Chemo Round 17 and Lots of Good News

On Monday, I celebrated Halloween in a way I never before thought I would -- at Norris for Round 4 of FOLFIRI (which brings my grand total to 17 roundsof chemo ). Never one to miss the observation of a major holiday, I suited up in a hot dog costume with a sign on the front and back of the bun that read: "Warning: May Cause Colon Cancer (Trust Me, I Should Know!)" -- yep, I was a carcinogenic hot dog. Seriously, don't eat hot dogs, people. Not unless you want to end up like yours truly.

Not only was Monday a chemo day, it was also a results day. I had PET/CT scan last Friday and would be getting the news about the extent of my cancer-killing prowess. It wasn't really a question of whether chemo was working and cancer was dying -- the issue was really how much. The answer? A lot. Dr. Lenz was pumped, I was pumped, my three nurses were pumped -- everyone but "the cancer" was pumped, to be honest. Cancer, it turns out, is pretty upset about the news.

Chemo itself went well -- quickly and smoothly, and I had a blast making all the other patients crack up with my costume. I'm starting to think that I should wear a costume to chemo all the time with how well it went over this time. Just bringing a smile to a fellow cancer warrior's face while he or she is getting chemo was thoroughly heartwarming and satisfying.

These days, I'm so focused on helping other people that I hardly remember that I'm in the middle of my own fight. Don't get me wrong -- I'm still focused as ever on beating this disease of mine into not only remission, but complete submission. I am still hell bent on being cured of this silly, idiotic cancer. But I care so much about enhancing others' experiences and empowering my fellow warriors that the focus isn't so much on me any more as it is about helping them -- and it feels wonderful. I've always wanted to help people -- heck, that's the reason I became a lawyer and that's why I want to run for office one day -- and the opportunity I have now to help people in such a profound, personal way is...quite honestly, a dream come true. I used to think I was living the dream, but now I really am.

I got some more good news today, too. My CEA tumor marker continues to plummet, further cementing the fact that cancer is on the run and fading fast. From a 37 at the height of my heightened CEA to...wait for it...a 10 as of yesterday. That's a long way for the CEA to fall, and I'm not finished yet. I'm taking no prisoners this time. Seriously, how dare cancer pick a fight with me?!