I found myself thinking of the feeling I have when watching sports and cannot help but to compare them to my cancer experience. Obviously, cancer is a horrible experience, but the feelings are comparable.
As a sports fan of basketball, football, baseball and golf I have PASSION for the game. I love these sports. When I began my fight against cancer I developed a PASSION to beat the disease. My hate for cancer and love for my life, family and friends helped me beat cancer.
I worked quickly with my doctors on getting tests, second opinions and surgery. I received 4 ½ weeks of radiation treatments (Mon.-Fri.) and worked throughout the entire process. Even when I started to get sick! Getting radiation treatments aimed at your stomach really makes you sick after a while, but throughout all the hard times I had a PASSION and determination to beat cancer.
As a sports fan we all go through our seasons filled with good and bad times (ups & downs.) One day you team is leading the division by 5 games and a month later they are 3 games back. When I was told I had cancer it was the absolute worst point in my life. There are down times in everyone’s life, but when you are told you have cancer and you are not properly educated on the disease you think of the distinct possibilities of death.
The cancer process starts off on a downward spiral and for people, like me, that are fortunate to get the treatment needed to beat cancer we start to experience good times. I am one of the lucky ones who have beat cancer.
I still have my PASSION and still experience good and bad times. I will never lose the PASSION. I have to be prepared as I still have several more years of 6 month checkups. I just got my doctors notification/reminder to make my appointment for January. I was not even thinking of it. Now it sits in the back of my mind. I always feel a little anxious when check up time comes. At least the holiday season will help keep my mind off it a little. Surely Sunday football will continue to for the next few weeks!
- Brian Dowd
3 weeks ago