The rest of the story begins.

I finished radiation a couple of weeks ago. It went relatively well. Just a small area under my arm that got red enough to blister and be uncomfortable, but generally, other than being a pain to go up to the hospital every day for 6 weeks, it wasn't that bad. My bilateral mastetomy isn't until the beginning of November. I'm scheduled for November 10th at the Center for Restorative Breast Surgery in New Orleans, Louisianna. So I have a little break in the Cancer treatment until then.

I'm starting to feel a lot better, almost normal even. Except for a constant tingling in my toes, my hands going numb when I sleep and a serious lack of hair, I can almost pretend that the whole cancer thing didn't even happen. Almost.

I've learned a lot in the last couple of years. Most of it I have kept to myself. My family and some of my friends have watched me trying to slowly change my lifestyle as a result of it, but most people are completely unaware. I've written nothing about it on this blog for a couple of reasons. I wasn't sure I knew enough about it to be able to justify my actions, and I wasn't sure how to explain in a way that would make it meaningful and sound legitimate, rather than just the ramblings of a paranoid Cancer survivor.

I served a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints when I was young. I learned how heartbreaking it can be to open your soul to people you love, wanting nothing more than to have them know the things you know, only to have them say something like, "I'm really not that interested" or "That's just not my thing." Like you were trying to sell them a home alarm system or something. As I write this, I wonder how appropriate that analogy is. Certainly, this is nothing that is as soul saving as the gospel. However, it is something that I am passionate about. It is something that makes me want to be a part of the movement to make a change.

So this blog is going to be my feeble little attempt to join with those who are trying to push for a better, safer, healthier future for ourselves, our children, and our children's children. I'm going to tell you the rest of my story, in the hopes that some of you will feel the same shock, anger and drive to do something about it. I'm going to have to go back to the beginning.