With Maya, Greenfield Village, and a Birthday Surprise

Sunday 06/14/26 6 PM

I slept most of the day not thinking about my latest Cancer CT Scan Results …as I didn’t get home until 5 AM after spending a good part of yesterday at Greenfield Village with Maya and then celebrating my birthday at her parents’ home into the early morning hours. The later was such a pleasant surprise.

She had asked me to go out to dinner and dancing. I’m not a club hopper and neither of us drink but I still said yes. Besides I can’t seem to spend enough time with her.

I had no clue where we were headed after we left my place, where we rested a few hours after several hours of walking the village, until we were a few blocks from their home. What a surprise. Just us. An old CD player with candles and strung lights lit around the back patio and some tasty vegan burgers and other treats to eat.

Instead of talking about stuff, we talked about what we wanted out of life. Neither of us are looking for marriage but both want happiness with one soul. Think that’s enough said here, some things need their privacy.

Why Maya

Some readers may wonder why I’m sharing these moments with Maya in between posts about scans, appointments, and test results. The answer is simple. Cancer is part of my life, but it isn’t my life. If all I wrote about were doctor’s offices and medical reports, I’d be leaving out the very things I’m fighting to preserve.

The goal is never to just to survive. The goal is always to keep on living. To make memories and love and be loved. To find joy where I can. These moments aren’t a detour from the story. They are the story.

I’ve rarely let anyone see what I’ve written beforehand but being I’m still hesitant about losing love once more by doing something stupid and the fact much of this includes her, I asked for her thoughts before publishing it. Here’s what she told me to add on her behalf:

“First, you’re overthinking this.”

“Second, I don’t mind being part of your stories because I’m part of your life. The people who read your blog have followed your journey through heartbreak, health scares, uncertainty, and healing. They should get to see the happy parts too.”

“This weekend wasn’t special because of Greenfield Village, my parents’ house, or even your birthday. It was special because we got to spend the time together. The appointments mattered to me just as much as the celebrations. When you care about someone, you show up for all of it, not just the easy days.”

“The bone scan results were good. That’s worth celebrating. The rest of the appointments will come when they come. Until then, try to enjoy the fact that you’re loved, you’re cared about, and you don’t have to carry everything by yourself anymore.”

Living Instead of Waiting

Monday 06/15/26 8AM

I actually woke up late and feeling good. As if the cancer inside me never existed but I know better. CT results are in; think I’ll give them a read and let you know. Be right back, hopefully I won’t be screaming.

There’s no big ass ABNORMAL notice in front of it so things are looking good. Another thing I immediately noticed were that the CT results had actually been finalized on my birthday.

Not the scan itself. That was done on June 11th. The report wasn’t completed and released until June 13th at 3:10 in the afternoon.

What I would have done

Normally, knowing that would have had me checking the patient portal every few hours, wondering what they found, trying to read between the lines before a doctor had a chance to explain anything. That’s just the reality of living with cancer. Every test feels like it might change the direction of your life.

But this was different.

At 3:10 that afternoon, I wasn’t thinking about CT scans. I wasn’t sitting in front of my computer worrying about results. I was spending my birthday with Maya. Where we had already spent part of the day wandering through Greenfield Village, while later surprising me with a quiet celebration at her parents’ home. While those results were sitting there waiting for me, I was busy making memories.

Looking back, that feels important.

For the past few years, so much of my life has revolved around appointments, scans, procedures, and waiting for the next phone call. Cancer has a way of convincing you that everything else should stop until you get an answer. But on my birthday, for a few hours at least, life was bigger than all of that.

The results didn’t change because I worried about them, and they didn’t change because I ignored them. They are what they are. The difference was that instead of spending that day focused on cancer, I spent it focused on someone who means a lot to me.

What the CT Scan Results Said

The CT scan looked at my chest, abdomen, and pelvis to see if there were any signs the prostate cancer had spread.

The short version? It didn’t find any.

No signs of cancer in my lungs nor in my liver. No enlarged lymph nodes, masses or metastatic disease in the areas they examined.

The report did mention a few things that have nothing to do with the cancer. A small lung bleb, some kidney cysts, a liver cyst, and my pacemaker/ICD. Those are either old findings or common age-related things that doctors aren’t concerned about.

In plain English, the CT scan didn’t show the cancer spreading beyond where they already know it exists. Coupled with the Bone scan results from June 10th I couldn’t be happier.

What the Results Mean

For the last few years, I spent my birthdays obsessing over these results. Instead, this year, I spent it with Maya. And honestly, that’s the life I’ve been fighting for all along.

Tomorrow I’ll sit down with radiation oncology and learn what comes next. Tonight, though, I’m going to hold on to the fact that the scans were good, the company was better, and life keeps giving me reasons to look forward instead of back.

Preparing for My Radiation Oncology Appointment

Tuesday 6/16/26 7:45 AM

They were both there in my dreams last light. Secretly it felt good. One rooting me on as always but this time not hiding behind a procedure room window or peaking around a corner. While the other showing love and affection right alongside her in the waiting room with me. Oh, I wish life could be so easy. Friends and lovers are what make the world a better place. Always remember that, ‘You’ve Got a Friend in Me.’

My thoughts on Oncology

After three years of dealing with cancer I believe I’ve got a good feel for what’s on tap today. I suspect my radiation oncologist will say let’s watch it longer. It hasn’t spread anywhere else and your current treatment plan is holding it at bay.

He may remind me of the advantages of further radiation or Cryotherapy (where they freeze the cancer and it eventually dies and dissolves into body fat) but we’ve been over that before. And I’m good with those routes in the future.

Don’t think because I’ve gotten this far it’s over. It’s just a new beginning. Without it being killed off or removed it will live there just not growing as long as the drugs are working. I could live with that if it were just me but now having someone in my life those thoughts have altered. In the end I never want to feel as if I were never enough. I think you know what I mean.

A Family Un-Tied Birthday

For the last half dozen years, I’ve become aware why an uncle of mine disassociated himself from the rest of the family. They can be all out wacky at times.

It’s not that they’re not loved because they are. And I suppose this understanding came from my sessions with Agnes when dealing with Casey’s departure. As she thought she had loved me too, but things were not aligned at the right time.

To make this short, a cousin called me on my birthday asking about Maya. Mind you I hear from this cousin a couple times a year that’s it. Well, she asked for Maya’s phone number. WTH kind of request is this, I thought? First, I don’t give out numbers, so if I have yours its safe. And secondly NO. Maya and I have spoken about my family, and she understands how content I am without being involved with them.

It didn’t use to be that way but living in the past can get burdensome and I have no time or energy for that. I have something I am dealing with day to day and if you can’t be here to support me in my time of need yet critique me afterwards or ask why I haven’t called, we’re good as we are.

Supergirl Preview

From ‘having no people‘ for the longest of times like Kara, I’ve been invited to an early screening of Supergirl next week. Guess in a lot of ways the song from the preview fits my life too.

‘Home is wherever you are.’ Don’t ever forget that like I had nearly my entire life. Love who you love, care for who you care for, and do what you want to do without hurting others in the process.

Radiation Oncology: A Different Conversation

2:15 PM

Walking into radiation oncology this afternoon I was convinced I already knew what I’d hear. The bone scan was good. The CT results were good while my PSA continued to move in the right direction. I figured we’d simply continue watching things and stay the course.

Instead, we spent most of the appointment talking about brachytherapy. If you’re unfamiliar with it, brachytherapy places radiation directly into the cancerous area rather than delivering it from outside the body.

The discussion wasn’t driven by bad news. Quite the opposite. The thinking was that now may be the right time to target what we know is there while preserving as many future treatment options as possible.

Part of the decision comes down to my heart. I have a St. Jude defibrillator with Medtronic leads; MRIs aren’t nearly as simple as they are for most people. I’ve already gone through one special MRI evaluation and neither my doctors nor I are eager to use up opportunities that may become important later.

By pursuing brachytherapy first, external beam radiation remains available down the road if it is ever needed.

For at least a year, I felt surgery was the first thing pushed at me as my urologist wanted to remove the prostate altogether. Since then, I’ve moved to a medical oncologist and built a team that looks at the entire picture instead of just one part of it. Today felt like another example of that.

The best part? I left with a plan and an appointment for another oncologist who specializes in this type of treatment. That’s scheduled for the end of the month.

My take on the Visit

There are still decisions to make. But after weeks of scans, tests, waiting, and wondering, it feels good to finally be moving forward again instead of standing still.

And yes, I asked about some quality-of-life questions too that came back favorable. I’m sure Maya will be happy to hear that news. Life has a funny way of changing the questions you’re willing to ask when the time is right.

So, for now, I’ll keep doing what I’ve been trying to do all along: follow the treatment plan, appreciate the good news when it comes, love the people who matter, and keep living in the days between appointments.

Because in the end, that’s what all of this has been about.

Not waiting for life to begin. Rather, living it while I can.

Real Talk

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