A Winning Streak

Another great day with no discernible chemo side effects. Bowels remained in tip top shape, headache and/or queasy feeling was nowhere in sight, appetite was at full strength, and if you think I had any fatigue, you wouldn't have known it during my basketball game tonight.

Today marked one of my proudest moments during this cancer-killing adventure. On this fourth day since chemo, a day usually reserved for taking it slow and nursing a headache, I played a full game of full court basketball.

I ran up and down the court, only taking a 3 minute break during the whole game. I felt more comfortable on the court today and played much more aggressively, on defense and offense. I only made one shot today (a long two pointer that would've been a three had my toe not been on the line), but all the others I took were right on line, so I know I'm just a couple of games away from a breakout performance. Our game went down to the wire, and after a gritty two minutes of overtime, we won by two points. It felt awesome to contribute to that win and to walk out of the gym, sweaty and rejuvenated. I had a feeling that hoops would help me get through this last bit of chemo, and my beloved sport truly has.

Before my season started, I promised my three nurses that I'd inform practically everyone in the gym about the port in my chest so that everyone would ease up on me and be careful when guarding me. But before my first game and before tonight's, I just couldn't bring myself to do it. I don't want to show the other team or the refs that I'm different, weaker, or more fragile than anyone else. I don't want special treatment. I want to be just like every other athlete out on the court. Tonight, I was just that. Nobody in the gym could have guessed that I had the port, the huge incision scar, or chemotherapy treatment earlier this week. And that's just the way I like it.