Two Years Later

Today is February 11. Not a big deal for most people, but it will always have a measure of significance for me.

On this day two years ago, I received the phone call that changed my life. It was the call from my doctor with the results of the biopsy I had undergone three days earlier. I remember, quite vividly in fact, all self-awareness leaving my body. It was a numbing sensation where I wasn't quite sure where my body ended and the world around me began--when people describe shock, I imagine that this is exactly how they feel.

But this is not about two years ago. This is about today, the two-year anniversary of my cancer diagnosis. As many of you know, Lance Armstrong is the closest to a hero that I have. My cancer was nothing like his and yet I can hardly imagine a more difficult experience. The fact that he lived through his cancer and then went on to win 7 Tours...well, it's nothing short of miraculous. If you have read Lance's books, then you know that he celebrates the date of his diagnosis every year--kind of like a birthday. I have shamelessly adopted this tradition as my own as well, because in a way, it is like a birthday. Going through the experience of cancer without being changed is nearly impossible. When you finally find yourself on the other side, life looks differently--more colorful and vibrant. The routine that you thought you hated before you now love for its simplicity. So even though I was born on May 3, 1978, the date when I really started to live my life as it was intended was February 11, 2005.

Tonight I will share dinner with a few of my closest friends in D.C. to help commemorate this significant date in my life. Not only is it a celebration of a new perspective, it is also a reminder that life is not guaranteed. I often describe my hurdles of the last two years as things I would never want to repeat or have anyone else experience even once. But with most of the physically painful experiences behind me, I embrace them as a part of who I am--part of my story that I have lived. In a strange way, I'm grateful for the experiences because they have made me stronger and I hope a better person. The lessons through it all have been many, and I don't want them to be wasted. This is my way of not forgetting.

As always, thanks for reading.