back to the music this month. Only logged in 49 full albums in July.

One Year Ago

7-31-2023 Last day of July. Good weekend. Had a blast at the fights Saturday night. It's so much fun watching these kids scrap it out. Proud of all these local kids in the fight game. Great show. Man do I love boxing. My belly is feeling a little bit better this weekend. That bowel obstruction really beat me up. Seems like it took me at least a week to recover. Iv'e been taking Samantha driving now that she has her permit. Stay off the sidewalks! Not sure the exact date (I'll have to look back) but it's been about a year since I finished my chemo. Through this journey you never forget certain dates and times. I always go back to how I felt then and that seems to help push me forward. This morning heading in to start the week!

7-28-2023 Friday is here again. Really tired this morning. Basically relaxed all week. Ran the kids around a bit but nothing crazy. Still not feeling the greatest after last week. Still having some belly issues and low energy. That really beat the shit out of me. Not sure what's going on but I'm hoping to feel better after this week of work is over. Boxing tomorrow night. Really looking forward to seeing the local boys get at it. Love my boxing..💪💪.

7-26-2023 Feeling a little bit better but not even close to where I was before last weeks setback. A week ago today I was sitting in the ER in Cleveland still waiting for a room. The mental part has been tough this past week. Not only concerned about the cancer now I have to think about another obstruction coming back. Doing good then get knocked on your ass again! Even though it's no guarantee I will do everything I can to help the situation. Heading into work this morning. Let's get it done.

7-24-2023 Heading back to work today after last weeks circus. Just hoping this doesn't happen again. Worrying about another blockage is the last thing I need to think about right now. It's like your up one day down the next. Funny how the mind works. Let's hope we have a much better week.

7-22-2023 Feeling a little bit better today than yesterday. Those two days really kicked my ass. Managed to get front and side yard done. Had to supervise G and Joey while they did the back. First time for them. Now if I can let go they can do it all the time. Just got home from Aiden's graduation party. Just going to relax with some friends tonight.

7-21-2023 I wish I was about to post my same Friday end of the week, went to work, ready for fun weekend speech. Not today. Since the beginning of the year I have been feeling good and pretty active. Having good scans. Getting back to normal. The train was rolling. Then we had some issues a few days ago. Tuesday afternoon at work I started getting a pretty bad pain in my belly and getting pretty lightheaded. I threw up at work which after the esophagectomy happens every now and then. This was different. When I got home it happened again. After a shower I felt a bit better but then around 9 or so I started getting a really bad pain and vomiting up till I finally gave in and went to the local ER. If you know me well that was the last thing on earth I wanted to do. We called Cleveland and they said head to your local if you feel you can't make it up here. We got the the local ER after midnight. I sat in the waiting room for over an hour vomiting in the bathroom. I didn't even get triaged yet. Amanda was not happy with them to say the least and so we headed to the Cleveland Clinic where I should have went in the first place. I was pretty out of it on the way up. We got to the clinic sometime around 3am. I was triaged and in an ER room by 3:30. I think knowing my history and surgical team may help the process. Had a Cat-scan and it showed I had a bowel obstruction more than likely caused by scar tissue from my esophagectomy surgery. Got my bloodwork, iv, and the NG tube placed threw my nose down my throat. Not pleasant especially after vomiting for 9 hours. I was in the ER bed for 14 hours before I got a room. Really sucked because I had no phone reception. After getting my room Wednesday evening I just waited it out through the night until Thursday morning where I got some answers. The obstruction cleared up. Once I got the tube taken out I was able to drink and eat a bit holding it down. Surprisingly I was able to get released yesterday afternoon. To sum everything up these two days sucked. Brought back many thoughts of last September and post surgery. Now a new obstacle. We learned that these obstructions can come back anytime. Next step may be surgery but we will try to avoid that at all costs. Just another mental thing to think about on top of everything else. Have to get back to my saying during treatment...' Is this all you got for me?!!'. Today feeling a little drained and weak. Gonna get some energy back and keep this train a rollin'!!!

7-17-2023 Had a great weekend. Golf outing for veterans in Geneva on Saturday. Matt, Mike and I had a great time. Yesterday got the grass done and relaxed with the family. I'm really learning a lot going through this journey. Learning more about myself and others everyday. Advice for today. Don't sweat the little things. I get a big kick out of those that do...😊

7-14-2023 Last day of the work week. Still feeling a bit sluggish this morning. Time to suck it up. Heading to Geneva tomorrow for a golf outing. Should be a fun time.

7-13-2023 Feel like I'm crawling to the finish line this week. Pretty tired this week. Hopefully I'll get a boost of energy to finish the week. Looking forward to getting through tomorrow and hitting the weekend.

7-9-2023 Sunday morning walk with cujo in the park. Just relaxing right now spinning a vinyl. Been pretty busy lately, Seems like we are running around non-stop. . As opposed to last year not doing much. The ladies of the house are out dress shopping for homecoming. I was wondering why they have been so nice to me lately...😊Spent most of yesterday in Ashtabula at Joey's baseball game. They play again today at 5pm. Got some good energy today....💪

7-5-2023 Started our 4th of July off with the Struthers parade. Both Joey and Samantha were in it. After that we hung out with the cousins. I was cashed out and relaxing early evening last night. I've been getting around pretty good lately. I think it's catching up with me. I keep saying I need to relax more but sometimes it just seems impossible. Getting some new irritating pains the last few days. Still trying eat smaller meals to avoid getting sick. Eating has really sucked the last few weeks. One year ago today I was starting my 2nd round of chemo. No matter what little pain in the ass things happen today I can be glad it's not July 5th 2022.....😊

7-3-2023 July is here. Great weekend. Had a blast Saturday at the golf outing. Yesterday relaxed around the house. Not much to do with the constant rain. It's hard getting back at it after being on vacation last week. I keep telling myself...' don't complain Minno, last year at this time you would be heading to treatment not work'! Should be a busy week. I only logged in 52 complete albums in June. Man I'm slacking on the music front. Let's get back at it. Got some cards in tonight! Fun time with some good friends.

6-30-2023 It's been a little bit since my last post. We'll get back at it starting today. We had a great vacation in Ocean City. It was great to get away and relax the mind. Nothing like the sunshine and ocean to reset the brain. Sucks to see a good time with the family come to an end. We got home last evening. Still have one more day to enjoy a week of vacation then back to reality. Where did the month of June go? Hope to get a little golf in tomorrow morning!

6-21-2023 A year ago today I started my treatment. What a difference a year can make.

6-20-2023 What a positive day. Got some good news at the Hope Center today. We met with the nurse practitioner and my local oncologist. Everything looks good. He went over my scan and all my bloodwork came back good. We knew the scan was ok from last week but still a relief to hear it from them. Had my bloodwork done and the CEA test along with others were good. He told us any changes with my health in next few months to get a hold of them asap. If not he'll see me again in December. Next scan and visit will be in December. Next scope in Cleveland will be in early 2024. We have come a long way everyone. Let's keep this train rolling. I know I will be fighting this thing for a long time, maybe forever. But we will keep moving forward. Tomorrow June 21st will be one year since the start of my treatment. Looking back that first day was nuts. All morning at the Hope Center then hooked up to pump for 48 hours. The next 3 days should be better than last year...😊 Now to go to my happy place and get a game of hoops in!

6-19-2023 Another busy weekend. I'm getting around pretty good lately. Friday had a day off of work and hit a golf outing. Great seeing some guys I graduated with that I haven't seen in a long time. Fun day that led to us the lake after for a little evening boat ride. Saturday early morning walk in the park and got the grass done. Trying to keep moving as much as possible. I still get pretty exhausted. Much easier than before but it's getting better. Yesterday I got out and hit the course again for Father's Day. Had a great day. Happy Father's Day to all the dads! Back at work today. Tomorrow we will see the oncologist at The Hope Center to go over my scan and do bloodwork. I will update tomorrow on what he says and our plan moving forward. Wednesday will be one year since I started treatment. Unreal. Had another person reach out this weekend who is starting this journey. Helping him just validates me doing this. People needing some hope is why I will keep this blog going. Let's keep moving forward.

6-12-2023 New week and another step in this journey. I remember what Dr. Raja said to us after the surgery. He said your halfway there. Boy was he right. Especially mentally. My scan is in a few hours and my anxiety is through the roof. Been thinking all positive thoughts this weekend. Hopefully later today I can get some good results and keep moving forward. Thanks again to everyone reaching out and giving positive vibes. It helps so much. Pretty good weekend. Rested all day Saturday and got some golf in yesterday morning. Almost finished my music room setup. I think it looks great! Taking the boys to basketball camp at Westminster College this morning and then to the scan at noon. Hope to have some good results later today!

Late post with evening results. Cat-Scan showed no sign of metastases in abs/pelvis or chest. A great day in this journey. I was a nervous wreck all day waiting and now I can breath again. So relieved. We'll chalk this one up as a win. Now I will keep getting stronger and keep fighting this thing. No time to get comfortable. Time to work harder. I will meet with my oncologist on June 20th and see where we go from here. Hopefully enjoy the same sense of normal up to the next scan which should be in 6 months. I will do another scope at the beginning of 2024. Let's keep grinding and helping others along the way. Hey Chris I had to post this pic...😊

6=9=2023 Happy Friday! Or is it? Video testimony this morning. Been a crazy week at work. Pretty busy trying to get people hired. It's a whole different world out there when it comes to jobs than it was when I got out of school. I can write a novel on that topic so I will leave it at that. Anyway I got 2 bball games in this past week. Last Sunday and Wednesday. Still feeling it today. Can't explain what it means to me mentally to get back playing some ball. Gonna try and enjoy the weekend as much as possible. My mind is 100% on Monday's scan. It really sucks having this on your mind every few months but I know it has to get done. Fingers crossed!

6-5-2023 Well I did it. Back on the court last night. Felt great to get some minutes in and see the group of guys again. A great night for me mentally. Another positive step forward. Let's keep it going for next week. Scan one week today.

6-4-2023 Another weekend almost done. Friday I ended the week back on Lake Milton for a few hours on the way in from work. Yesterday was non-stop running around. We had three graduation parties then headed to a birthday party hosted by Cheryl who spoke at my benefit last November. It was honoring Jay (Meatball). So glad we went. We finished off the night by going and watching my man Carl's band play. Always a joy for us to checkout some live music. Today mowed the yard and about to attempt something I haven't done in over a year. Yes tonight I will be lacing up the sneakers and hooping it up in league play. Not sure how many minutes I will get (probably 2 if I'm lucky)....😊

6-1-2023 June is here! Big month. Scan on the 12th. Can't believe how fast May went. Did a lot in May. Got some golf in. Hit the lake. The kids with sports. Wedding and hitting it pretty good at work. I logged in 70 complete full albums in May. Not too bad. Last night played some hoops with Joey and G. I have along way to go with the cardio but I'll get there. I was gassed after about 5 minutes. Then Amanda and I took Zeke for a short late night walk. Stronger everyday!

5-30-2023 Well yesterday was a spur of the moment trip to Lake Milton to hang out and take a few boat rides. Great Memorial Day. Weather was beautiful. Amanda Joey Samantha and I headed out and spent most of the day with the in laws and the Voytko's. Much better relaxing at the lake than doing yard work. Days like that I will really appreciate from here on out. Back to the regular work week.

5-28-2023 We just got back a few hours ago from a wedding we attended last night in New Philadelphia. Amanda, Ann and I spent the night. Great ceremony. Congrats Taylor and Trevor. It was nice to see a lot of people I haven't seen in some time. Just going to do a whole lot of nothing the rest of the night. Tomorrow for Memorial Day gonna get moving in the morning with a nice walk with Zeke. I want tomorrow to be the start of getting the cardio going. Maybe it's time to start doing some running. We'll see what the body says. Let's finish May out strong and get ready for June. Next month will be a big one with the next scan.

5-24-2023 The girls softball banquet last night was great. Seeing how fast my girls are growing up is crazy. Morgan finishing her junior year and Samantha done as a freshmen. Couldn't be more proud of their accomplishments this year. On the field and in school. They really rocked it out this year. Big difference for me than last years banquet. Last year was the start of my battle. Still needing my port and waiting to start treatment. I kept thinking how I felt last year at this dinner. Today still feeling a bit out of it. Not sure what's going on just a little off. Maybe just getting early anxiety for next scan. This evening gonna try and get a mow in...😜

5-23-2023 Late post on the weekend. Got 18 in again on Sunday morning. I was pretty sore yesterday from swinging the club. Yes sore from golf..😊 Also we went and visited our cousins Sunday afternoon. Great time just hanging out. Yesterday back for another week of work. Got Zeke to the park last evening for a really good walk. Not a good day of eating today. Trying to do the smaller meals every couple hours but easier said than done. I'm gonna need my energy so I can start kicking up the cardio. Off to the girls softball banquet tonight.

5-20-2023 Relaxing Saturday. Had a fun crew over last night. Lots of laughs. Today kicking back spinning some vinyl. Much needed. Later we are going to visit our good friends. Hope to get some golf in tomorrow.

5-18-2023 Up and at it early today. I will be heading into work in a bit. Pretty good energy this week. Eating is getting a little better. I have been trying to eat something small every couple of hours. Seems to be helping me. Got a little to cocky a few times lately by overeating and the feeling is miserable. It's a fine line between feeling satisfied or getting sick and throwing up. I didn't think at this point I would still be adjusting to this. Small changes seem to help out a ton. Happy Bday Umpa! Two more days and the weekend is here.

5-15-2023 At work on another Monday. I hope this week is a little more relaxed than last week. Friday night got to see Morgan off to prom. Those are the things I do not take for granted anymore. Every event I can attend is a bonus for me. Never taking things like that for granted anymore. We then met up with some friends Friday night. Saturday morning did 18 holes in a golf outing. Body feeling pretty good after hitting the course. Yesterday for Mother's Day we just relaxed around the house. Took Zeke for a walk in the park and hit the store. Just got word from Amanda my next Cat- Scan is scheduled for June 12th! Let the anxiety begin. That of course will be another big day for me.

5-12-2023 Another Happy Friday! This week flew by. Really busy week. I'm back full throttle at work. From work to the kids games and choir concert last night made for some really long days this week. Makes me nice and tired when I get home but still can't sit still. Having some issues with eating lately. I think I'm eating to fast or just a little too much that puts me into that sick/miserable zone. It's a very fine line. Big night tonight in the Minno house. Morgan's first prom. Hard to believe.

5-9=2023 It is another beautiful day at the Red Pony and continual soiree...😊

5-7-2023 Finally sitting down for some rest after a pretty busy weekend. Yesterday morning got Zeke for a walk. After that went to Morgan's softball game. Came home and got the yard done. Not easy but got the whole yard knocked out. Body still not even close to where I used to be. Hope to feel a little bit better this upcoming week than last. Not feeling terrible just somewhat off my game. It was really weird yesterday having no hoops or nothing planned on a Saturday. Got the chance to hit 18 holes this morning. Boy it feels so good to be able to get out and hit the ball. I just keep thinking where I was last year at this time. Now just going to hang out and rest for the upcoming week. Hopefully get this next cat- scan scheduled soon.

5-5-2023 Another Friday is here. A busy but pretty good week of work. Still feeling good. Get tired really quick. Looking forward to the weekend. Of course I will mow and hopefully Sunday get in my first 18 holes of golf. We'll see how that goes. Tonight hopefully relax with some friends. My next oncology appointment was scheduled yesterday. It will be on June 20th. Scan is still being scheduled for sometime later this month or early June. Anxiety already setting in. Time to head into work and see what's on the music list today.

5-1-2023 Here we go. Plugging along. New month ahead. Lots of thinking in April. Going back to the previous year was on my mind constantly. Now to attack May. Going to try to get to working out a little more. Walking more and maybe even some jogging. I logged in 57 full albums in April. Really slacking on the music end. We'll get that count up for May. Tonight no sports for all the kids. Everything was cancelled. Not sure what to do with ourselves with no running around?! Add another evening walk in the park with Zeke!

4-30-2023 Great relaxing weekend. We drove up to Michigan to visit the in laws. Had my god daughters confirmation on Saturday. Drove back this afternoon and was able to get the yard done before dark! Bring on the new week and the month of May!

4-26-2023 Pretty good day yesterday. Amanda and I hit up some breakfast. We took Zeke for a walk in the park then rolled out to see Jeff at the Record Connection. Shopping for vinyl is one of my favorites. Got my grass done then headed to Samantha's softball game. A pretty productive and fun day. Tonight going to see Morgan's game.

4-25-2023 April 25th! One year ago today I got my diagnosis and the worst news imaginable. Obviously it's the date my life would be forever changed. We talked about should this be a day to scratch off the calendar or a day to celebrate? I'm going with the latter even though I got terrible news. At least my body can't lie to me anymore. Now I know what I'm dealing with and let's get this thing out of me. Like I said better I found out April 25th than any other 25th on the rest of the calendar. After the initial shock you can only imagine went through my head. How long do I have? What about my family? What stage? The list goes on and on. Non-stop 24 hours of thinking about this disease. Even though this is a tough disease to deal with I understand that some people have it much worse. Especially kids. When I see kids with any kind of cancer it hit hard. Can't imagine a child going through anything close that I went through.

What I would like to do on this post is to give everyone a look back on my one year journey with this cancer.

This blog was not easy for me to do. I started it (with advice from friends and family) to help out at least one person recently diagnosed or someone who needs hope and get educated on this beast. It turned out this blog helped me to get to where I am today. I far exceeded my goal. I was able to give advice and help people from all over. Putting this on different social media sites has allowed people to follow. Actually speaking/texting with those in the same boat. Many just looking for information or just hope that they can fight this. You have to find hope. Mine came from my new buddy Carl. I knew Carl was on this journey a few months before me but we didn't know one another. I guess you can say I was stalking him. Knowing he was fighting and battling gave me all I needed to keep pushing forward. Now knowing him it's great having him around to vent or throw some humor around.

So after my diagnosis from the scope and hours of doom scrolling on google I went for my first cat-scan on 5/4/22. That was one of the toughest days. Scan showed possible metastasis to liver. Thinking all day and night it spread was brutal. 2 days later on 5/6/22 we headed to Cleveland for another scope to size up the tumor and check the surrounding area.Then 4 days later on 5/10/22 back to Cleveland to meet with Dr. Raja where he ordered a pet-scan to see if it spread and if I would be eligible for the surgery. I'm thinking how many scopes n scans can one get. After 2 weeks we found out from the pet-scan that it did not spread to other organs. It was still stage 3 but localized with 2 lymph nodes affected. So now let's do whatever we have to do to get this thing out of me.

Now the real fun started in early June. We met with the Hope Center oncologist Dr. Kahlid on 6/1/22 then on 6/6/22 with Dr. Phillips about getting my chemo port put in. The next day 6/7/22 we met with Dr. Guerri regarding my radiation treatment. 6/8/22 was a class at the Hope Center about my chemo treatment. Then on 6/9/22 was a simulation for my radiation treatments. This is where they marked me with dye for the treatment. I still have the markings. Kinda like tiny tatoos..lol..Man as I look back June was a real bitch! The next day 6/10/22 I was knocked out again for my chemo port placement.

I had 11 days off then started my chemo treatment on 6/21/22. I received FOLFOX treatment. Folfox is made up of a 3 different drugs, folnic acid, fluorouracil, and oxaliplatin. I had my first infusion on 6/21/22. I was at the Hope Center about 4 hours. From there I headed home where I got hooked up to the chemo pump for 2 more days. The next day 6/22/22 I started my radiation treatments. I did 28 straight weekdays ending on 8/1/22. I did 3 cycles of chemo ending on 7/26/22. The treatment to me was exactly as advertised. The combination of radiation/chemo made me have some exhausting days. Especially when your hooked up to the pump and still have to go get rays. For the most part I was able to eat well and move around with a lot of porch sitting. I did have a day or two where I did not want to move. Once I finished my treatment in August I had a month off. The next step was to get the surgery.

On 9/2/22 I had another cat-scan and 9/7/22 another eus scopein Cleveland to re-stage the tumor. Also that day I had a spirometry and pulmonary test along with meeting Dr. Raja again. This is where they scheduled the surgery. This turned out to be the best thing about this blog. I can go back and see the days I forgot about. 9/19/22 was another pain in the balls day! We were in Cleveland all day (on Amanda's bday) I had an EKG, labs, stress test,more scans and a pre-op interview.

Now for the big day! Surgery on 9/22/22. We got to Cleveland super early and they started early. Last thing I remember was requesting 80s music in the operating room. The surgery lasted around 9 hours. Dr. Raja removed some of my belly and most of my esophagus along with 29 lymph nodes. I was on a ventilator until the next morning around 5am. Now I'm finally awake in the ICU where I spent the next 2 days. I had 7 drain tubes coming out of me. An epidural in my back for my pain pumps. A jtube in my stomach for my feeding tube which would soon be a major pain in the ass. An arterial line with ivs in both arms. A nasal tube stuck through my nose for oxygen and clean up. I had 27 staples from my chest to belly which my brother in law said looked like a zipper which I thought was funny. I also had 7 staples in my chest for my chest tube. I went into battle and got the shit knocked out of me. I spent the following week doing whatever I could to get the hell out of there. Lots of bloodwork, breathing treatments, ultrasounds, shots in my belly every 10 hours. All that without getting that much sleep. Everyday it seemed another tube would come out (which a couple of them hurt like hell) and I was making progress. I was dead set (no pun intended) on getting out of there asap. My girls were both going to homecoming and I wanted to be there to see them off. Well on Saturday Oct 1st I was discharged. My brother in law picked me up and we were home in time to see them. There's a picture Morgan posted as her profile picture of her Samantha and me. When I look at that picture I can see and still feel how beat up I was. I also wonder how in the hell did I make it through this mess.

Even though being at home was nice I was not prepared for dealing with the after surgery. First off I couldn't drink or eat anything by mouth for almost a month and a half. All water, my food, medications were through my jtube. We had to get up every 3 hours to flush the tube. The tube still clogged up 3 different times sending us to emergency. Those were some long nights for sure. I truly would have never gotten through this without Amanda. She basically took care of me like a newborn baby. Some say she always had to do that..lol. I had my feeding tube on the pole for some time. I felt free as a bird when I switched to the bag. It was a lot of just sitting around healing up trying not to go crazy. Being with my family and visiting friends doing puzzles helped pass the time. I can't thank everyone enough for their support especially with the great benefit dinner/auction on 11/5/2022.

So now fast forward. Almost 6 months since my jtube has been out and I'm back to some kind of normal. Today I will look back on how far I've come and what I went through in the past year. From here on out I will be scanned every 6 months. Let's hope each scan comes back clean and this blog will continue to help those in need.

4-24-2023 Another Monday. Yesterday we headed up to Brecksville to play in what will probably be our last tournament. I can close the door on almost 6 months of coaching these boys. I want to thank these two groups of boys, parents and other coaches for getting me through a really tough time. It was great having my mind focused on something else and kept me pushing forward. Big day for me tomorrow. One year since my diagnosis! Hard to believe.

4-22-2023 Busy day yesterday. Finished off a pretty good week of work. From work I made it to Morgan's softball game. Got home in time to do a fast mow and get the grass down before the rain it. Good exercise for sure. Obviously that wasn't enough as I played a little one on one with Gionni. We ended up playing a short tough game which ended 2-2...LOL. That's about all I can do. My heart almost come out of my chest! Heading up now to Lodi for some hoops!

4-20-2023 Last night I attended Gs track meet. First time I was ever at a track meet. Learned a lot about the sport yesterday. Amanda did softball duty going to Morgan's game. Got Zeke on another evening walk last night. I'm starting to get some cardio in everyday and also starting to throw some light weights around. Tonight Samantha has a softball game and I have what seems to be my final basketball practice. Over 5 months! I have said it a thousand times...I cannot describe how much this helped me mentally.

4-17-2023 Just got back from a late night walk with Zeke. Pretty cold outside. Gets the blood flowing for sure.

4-16-2023 Closing out another weekend. Yesterday two games in Lisbon with the Team Cure boys. We went 1-1 yesterday. Later in the afternoon Joey, G and I headed up to Cleveland to watch the Cavs Knicks game 1 playoff game. There is nothing more exciting than a live NBA playoff game. The place was going crazy. It's always nice heading to Cleveland for something fun rather than heading to the clinic! Thanks to Johnny for buying us tickets and treating us to a great night. The boys were pumped and talking about it all day today. Another early morning today with 3 tourney games. We won a tough semi-final game then got nailed in the championship. Boys were exhausted. Another big accomplishment for this group. Got some good compliments from other coaches and even refs about our squad. To me that means a lot! One more tournament next weekend and we'll probably be closing the book on hoops. From November after my surgery, coaching the STR team with my feeding tube and bag to where I am now with the Cure Team is hard to believe. Gonna be nice to relax a bit tonight. Have some pics of the boys in Cleveland last night.

4-13-2023 Running around with the spring sports. Samantha had JV softball game last night. G with a track meet in Hubbard. Morgan has varsity game tonight. Joey and I have our second to last aau bball practice tonight. Another tournament this upcoming weekend. All this running around sure makes time fly by. I'm definitley enjoying it more than ever. I feel pretty good today. Eating has been a pain in the ass the last few days. Eating to fast can be really bad for me. I have to slow it down so it does not come back up. I'll learn one of these days!

4-11-2023 A few days late with this post. Had a great Easter Sunday visiting with family members we haven't seen in some time. I actually ran into one of my cousins from my moms side I haven't seen in many years. It was really great catching up. Yesterday back at it with work then softball games. Next few weeks will be tied up with the girls in softball, G with track, joey with hoops and baseball. Loving the warm weather this week. Can't wait for the 90 degree weather!

4-8-2023 Easter weekend and no basketball tournament. First time I got to stay in bed on a Saturday in quite some time. Good walk in the park with Zeke this morning. Another boxed checked off today. I hit the golf course today with some friends this afternoon. We got nine holes in. First time golfing in over a year. Didn't even want to be near a golf course last year. LOL. Getting back out there seemed like it would never happen. But you keep pushing and then it's like look what the hell I just did. Another big day for me. Feel pretty good after hitting em. Back a little sore from swinging but it's all good!

4-7-2023 Another Happy Friday! Early morning post as I sip on my decaf coffee. I'm on the decaf train. Less acidic for my new belly and I can definitely tell the difference. This has been the closest to my old normal week of work in a long time. Work, practice, softball game, hell even got some of the yard done. Keeping my mind from going crazy. My outlook on work has for sure changed since this all started. I used to fly around in the morning saying in my head gotta get to work! Leaving early trying to get there and set up before I really needed to. Now I take my time relaxing more enjoying an extra half hour or so bumming around the house. I'm sure anyone going through this would say priorities change. But I will say being back at work as been a big help. My employees are a good soundboard and really do care. I'm getting much better at taking it all in with every conversation no matter who it is. Well let's get this day started and finish the week strong. Might be an 80s music Friday!

4-5-2023 Got more than half the yard cut yesterday. Doesn't seem like much but it's something I could not do at the end of last summer. 'Let your Soulshine, it's better than sunshine, it's better than moonshine, damn sure better than rain'.😊

4-2-2023 Really fun tournament this weekend in Pittsburgh. Boys are playing some good basketball and learning the game. Made it to the semifinals in the gold bracket. This is a big accomplishment for these boys and I'm super proud of them. Few more tourneys left and we will wrap up a great experience. April is here! Turn the page on another month. As I said before this is a big month for me. April 25th will be one year since my diagnosis. Why the anxiety I have no idea. Had a great walk this afternoon in the park with the beast Zeke. Nothing like some fresh air and sunshine. 73 complete albums listened to in March. Gonna top that for sure this month. Music is my drug of choice.😊

3-31-2023 Happy Friday! Last day of March. Great night of practice last night with the team. Tournament tomorrow evening in Pittsburgh. Should be fun. Feeling pretty good today. Got some more shots up at our practice last night. Who knows I may be coming out of retirement pretty soon. Getting ready to head into April. Big month for me. Hard to believe we're getting close to one year since my diagnosis.

3-28-2023 Power finally back on last night! Good day at work. Nice to have people here that can listen to me vent and hear me yap. First softball game for the girls tonight. Both playing for the high school. Hard to believe the season is starting already. Got a good amount of tunes in today. Physically I have lots of energy today.

3-27-2023 Busy and interesting weekend. Boys played well in our tournament. Got two wins on Saturday and dropped our bracket game yesterday by a few points. Not the outcome we wanted but these boys are getting much better and starting to gel. At this age it's not all about winning the gold but getting better. Got to catch up with my cousins on Saturday which was a blast. Finished Saturday evening with some friends I haven't seen in a while. No power at the Minno residence for two straight days! What a pain in the ass to say the least. At least I don't need the feeding tube pump anymore. I would have had to sit in the car to charge it...lol. Inside joke. Their saying power may be out for a couple more days but who knows. Telling the kids to toughen up! For me physically a little tired. Been pushing a bit too much. Maybe I'll settle down some this week but probably not!

3-24-2023 Another Friday and work week coming to an end. Looking forward to some hoops again this weekend. Not as much travel this weekend. We play our games in Salem. Good practice last night. The boys are getting better every practice. I was asked with my blog to start explaining a bit more about how I'm feeling physically. Actually I feel really good right now. Almost back to a normal work schedule. Pretty active with coaching and walking much more. Also starting to throw around some weights. Nothing impressive but hope to keep getting stronger. I'm also starting to shoot some hoops at our practices. At first I couldn't even get the ball to the rim (from the surgery wounds) but now I can shoot from about 8-10 feet out. It's like I'm starting from scratch. I do however get tired quickly and hit a wall. The major change as I said before is the eating. Small amounts at a time. I have to eat slow which is very hard for me. It's the same with drinking. Small amounts and can't really drink much when eating. My small chest belly as I call it fills up pretty fast. Overeat and I will get a weak nauseous feeling that is pretty miserable. I'm learning slowly how to adjust. It's my new way of life as it is with anyone going through the same battle. One big positive note for the week is you never know who will lift you up. Could be someone you never met or someone you least expect it from. No commenting on how your supposed to act through this. Just knowing what your going through and supporting the journey. Let's enjoy the weekend!

3-21-2023 Scheduled for another testimony today. Did my first testimony in over a year last Friday. Feels good to be back in action. Never thought I would actually miss sitting on the witness stand getting drilled by attorneys! lol.

3-19-2023 Long day of hoops today in Wooster. Boys played very good going 3-1. Back at tomorrow. Another Monday and a new week is waiting for me. More than halfway through March already. Next month, April 25th will be one year since my diagnosis. Still a tough mental game for me although I don't always show it. Not everyone will get it and I understand that. Keep pushing and stay around positive people. Not accepting anything less! I will keep grinding and yes use some humor to lighten things up. Hopefully back to my tunes tomorrow. Been slacking with the Ncaa tournament the last few days.

3-15-2023 No idea why but I'm super pumped up today. Taking all the mental and physical beating from the last year and putting into positive energy. I know I still have a long way to go but I'm going to do everything I can to kick this things ass. Getting back to some sense of normal and surrounding myself with good people will help the fight. Let's keep pushing and moving forward.

3-13-2023 First weekend of AAU basketball. Two games on Saturday and one Sunday. It really makes the weekend go by fast. Big day in the Minno household yesterday. Samantha got her permit on Friday and I got her out driving for the time. Let's just say if the cancer doesn't kill me riding with her might! lol. It's those little moments that mean so much more now then it did before. Hopefully she will never forget it. Time change has got me all screwed up as I start the week. Headed up to work in a few.

3-9-2023 Checkup today with local radiologist. Everything is good. Hopefully if everything goes ok my next cat scan will be in June.

3-6-2023 Back from Cleveland! Scope with Dr. Raja went well today. He stretched my belly a bit. Everything looked good. No biopsies were taken. So far I'm a very lucky man. We talked about my food and how it's going take a while to adjust. As of right now to me it doesn't seem like it will get easier but I guess time will tell. Coming out my fog but I do have a pretty bad sore throat this time compared to the other scopes I've had. I will not need another scope for a year unless I'm having trouble eating, drinking or having issues. He said we have to make it to the 2-3 mark for much better chances of no recurrence. The 5 year mark is the ultimate goal. Another step in this journey has been completed! My next cat scan will be scheduled in June and meeting with my local oncologist at The Hope Center. I also meet with my local radiologist this Thursday. Once again I want to thank everyone for all the positive texts, calls, and messages the last few days. The positive vibes help so much with the mental game! Now time to get some practice in with the boys!

3-5-2023 Great weekend in Michigan! We got to see an 80s cover band on Saturday night. So much fun. Back home now thinking about the big day tomorrow. Scope tomorrow morning with Dr. Raja at Hillcrest Hospital in Mayfield. We have to be there at 9am. Scope is scheduled for 10:30. Getting knocked out again! We meet with the nurse practitioner at 12:45. Let's hope we get some good news. Updates tomorrow!

3=3-2023 Relaxing morning! Cup of my decaf coffee listening to some vinyl. Day off and heading to Michigan to see the Mascarellas. Looking forward to it. With hoops, softball, baseball and last years nightmare it's been a long time since we visited. Hope to get my mind off Mondays scope for a few days. Just me Amanda and Joey heading up. The rest of the gang is staying back. Good practice last night with the new group of boys. I'm going to really enjoy this upcoming spring season.

3-1-2023 Hard to believe March is here. Trying to stay as busy as I can. Work and last night practice with the new group of boys. It definitely keeps me going. 78 full albums listened to in February. My all time high. Stefan and I really pushing one another with the music. To be honest can't stop thinking about my scope next Monday. As I said before that's my new life.....Scopes and Scans....😊

2-27-2023 Radiology appointment for tomorrow rescheduled for March 9th. Next big day will be one week today. Scope with Dr. Raja on March 6th.

2-26-2023 Another normal weekend. Feeling pretty good lately. Got to take Zeke on a walk again today. Going a little further with him everyday. Sunday night hanging out listening to a few vinyls. Radiologist checkup on Tuesday. Ready to tackle the new week!

2-20-2023 Chalk up another good weekend. Lots of basketball. This was our final regular season weekend of rec basketball. Next weekend is the tournament then my coaching of these Struthers boys will come to an end. I think a pretty good 4 year run. It will be good for them to get a new voice and system next year in junior high. I cannot put into words what these boys and parents have done for me this past season. From me starting the season with my bag and feeding tube at games and practices to where I am now is hard to believe. I said this a thousand times but being able to coach this group helped me in this fight through a pretty tough time. Back to the grind with another week of work!

2-17-2023 Really not much to yip yap about lately. Had a pretty normal week. Work and bball practice. Felling pretty good. Eating and drinking can still sometimes be a real pain in the ass. Knowing how much to eat and drink is still a learning process. Hope to have another great weekend. We have 4 bball games this weekend which will keep my blood pumping. I meet with the local Radiologist next Tuesday and my next scope is still on for March 6th in Cleveland.

2-12-2023 Another good weekend for me. Walked Zeke yesterday and today. Trying to get stronger everyday. Hopefully can get the stamina back from walking him and hitting the treadmill. Call me crazy but maybe one day get back on the basketball court. lol. Amanda and I stayed the night in Cleveland friday night. We just got away and relaxed for the night. It was nice going to Cleveland without getting poked, scoped or scanned! Already thinking about my scope on March 6th. Have to stay positive for every scope and scan from here on out. Now just gonna relax and watch the rest of the bowl. Getting ready for another week. Back to the grind!

2-7-2023 Happy Tuesday! Got to keep grinding it out. Scar is healing up pretty good from last week. Next week should be in good shape. Get your popcorn out. Today is going to be a very interesting day!

2-5-2023 Truly a great weekend. Relaxed friday night after pretty much a full week of work. Yesterday had hoops then headed out to see my man Carl's band. A very good local band. They are called Cin City and The Saints Band. First live music Iv'e seen in quite some time. Today I got to take Zeke the beast on our first walk in the park since my treatment started back in June! Seems like it's been longer than that. I held up pretty good. Amanda was with me just in case I fell on my face. Now that this port is out it's time to get moving around more. Time to relax the rest of the day and get ready for another week!

2-1-2023 Made it to work today. Still in some pain from yesterday. New month ahead. Listened to 61 full albums in January. That's all the way through with no skipping tracks! Music has been my medicine lately.

1-31-2023 Last day of January and another box checked off. Chemo port is out! Long morning. We got to the hospital around 9am. Did not get in for the procedure till almost noon. It went pretty smooth. I was out for a half hour or so. Got some pain tonight. Surprisingly more pain now compared to it being put in. Just gonna rest and heal up so I can start moving around like a crazy man. Thanks to everyone for checking up on me today. Hopefully back to work tomorrow and finish the week strong!

1-30-2023 Happy Monday everyone! Fun filled weekend full of basketball and boxing. Great night on Saturday at the fights. Being a boxing fan it was great to see live fights back in the city. The best part of the night was meeting a great man who also went through the same hell as I did. He was a few months ahead of me with diagnosis and treatment. Knowing he was fighting and getting through helped me out more than words can say. It's so great we connected. Hopefully we can help one another out through this journey. Anxiety very high today as I go in for my port procedure tomorrow. Have to be there by 9:30 procedure starts at 11am. Another big day for me. Finding out more about myself and others as time goes on. Updates tomorrow after the procedure!

1-26-2023 I will tell you for how good I feel physically you would think my head would be in a better place. A lot of thinking the last few days about everything to come. I guess I'm always gonna wonder if this beast will return. Have to realize I'm very fortunate to be where I'm at right now. Looking forward to a fun weekend of hoops and boxing!

1-22-2023 Two bball games today with the boys then home to relax and watch the Cowboys!

1-21-2023 Solid week of work. Getting ready for our games. One game today and two tomorrow. As I said before I'm feeling much better energy. I get tired much faster than normal but hope to improve that. The only thing that can drive you crazy is the eating. Gonna take a long time to get used to.

1-19-2023 My chemo port is scheduled to be taken out on the 31st! Let's get it done. 2023 will be the year of scopes and scans. Getting in another 6 hours of work. Feeling pretty good this week.

1-16-2023 Had a great weekend. I was able to make it to the guys annual Geneva/mountain poker trip that we have been doing for almost 20 years. I held up pretty good. Come back early yesterday. My team had a game yesterday afternoon. It's a lot for me but coaching these boys really keeps me going. Getting pumped up for my Cowboys tonight! Still no word on getting the port procedure done. Hope to hear something this week.

1-12-2023 Finishing off a good week of work today. Getting around 6-7 hours a day. Still have no word on the port removal. I have really been trying to get back to some sense of normal. Hit Gs basketball game last night and my team has a game tonight. Staying busy helps physically and mentally. Been hitting the music pretty hard this month so far. Tomorrow off to my annual poker trip with the boys. Really looking forward to it. Even though I can only do a day or two I'm just happy to be going.

1-9-2023 We met with surgeon to get my port out this morning. He received the go ahead from my oncologist to schedule it. He seemed pretty happy to see how far I've come since last June. We'll probably know in a few days when I will have the procedure. I say this all the time but being at this point to get the port removed is a positive step for sure. I will chalk this up as a good day! Also got on the treadmill for the first time tonight. A good fast paced walk. Not much but it's a good start to 2023. Mentally I feel like the fight has just begun!

1-8-2023 Pretty busy weekend. A great way to get my mind off things for a bit. Got to take the team down to watch Westminster basketball yesterday. The boys seemed to really enjoy it. Had an early game this morning and just going to relax and get ready for another week. I'm feeling pretty good today. I am scheduled to see the local surgeon tomorrow morning about my chest port. We'll see what he thinks about getting it removed. Updates tomorrow for sure.

1-6-2023 Happy Friday! Still no word on my port. I have no idea why I'm so anxious this week. Super pumped up for some reason. Got some great information the last few days from the social media groups. It's hard to believe the amount of people dealing with this beast. Finishing up a pretty good week of work. Got about 6 hours a day at the lab. Each day I will chalk up as a win.

1-4-2023 Back to the grind yesterday. Pushed it a bit and got about 6 hours in at work. That's gonna be my short term goal for a bit. Also got our first practice in of the second session last night. Probably the closest I had to a normal day in a long time. Looking to get another 6 or so in at work today then gonna hit G's game. As hard as it is wondering what this year has in store for me I'm trying to keep my mind straight and on a positive path. I joined a few esophageal cancer groups on assbook and social media to get knowledge of people who have been dealing with this nightmare. It's also a great way for me to help out those who are about to start this type of treatment, surgery, or anyone recently diagnosed.

1-2-2023 First post of 2023. Lazy day yesterday. Laid around all day watching football. Today got moving around a bit. Gonna get a little more active to start this new year off. Try to stay at work more if I can. Still waiting for them to schedule for my port to be taken out. That will be the next step. I'm getting much better with my eating. I'm learning what and how much the new belly can handle.

12-31-2022 Well we made it! Last day of 2022! One hell of a year to say the least. Thanks again to everyone that helped me get to this point. To my family, friends and generous people I have met along the way. Could not have fought this battle without all of you. I also listened to 368 total albums this year. That's not counting all the other songs and playlists we enjoyed. Hope to get more in for sure in 2023. Music is my medicine. We will keep fighting this beast in 2023. Positive thinking and a stronger mindset for the New Years. Not sure what's to come but one thing for sure I will never give up! Hope for good scans and scopes this upcoming year. Happy New Year Everyone!

12-25-2022 Merry Christmas everyone! I know I'm a little late but been a busy morning and lazy afternoon with a nice nap. Had some low energy last night and this morning. I'm pretty sure it's from the amount of food I ate. Gives me a strange feeling. Still learning on controlling the portions. Especially tough with the holidays. Being able to enjoy the day with the family is a major win for me.

12-24-2022 Christmas Eve 2022. Got some Xmas music going getting ready for my Cowboys game and our traditional fish dinner!

12-22-2022 Well I received an early Christmas present yesterday. Cat scan was clear. Bloodwork was good. As of now no signs of cancer in chest and belly! Best news we received all year. I can't even describe the feeling. This is the point we wanted to get to. Now moving forward I will have to get a scope and scan every six months. Next scope will be in Cleveland in March and next Cat scan will be in June. I will also be getting scheduled for my chemo port to be taken out hopefully soon. When I look back at everything I went through since my diagnosis to be at this point is hard to believe. Have to keep staying positive and keep grinding. Thanks to everyone for reaching out yesterday and sending good vibes!

12-19-2022 - Big day today. Cat Scan scheduled for this afternoon. Updates will come as soon as I get results. No matter what we'll be ready. Been a whirlwind of a weekend with the passing of my father in law on Friday. My mind has been on my family and getting through another obstacle. One thing my diagnosis has taught me is that life is precious. So true. Rest in peace Papa Chuck. We love you.

12-14-2022 Cat-Scan is finally scheduled for next Monday the 19th. My first post operation scan. My Hope Center appointment was moved to Wednesday the 21st for bloodwork and go over results. Hoping to get an early Christmas present with some good news! Last few days dealing with some pain in the chest and belly but better today.

12-11-2022 Well we finished our regular season (fall session) of hoops with my 6th graders today. Tournament next week. Doesn't seem like a big deal but to me it's huge. Really keeps me going. If you told me after April 25th I would be able to help these boys one more time I would have said you were crazy. Although it was one of my goals leading up to the surgery. Hope to keep it going through the winter. My eating is about the same. The better I feel the harder it is not to overeat and drink. Still have the normal post surgery aches from the drain tubes and incisions but getting better. I have an appointment on Wednesday at the Hope Center for bloodwork and get port flushed. Still waiting on the cat scans. For some unknown reason insurance has not approved them! That is no joke. Starting a new week tomorrow. Another week of grinding!

12-7-2022 No word on my next scan yet. The waiting is killing me right now. Hopefully hear something soon. Feeling good enough to make it to work. I'm going about 4-5 hours a day. Still have the little nagging cough. It comes and goes. Sometimes when I eat/drink or even in the morning depending on how I sleep. As I say everyday have to keep getting stronger and more importantly keep a strong mental game. It's like a roller coaster ride. Hopefully soon I can walk Zeke the beast!

12-2-2022 Finished up the week with another couple hour day at work. Still pretty tired. Got 4 days in this week. Call from Cleveland today. My appointment for Tuesday is cancelled since my J-tube is already out. I will wait for this cat scan to be scheduled this month then go from there. I will have another scope at The Cleveland Clinic sometime in March. I have to accept this will be my life for a while. Lots of scans and lots of scopes!

11-30-2022 Back at it today. Getting a few things done at the lab. Hard to believe it's the end of November already. A good buddy of mine passed away yesterday. Actually got to see him and say my goodbyes Wednesday night. Rest in peace Bill. I listened to a couple Rolling Stones albums for you today!

I'm still adjusting to the eating and drinking. Trying to put the calories in but as I said before it's a day to day thing. Learning to eat smaller meals and not blowing myself up. I head back to Cleveland for a checkup on December 6th. My scan is still not scheduled for December. Hopefully we'll know something soon.

11-24-2022 Happy Thanksgiving! Thanks to my family, friends, and everyone who has supported me along this journey. Thankful for all the great doctors getting me to this healing process. Just going to relax and eat as much as the body will let me. A little at a time. Of course we'll be hoping for a big Cowboy victory this afternoon!

11-23-2022 It's a really strange Thanksgiving Eve to say the least! Normally it would be a poker night with some company. This year we're going to take it easy and rest. Heal the body. Hopefully get back at it next year. I'm gonna have a lot to be thankful for tomorrow!

11-18-2022 I managed to make it to work 3 days this week. I made it up Tuesday, Wednesday and today just for a couple hours. It will be baby steps at first. I get tired pretty quick and have to watch the drive. Keeping up my calories is still pretty tough. Dealing with a pain in the ass cough right now. Doctor said this may be normal from the surgery. All in all a pretty good week. Just have to listen to my body a bit more and don't push it.

11-14-2022 Good weekend! Had enough energy to coach 3 games with the boys this weekend. One game on Saturday and two yesterday. I managed not to pull out any tubes during the games! Just taking baby steps trying to heal up. Hopefully soon slowly make it back to work for a few hours here and there. We'll have to see how much I can do. Just so thankful I'm at this point. Through the treatment and surgery. Now my challenge is keeping my calories and strength up while being on this soft food diet eating every two hours. Challenge accepted!

11-9-2022 This new way of eating and drinking is taking some getting used to. At least I made it to this point. With the feeding tube out I have to maintain my calorie intake. It's quite the challenge considering I can only have 6 small meals a day. Most of the time only having a cup of food at a time. Drinks are still no more than 8 ounces every couple hours. At least I'm able to get back to some sense of normal.

11-7-2022 Well it has been an emotional and humbling weekend for sure. Had a benefit on Saturday for our family. The support and amount of people who shared this evening with us was unbelievable! I would like to thank The Joyce and Leigh R. Kennery Foundation for an amazing dinner and auction. Thank you to Jennifer, family and everyone who made the day possible. Also it was great to meet Cheryl with The Jay 'Meatball' Catone Foundation. Jay was honored at the dinner and I witnessed the impact he had on anyone he met. My family is truly grateful and will be forever tied to these two foundations.

Surrounded by tons of friends, family members and even people I have never met I realized how generous people can be. I thank each and every person who shared that night with us. I actually can't put it into words. It was a challenge physically getting through the entire benefit but got through it. Pictures of the benefit will be posted soon. Fast forward to yesterday (Sunday), where I was able to achieve one of my short term goals. I got to coach the boys in our first two games last evening. It really meant a lot to me. Of course the night did not go as smoothly as I planned. I ended up stepping on the feeding line and ripped my j-tube out. We headed up to the Cleveland E.R. and the short version is they decided not to put it back in since I'm so close to the end of the feeding schedule. I actually feel like a different person without carrying the bag around. The key now is to get my calories slowly to maintain my weight. Not very easy considering the food choices I have right now. Now the next phase has started. Learn to eat/drink again and get my strength back!

11-3-2022 Feeling better today. J-tube not bothering me as much since they worked on it yesterday. Day 2 of the liquid diet. Having my one ounce of grape juice every few hours is quite refreshing. Learning to drink and eat again will be a bit weird. They say it will take some time for my new belly to adjust.

11-2-2022 Another boxed checked off. We made it to Cleveland today for my scope. Dr. Raja said everything looks good. He dilated my stomach 20mm. All looks good. We then seen his nurse to check my j-tube and go over my nutrition. I'm now able to have clear liquids (1oz) 6-8 times per day. Yes that is one ounce. This will go on for three days. By next week I should be able to start eating soft foods. It's a step by step plan to ween me off the feeding tube. The final day for the feeding tube is November 14th. I will still have to wait another two weeks for j-tube to be removed. The end of November can't come soon enough!

10-31-2022 Happy Halloween! No treats so far today. We are just waking up after a long night at the local ER. J- tube clogged up again on us and had to go in for them to fix it. Thankfully they were able to get it unclogged. This feeding tube as I said before has been quite the challenge. Started getting a little red and sores around the sight lately. It was hurting pretty bad when I was moving around this weekend. Today feels much better. But now looking ahead we go up Wednesday morning for another scope. Dr. Raja will be doing the scope. He will check out my esophagus and my new improved smaller stomach. I know I have to be put under again but I'm hoping after this maybe I can start drinking or eating some soft foods. Then maybe they can start weening me off this feeding tube. Seems like it's taking forever but we are getting there one step at a time!

10-20-2022 - Had an appointment today with my local oncologist at the Hope Center. He went over the pathology report from the Clinic. This was the report of all the samples, margins, lymph nodes from my surgery. He reconfirmed the good news we got at the Clinic about me having a complete response to the treatment. According to him I may not need any kind of treatment in the near future since I had such a good response. He ordered a Cat-Scan in December. I will be scanned and monitored by him and we will go from there. If all goes good with that scan I may be able to get this chemo port out.

Today getting around pretty good. I've been using a backpack to carry my food bag around the last few days. I can get around much better. It is much better than pushing around a pole all day. Next up will be my appointment with Dr. Raja on November 2nd. I will be getting another scope done to check my healing and stomach. We will also meet with him later that day. Hopefully I will be able to eat or drink something light after that. This no drink no food is no Joke!

10-17-2022 - I'm starting to sleep for most of the 3 hour blocks at night. It has given me more energy during the day. This post surgery has been way more of a challenge then I expected. The no eating or drinking plan really sucks. I know it's going to take some time but it's a task. I'm going to have to rely a ton on the family, music, puzzles, and netflix for a while.

10-14-2022 - Probably my best night of sleep in a few weeks. Besides getting up at 3am and 6am for my drinks I pretty much slept right through. Hope that will continue. Even though I have this bag on me 24/7 I'm starting to get around better and able to stay up longer. Getting into my music more and started one of my puzzles to pass some time. One day at a time. One day closer to getting this feeding tube off.

10-12-2022 - Still not sleeping all that well at night. Just hard to get comfortable at night and relax. Feeling a bit better today than yesterday. Actually got back to some music today. Looking forward to my popsicle tomorrow!

10-10-2022 - Had my staples and stitches removed today from the surgery. They also had to unclog my j-tube again. This feeding tube is turning out to be a pain in my ass. Pretty sore tonight with the j - tube and also with the staples coming out. The nurse practitioner gave me the speech about rest, rest and more rest to heal up. She also said my x-ray looked good. She then proceeded to give us the best news we've had since my diagnosis. My cancer had complete response to all my treatment and surgery. Meaning all the margins they took and all lymph nodes showed no signs of cancer! Does complete response mean cure? No. Does it mean it can come back? Maybe. Does it mean as of this moment I have no cancer in my body? Yes it does! Thanks to Dr. Raja's team! By far the best news yet. Just have to keep grinding this out. I will be on the feeding tube for about 3 more weeks. I'm able to have a popsicle on Thursday. Looking forward to that. Hoping to get more than a few hours of sleep tonight!

10-9-2022 - Feeling a little bit better today than yesterday. Still weak but getting stronger everyday. We're still up every 2-3 hours for my water break. Tomorrow we are heading back to Cleveland. I'm hoping to get my staples taken out and my stitches from my drainage tubes. Hopefully get some more answers after tomorrows trip. Updates tomorrow for sure.

10/7/2022 = The last few nights have been a little tough on us. Trying to get my tube flushes and meds every couple hours is challenging but we know it has to be done. Two nights ago we got up at 1:45am and 3:45am. Last night setting up a bit better getting up just once. Makes for a sleepy day but hopefully we'll get into a better routine. Laying around for these days is really tough for me. I'm trying as hard as I can to stay positive and get through these first few weeks so I can heal.

10/5/2022 - Well I finally have enough energy to share a post! As most of you know I was released from the Cleveland Clinic on Saturday. I know everyone was getting updates from Stefan and Amanda but figured I would just give an outline of what I went through from the surgery. To be honest this surgery beat my ass. Gonna take everything I have physically and mentally to get through the next couple months!

We had to be in Cleveland at 6am on the 22nd. We got there and I went right back to get changed. Amanda was then able to come back and sit with me. We were very anxious which I guess was to be expected. I was just at a point where I just wanted this done! They came to take me up to OR. I sat outside the OR for about 20 minutes answering questions from the anesthesiologist and nurses. Once inside the OR it really started to hit me. It was truly amazing to see these people in action. I immediately knew I was in great hands. They got me all prepped giving me all my IVs and an epidural in my back. The last thing I remember was everyone talking about the plan and going over a bunch of my information.

Surgery was around 8 hours or so. Amanda would have a way better idea of the exact times. Next thing I know it's Friday morning at 5am. I was finally awake and remember them taking me of the ventilator. Of course I was on some serious pain meds. To make a long story short I ended up being in the ICU 2-3 days. That was a big challenge for me. I called myself the human octopus. It seemed like I had tubes coming out of every part of my body. I had an epidural in my back for pain along with a catheter.

I had three chest tubes, three drain tubes along with an arterial line and three peripheral IVs. Each day I was in the hospital it seemed like they removed at least one thing. Every time they removed a tube although a little painful it was like a victory. There were some setbacks that I can discuss later. I have three incisions from the procedure. Hopefully in one week I will get the staples removed that are in my belly/chest.

So now the next chapter is here. Let's keep moving forward. Now that I'm home I will be on a 24hr feeding tube (j-tube). No liquid or food for at least 3 weeks is what they're saying. All water and meds are flushed through the tube. Amanda is going to be the leader of this ship. Every 2-3 hours she will flush (give me some water!) and give me my meds. Thank God for her. So now at this point it's time to rest and try to get stronger. The bull head wants to come out but I know I have to take it slow. I'm sure a lot of details were missed but it will give me something to post on another day. From here on out I hope to give some daily updates on my way back. Once again we really appreciate everyone reaching out. The phone calls, texts, messages means the world to us!

10/1/22: October Surprise!!!

AND HE'S HOME!!!!❤️❤️❤️

9/30/22: Update from this morning

They pulled 2 drains, the epideral line from his back. So just has 1 drain left in. Plus his feeding tube which he will come home with. He gets pretty winded when he is moving around and still has spasms in his back. But, his liver numbers were better this morning, still high but a little better than day before, so not sure if they are still going to do MRI. But things are moving in the right direction. And as he said there is light.

9/29/22: Update from Amanda

Chest tubes are removed! He looks better than the day before. Still yellow, but less tubes, better day. The liver doc's said the blood work shows increase of bilirubin. They may do an MRI of his liver. The staples in his neck incision were removed too.

9/28/22: Update for Tuesday & Today

What I received from Amanda throughout today

The docs say he is doing well. Hoping to get some tubes removed, like the NG, and maybe the oxygen. We will see as the day goes on. Having back pain. On another note he slept in the bed last night, and was not woken up as much like the he was the night before.

Nurse practioner just said they will be taking out the NG tube and the drain in his neck today!

Respiratory said that he sounds better than before. I think cause of the chest tubes that cause him breathing difficulty. Bilirubin levels are elevated, so someone from the GI team will be here, and his urine is really dark. But he is really looking better.

NG tube removed and drain from his neck are bye, bye!

They called the GI team cause his bilirubin levels were elevated, so now he might be looking at more tests on his liver, which he is not happy about. We spoke to a nurse practioner today from the team, she said more blood work, asked a whole bunch of questions, has to see what the docs say sometime tomorrow about it. Might have to get an MRI, but has to check with surgery because of all the staples and everything else he has in his body.

Well he had to go back on the oxygen, when he stood up his number got too low.

9/26/22: note from the day

Pat got a couple of iv's out as well as the arterial line. He is sleeping and spending his time in the chair. His spirits are staying strong!

9/26/22: a note from Amanda just now.

Hi I'm here now, he was moved from the ICU, still has a boat load of tubes practically in every orifice of his body. He is having hard time breathing still, doc might have to do a bronchoscope to clean him out. I guess this can happen cause they deflate the lung/s during surgery. He is jaundice, so they are monitoring his liver function. Gonna do an ultrasound of his liver. He can't lay down cause of the breathing and just uncomfortable. They started the tube feed, and waiting for his bowels to wake up. When that happens hoping they can take out his NG tube. He is pretty miserable. But making progress. Baby steps. Its so hard seeing him like this. I'm happy he is in the best place here @ the Cleveland Clinic.

9/25/22: a summary of the notes I received from Amanda today.

Note from this morning: He slept last night for the most part. The high flow thick nasal cannula is removed, just high flow regular nasal cannula is there. They didnt have any issues yet with the feeding tube, they started the tube feed slowly in the night. That's all good, i think moving in the right direction. Note from this evening: They put him on blood pressure medicine. His stomach is grumbling, and Pat’s not sure if its a good thing, i think it hurts him. His legs are pretty swollen too.

9/24/22: a message directly from Amanda from late last night.

Thank you all for the love, support and prayers during this journey. With any surgery there is expectations of bumps along recovery. As of now there have been a couple, but nothing out of the ordinary with this type of surgery. I truly think he is doing well, he is still in the ICU, due to breathing and blood pressure. But the doc prepared us for this. He walked today! A very short walk but he did it. He still has 3 chest tubes and 4 drain tubes, NG tube, J-tube, plus all the IV lines, and a new arterial line and an epidural line in his back. They are starting his tube feeding tonight through the J-tube, which is great. He has a wonderful attitude and striving. Hurts to talk, well, it takes his breathe away to speak, thats the worst part. Cause in true Minno fashion he wants to talk and ask about the kids, our day, ugh and its just to much for him. His pain is being managed, he is double fisting with the pain buttons. 😆 but all in all, he is on his road to recovery. The doctor said, surgery is only the half way mark. We have to be successful in recovery process. Thank you so much for the well wishes. He asks about the blog everyday i see him.

9/23/22: post op update

Pat made it through the night with no issues. Stable this morning. More details to come once we hear from the doctor which might not be until tomorrow.

Surgery Updates:

Pat just got taken into surgery. Kick this things butt Pat!

Amanda gave me an update. Thankfully things are moving along as planned. Amanda was told she would get another update sometime around 1 EST.

All is going well still. Looks like they will be closing him up in about an hour. Amanda thinks she'll be getting the next update around 3:45.

Latest update @ 5:15 EST. Amanda just saw him. He has nice color, he is stable. They are going to wean him off ventilator tonight or in the am. She spoke with dr. Raja he said he removed the tumor and there is about 4 in of esophagus left. There was minimal blood loss. He checked his liver, said that there was some vascular enhancement so that is just normal variant. Nothing suspicious on the liver. All said, it sounds as though things went well.

9-22-2023 Hello, my name is a Stefan Marsco. For those who don't know me, Patrick and I have been best friends since forever. I'll be the one posting with updates for the next while. I'll do my very best to help all of you be up to speed on where things are with Pat. I'm sure it goes without saying but please send all positive vibes in the direction of The Cleveland Clinic. We love you Pat!

9-21-2022 Surgery eve. I'm very anxious which I guess is to be expected. I keep telling myself this is where we wanted to be at this moment. First goal accomplished. Now we have to get through this tomorrow and hopefully move to a new chapter. We have to check in at 6am. Hope they get this started as soon as possible. I will be out of it for the next couple days but any updates will be posted on blog. Thanks again for everyone's support in getting me to this point. I will never forget it.

9-20-2022 Cat-scan results look good. Covid test is negative! Looks like I will be taking my talents to Cleveland Thursday morning for surgery. Hopefully we will hear something today or tomorrow on the start time. As anxious as I am I know this is what we hoped for. I'm now starting my 48 hour all liquid diet which should be tons of fun! Thanks again to everyone who helped me get to this point. Let's go get this thing out of me.

9-19-2022 Long day in Cleveland today. A day that was challenging physically and mentally. First a big Happy Birthday to Amanda! Not the way I wanted her spending it but when I get through this we'll make it up to her. Our first appointment was at 7am. I did an E.K.G. and then got all blood work done. From there we talked to surgeons nurse who went over the surgery and all the details of the next 48 hours before surgery. We then talked with my surgeon Dr. Raja. He is well known as a thoracic surgeon and enlightened us with information on the surgery. There is something calming when you actually talk to the person that is taking on the task of curing you from this nightmare. I can write another 2 paragraphs on the details of the surgery but I will give you the short version. He said it will be around 8 hours or so. He will take a portion of my esophagus removing the tumor and attach my stomach up . ICU will be 1-2 days depending on recovery. He also scheduled another Cat-scan for me today so we had to fit that in also.

From there I got my stress test done. Final results from that were very good. My heart is in good shape and ticking fine. I wasn't happy about getting stuck with needles all day. That was part of the mental game today. After the couple hour stress test we talked with the anesthesiologist. Also very comforting hearing from part of the team that will be in surgery. He was very thorough telling me all about the needle cocktails I will be getting. Not done yet! From there I got my Cat-scan done. My 3rd one since this all started. We finished the day with Admitting and they were able to give me a covid test today. Saving me a trip tomorrow. So with good CT results and covid test Thursday will be the day. If so tomorrow I will start a 48 hour all liquid diet I will update everyone tomorrow!

9-16-2022 Not a lot to post about this week. Had the most normal week in a long time. I feel really good physically. Made it up to see the Guardians game yesterday. Great day to catch a baseball game. I'm carrying around some high anxiety because of next week. Ready for the battle and get this thing out of me! Hopefully I'll have some weekend posts on the weekend and some good tunes!0

9-10-2022 Really good day yesterday. Headed up to Cleveland for pulmonary tests and all went well.

Another step finished. Now the reality of the surgery is starting to hit. Nothing scheduled now until the 19th. That will be a long day. All my pre-op testing will be done that day. Stress test, EKG, bloodwork and meet with surgeon. Covid test is scheduled for the 20th and that will be the last hurdle before surgery on the 22nd. Good energy today! Got all the yard work done today so I can enjoy some football tomorrow which hopefully includes a Cowboys victory tomorrow night!

9-8-2022 Although I received some decent news and still on track for surgery it was a very stressful day. A day that I thought would rise me up mentally knocked me on my ass. The reason why I'm writing this today as opposed to last evening. My ultrasound according to doctors look good. I know if doctors said it looked good why the stress? After 6 weeks of chemo/radiation treatment the tumor did not shrink that much. It improved a little but not much. To be honest I was shocked. On a good note the treatment worked on shrinking the lymph nodes that were affected. The tumor and lymph nodes are still localized and no sign of spreading. My ultrasound was an hour or so behind schedule. I did not receive my pulmonary test or meet with my surgeon. I have to go back up tomorrow morning for the pulmonary test. I met with the nurse practitioner in place of main surgeon yesterday. She said everything is still on track for surgery on the 22nd. Another day closer to the goal.

9-6-2022 We met with our local Oncologist today. He went over the Cat-scan results we received on Friday. He said scans looked good. Lymph node size got smaller. Tumor size improved. Still some swelling of esophagus but he's not sure if it's from tumor or irritation from the radiation. I'm sure tomorrow we will get a lot of answers with the ultrasound from the Cleveland Clinic. Going to be a long day tomorrow. Also pulmonary tests for surgery and meet with my surgeon. Hope to have some good updates tomorrow evening.

9-4-2022 Got my results from Friday's Cat-Scan! Results show improvement from my first scan back on May 5th. The 6 week treatment helped shrink the tumor. The lymph nodes that were affected are also looking better. They went from enlarged measuring in cm now down to mm. Another step done in this long process. As I keep saying. We have to stack these wins up to get to the finish line. Feeling really good this weekend with great energy. Another big week coming up. I meet with local oncologist on the 6th. Wednesday the 7th I have an ultrasound which they will put me out again for. After that I have a pulmonary test then meet with the surgeon. My surgery date has been moved from September 20th to the 22th. Few more steps to get to the table....

8-30-2022 Back to my appointments today. Headed to my local Radiologist this morning for a checkup. She was happy with my progress. I gained almost 15 lbs since I started both treatments and 8 lbs since I last seen her on July 25th. I do not have to see her for 6 months. I will mark this day as a win and another step closer to the main goal. Friday will be a Cat-Scan to see what's the status of the tumor and how well it responded to the treatment. As I said months ago. Let's get this done!

8-28-2022 Really good weekend. Made it down to see the Cats play Friday night! It was great seeing people I haven't seen in a while. I really appreciated all the support from everyone. Yesterday did the entire yard. Yes I can get obsessed with the grass. Speaking of not seeing people in a while, we attended my 30th year class reunion last night. Great night catching up with everyone. So glad we were able to make it (put some shots in the photo tab). Hope I can keep the good energy rolling into the new week. Meet with local radiologist on Tuesday. Big day on Friday the 2nd with a Cat-Scan.

8-24-2022 Another day at work. Had almost a full day in yesterday. Trying to grind it out. Helps get my mind off what's to come in September. As everyone knows my mind is consumed on the scans and surgery. Trying to put a few short term goals together after this mess. Seeing a concert in November and hopefully having enough steam to coach the boys in hoops again. Also I have been getting in a lot of tunes lately. Thanks again for all the positive messages, calls and texts.!

8-22-2022 Feeling good again today. Pretty relaxing weekend. We headed up to the Guardians game yesterday which was cancelled after a 3 hour wait. We still had a good time hanging out. It's hard to believe the kids started back at school today. Time is flying by right now. Gonna start doing something active everyday to get body ready for next month. Let's get this done!

8-19-2022 Had a really good week. Getting my energy back. It's hard to believe it's the middle of August. Already 3 weeks since my treatment ended. Got my packet of information from The Cleveland Clinic yesterday. Scan on the 2nd. Ultrasound and pulmonary test on the 7th. If all goes according to plan I will go up September 19th for stress test and pre-op meeting. Surgery is scheduled for September 20th. I'm sure this will consume my mind for the next month! Just have to be positive and hope all goes well enough to get this going on the 20th!

8-14-2022 Really good weekend for me. Friday night got to hang out with some friends. Last night enjoyed watching Joey and his friends do a fantasy football draft. As I said before it's nice to get out and do things to get my off this for a bit. Not sure what I will get into today. Hope to take G and Joey down to the fieldhouse for some bball drills this evening.

8-12-2022 Well it's finally Friday! I made it to work everyday this week. Of course not full days but I'll take what I can get. Managed to get half the yard done on Wednesday and the rest finished yesterday. I felt much better this week. I will still get a little light headed when I try to do to much. Time is going by pretty fast these days. Kids will be back in school before you know it. Counting the days down until my first scan after treatment.

8-9-2022 Feeling better everyday. Good energy today! I slept pretty good last night for the first time in a while. My mind is consumed with the scan, ultrasound and hopefully surgery in September. I just have to take it day by day and get ready for it. Back at the lab today. Hope to get here everyday this week.

8-7-22 Well, one week post treatment! Celebrating with my new hair metal rock shirt & some Youngstown Pride.

8-6-2022 Good day today. Joey and I got to take Zeke for a walk today. Managed to get half the yard cut today. I'll mark today down as the most energy I've had in weeks.

8-5-2022 Feeling a bit better this morning. Still have irritation in the chest area but not as weak today. Got to work yesterday and hopefully today I can put in a decent day. The grind is definitely good for me.

Today is the day we should be heading out for vacation but of course we'll have to take a rain check on that this year. It was bumming me out at the beginning of the week but talking with a few great friends made me realize the beach will be there when I get through this mess. So I'm gonna finish this week strong and get moving more this weekend. Have to get the body ready for a big September.

8-3-2022 Made it to work yesterday. I was able to get about 4-5 hours in. Today back at it. I feel a little bit better today than yesterday. See if I can get another good day in. Hopefully I can get back to some sense of normal this month before September hits.

8-1-2022 Well almost 6 weeks of treatment finished! Had my last radiation treatment this morning.. Feels pretty good to let the body rest for a bit. Gonna need it. Still a little beat up but I feel I made it through this first part as good as I could have. I also know that even with this first part being done I still have a long way to go. It's so true about the mental part of this journey. You need a positive and strong mind even during the toughest days. Another lesson I learned is how cancer affects everyone. I dealt with it throughout my life with family and friends but being at the Hope Center and radiation you see how many people are actually dealing with this. People in and out of treatment all day long. It's eye opening to say the least. Many that have it much worse than me. So now let's get ready for the next step. Hopefully surgery. We'll have updates on the path to the Cleveland Clinic and what I'll be doing to prepare myself. Thanks again for all the love and support!

7-30-2022 You would think after finishing my 3rd round of chemo on Thursday and my final radiation coming up on Monday I would be a little more pumped up right now. Yesterday I had low energy all day. Besides going to radiation in the morning I basically relaxed and laid around most of the day. Taking two long much needed naps. As you know it's tough for me to sit around and at times drives me crazy but I know it's for the best. Feel a little stronger today and moving around more. I also want to thank the Struthers girls basketball family's and parents of my boys team for the generous gift. Our family appreciates it so much. Hopefully more updates tomorrow!

7-28-2022 We did it! Finished my 3rd round of chemo earlier today. At the start of this treatment I had moments where I thought this day would never come. All the calls, texts, and everyone reaching out helps out more than you know. Also a thank you to those who are signing up for the wix account to get this out there to help someone who is going through this or is recently diagnosed. I know hearing from people that went through this treatment helped me out a ton. Now with the chemo finished for now I can focus on getting my radiation done. I have 2 more treatments. August 1st is now my last day. A total of 28 treatments. After that I can rest the body and get ready for the next step. I will get about 4 weeks off then we'll start the scans to see about surgery. As for tonight. Nothing but rest for sure.

7-27-2022 Update on chemo day 2. Did not sleep very well last night. I think it's more of having this bag on me than anything else. Today made it to radiation. I know I'm beating a dead horse but this 3 day chemo treatment and radiation can really suck the energy out of you. I was reminded by a wise lady that I really haven't discussed my side effects from the chemo. So I will give everyone the short version. I'm getting Folfox which is a combination of 3 different drugs for a little more than two days straight. The major side effect besides weakness (yes I said it again) is that It's difficult to drink anything cold. Even things at room temperature gives me a feeling like I'm swallowing glass. When I first taste something I get a weird numbing feeling under my jaw bones but this goes away after the first bite. I know the next few days will be tough but through this entire treatment I have had an appetite and never really got extremely sick. 22 hours away from getting this bag off. I'll be counting the seconds down. Updates tomorrow for sure.

7-26-2022 Pretty big day today. Started with radiation then to The Hope Center. My bloodwork was good so they gave me my 3rd round of chemo. That was a huge relief for me after not getting it last week. Treatment was about 3 hours and MVI just got done hooking me up at home with my favorite pretty bag for the next 46 hours. Mentally I feel good because everything went smoothly. First I was able to get it and second we got blood return easy today. Physically I'm more tired now at this point than I was with first 2 treatments. Can't wait till Thursday to finish up chemo. Hope to check that off the list and focus on my final radiation on August 3rd. Then get a much needed break for a bit!

7-24-2022 I got to take Zeke on a walk for the first time in a while. Finally had enough in me to do a good 15 minute walk. Amanda followed close to make sure he didn't drag me all over the park! Felt pretty good. Got my grill on today. Now it's time to take on the next two weeks. Let's get this first stage done!

7-23 2022 Been a few days since last update. Thursday and Friday were a carbon copy of my last update. Made it to work both days after radiation for about 4-5 hours. Felt great to get there but was pretty tired both evenings. That finished my 22nd radiation treatment with 8 more to go! Another week and a half. Just going to relax today and maybe listen to some tunes. Hopefully my platelet level and blood work are good enough to get that 3rd chemo treatment on Tuesday. I have to get through these next few weeks and move on to the next step!

7-20-2022 After radiation this morning I headed into work for about 5 hours. Felt good to have somewhat of a normal day. Have to take this week and get these blood levels back up. Hopefully get that 3rd round of chemo done in the next few weeks. The Cleveland Clinic was in contact with us today discussing the next steps after my treatment.

7-19-2022 Well today we had a bit of a setback. I was unable to receive my 3rd round of chemo. My platelet and blood count was too low. After initially getting worked up about it I'm realizing it's for the best. Two weeks of preparing to get this done and it not happening was pretty discouraging at first. My oncologist said we have to wait till next week to see if the counts come up. He is not putting me in harms way. If they went ahead with the treatment there would be a good chance of me getting really sick.

So hopefully next week or the week after I can get this chemo knocked out. I will still be getting radiation everyday. Today marked my 19th radiation treatment. We also talked about scheduling my PET Scan for the end of August early September to see where we're at. We will be scheduling an appointment with the surgery team at the Cleveland Clinic soon. Like I said before, this is a day to day hour to hour grind. Have to stay positive and keep fighting.

7-17-2022 Feeling pretty good today. Two days without radiation is a good little break. The upcoming week is on my mind nonstop. We'll have to see what I can get into today. Maybe get moving, some tunes.

Hopefully have some updates later!

Actually cut half the yard today! Feels really good to get moving.

7-15-2022 Finished my 4th week of treatment this morning. Actually felt a little better after todays treatment than I have all week. Afternoon started getting a little sluggish. A couple hour nap helped a little but not much. Getting deeper into treatment the one thing I have learned is it's not a day to day thing. It's more like an hour to hour fight right now. Got the weekend to rest up and get ready for next week.

7-14-2022 Decided today to shut down work for a bit. Gonna need every bit of energy for next week.

Today I feel about the same as yesterday. Still getting around and eating pretty good. Hopefully finish up my 4th week of treatment tomorrow. 4 weeks? It's hard to believe! Hope my Motley friends are tearing it up in Cleveland tonight. I can't wait to get through this and get back to the concert scene!

7-13-2022 Had my 15th radiation treatment this morning. Little sluggish today but I'm still moving around. I did not have enough in the tank to make it to work. A good day of rest is sometimes needed.

Our night was made by Joey's AAU basketball team. Thank you to all the parents and the Team Cure organization for your generosity. We love you guys and it's something we will never forget.

7-12-2022 After radiation this morning I managed to make it up to work for a few hours. Glad I made it but it was a task. It's amazing how the simple things can be so challenging. With that being said tomorrow is a new day and another day closer to the goal!

7-11-2022 Soaked up some more radiation this morning. We met with doctor this morning. My bp was a little lower than normal but other than that everything seemed ok. Going into my 4th week of treatment my weight is still the same as it was when I started treatment. I was planning on making the hike to work today but just didn't have enough juice. Had a good power nap now it's time to get moving around a bit.

7-10-2022 Started the morning off with a walk. Morgan and I just got back from taking Zeke for his daily car ride. Feeling better today than I did the last few days. As I say almost everyday the fatigue is real. Starting to deal with some discomfort around chest/throat area. Could be coming from combined chemo/radiation. Will ask doctor tomorrow morning about that. Gonna relax and try to get some music in. I have been slacking on the music front lately. Maybe time to get the Aqua Net out and play some hair metal!

7-9-2022 No post yesterday. I finished up my week of radiation on Friday and the rest of the day was nothing to exciting. My body had a shut down day. Just rested most of the day. As you know that drives me nuts. Actually it was the kind of day I've been expecting since we started this mess. A day that was more challenging mentally than physically. With that being said today is a new day. Hope to have a good weekend and get ready for the next 3 weeks.

7-7-2022 My second round of chemo is done! Hopefully one more to go. Got the bag off a few hours ago and after a nap here we are. Another step closer to the goal. Round two was a tough one with the fatigue. Being able to move around and eat/drink is helping me out a ton. Hoping that will continue. I have my 13th radiation treatment tomorrow morning to finish off the week. Although we have a ways to go I'm just gonna keep grinding. Thanks for reaching out this week!

7-6-2022 I can say for sure yesterday after treatment was a pretty tough evening. I'm more fatigued than the first go around for sure. Had radiation this morning and met with radiology oncologist. She said so far everything is good. So far I'm still maintaining my short dad bod weight which is a huge bonus this early in treatment. Just got up from a nice long nap. Now gonna go walk around with my chemo purse and drive everyone nuts. Looking forward to tomorrow. Getting bag off and finishing 2nd chemo treatment.

7-5-2022 Long day today. I had radiation early this morning then straight to Hope Center to start my 2nd chemo treatment. I met with oncologist. Bloodwork was ok and my weight is actually about the same as it was 2 weeks ago. At the Hope Center for about 3 hour treatment and just finished getting hooked up with my baggy magee till Thursday. To be honest weaker this time around than last time at this point. Again I would like to say how good The Hope Center staff is. The way they treat all of there patients is great! Also MVI Homecare for coming out and hooking me up with my 2 day pump. So now just gonna rest for a bit. But not too long!!! Let's keep the positive vibes coming! Thanks everyone. It means the world to me.

7-1-2022 No post yesterday. Same kind of day. Radiation then made it to work. Actually felt good enough to make it to some of Joey's baseball game. Today I finished my first full week of radiation (8 treatments done) Still a ways to go. Worked everyday this week. Next week back to the chemo Tuesday through Thursday. Gonna relax this weekend and get ready for big week #3!

6-29-2022 Woke up fell out of bed dragged a comb across my head. Music fans get it? Radiation done. Feeling a little tired but nothing crazy. Made it in to work today. Got to keep stacking up the little wins.

6-28-2022 Heading out in a bit to catch some rays. Gonna head up to work after treatment. Hope to have the same kind of day today as yesterday.

6-27-2022 Started first full week of radiation this morning. Felt good enough this morning to make it to work. We'll see where the day takes me. I know it will get tougher but have to keep staying positive!

6-26-2022 Feel really good this morning. Hit the scrappers game last night with the kids. It was a great night to get out and watch some baseball. Today looking to get moving.

6-25-2022 Nice walk this morning to get the blood flowing. Like I said hope to get moving more this weekend.

6-24-2022 Finished the week with radiation this morning. Still have the same weak feeling but getting around and still eating pretty good. My plan is to get moving more this weekend and finally listen to some tunes.. I will keep everyone posted.

6-23-2022 Radiation done for today. Feeling a little weak but getting around pretty good this morning.

Waiting to get chemo bag off this afternoon.

1st round of chemo finished. Positive attitude and great vibes from everyone helped me out a ton. I know we got a long road ahead but I'm learning to take this one day at a time.

6-22-2022 First day of radiation done. Only 29 more to go! Feeling a little weak but not too bad today. Can't wait to get this chemo bag off me tomorrow. I'm counting down the seconds until they come tomorrow afternoon although I understand it's a must. Just going to relax and chill with my bag this evening. Maybe listen to some tunes. Updates on my music will be on My Daily Spin.

6-21-2022 On our way soon. First day of treatment.

First treatment almost in the books. I'm still waiting to get hooked up at home for the next 2 days.

5 hours at the Hope Center today. To say the staff at the Hope Center are great is an understatement. Doctors, nurses and the entire staff went above and beyond to help this rookie out. What an eye opening experience having conversations with other patients. I learned more today in 5 hours than I learned in 2 months of surfing the internet. Wish I can take back the wasted time on Google!!! First radiation treatment tomorrow morning.

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