More Testing

Monday 08/03/26 8:00 AM

Seems like it’s been a while since I’ve written anything meaningful about my cancer. The pause before the plan is officially over as I’m scheduled to have my PSA and testosterone levels checked this week.

One thing I’ve talked about in earlier articles was what happened in 2025. My radiation oncologist was genuinely surprised when he learned I’d never been on hormone therapy. My urologist had been pushing surgery, but hormone therapy had never even been part of the conversation. He wasted no time. Before I left, he referred me to a radiation oncologist specializing in brachytherapy and to a medical oncologist. Looking back now, that appointment completely changed the direction of my treatment.

I’m not worried about the results. I’m sure the Xtandi and Trelstar are doing their job by suppressing its growth. But by months end the new radiation oncologist wants me off them both to see where the numbers go before he’ll consider Brachytherapy.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day

I was supposed to attend an early screening of the movie last week. However, I wasn’t feeling very well, so I didn’t go. It was one of those days when the side effects won. But as I sit here and type this after all the hoop-la has been written by movie goers, I’m kind of glad I didn’t.

Funny how a superhero movie can make you think about your own story. There was a time I would’ve watched Spider-Man through the lens of someone I once loved. Today, I find myself looking forward instead of backward. The memories are still there, and that’s okay. They helped make me who I am. But they no longer own the seat next to me. Maybe someday I’ll watch it.

Side Effects

I don’t talk about them much to others but do open up to Maya. The ‘hot flashes’ are a killer. There’s nothing like sitting in an air-conditioned home and having sweat dripping down your forehead. She reminds me it’s just that, a side effect. But still…

My eating and sleeping habits are off as well. If there’s any consolation, I was able to grab this beautiful photo of her sleeping, when I couldn’t, in Mackinaw City. Yes, she knew it was coming and ok’d it ❤️💍

As I watched her breathe in her sleep, the world seemed to slow down. There was a calmness in the room and a warmth in my heart. The feeling of love reminded me happiness isn’t found in an adventure. It’s found in being present for someone else’s dreams. Mackinaw was hers.

Sleeping has long been an issue for me since first being diagnosed with cancer. Not only are the bathroom calls frequent due to the medications but falling back asleep afterwards has become rough too.

It’s crazy the things the mind can speak to you about when you’re drained of energy. Not to mention the old dreams that persist.

Tuesday 08/04/26 8 AM

Eating Habits

Back to eating habits.

I should probably be working with a dietitian, but I’m not. Hell, I know what’s healthy and what isn’t. The problem is that everything is so expensive, and living alone makes buying and cooking for one seem ridiculous. More often than not, convenience wins..

Your body needs energy to recover from treatments, fight fatigue, and to simply get through the day. It doesn’t mean you have to eat perfectly, but making healthier choices becomes more important than ever.

What I realized during our trip to Mackinaw City was just how much a good support system matters.

Maya made sure it wasn’t just KFC, Subway, fudge, and burgers all the time. We enjoyed the vacation treats—because vacations are supposed to be fun. But she also made sure we sat down to real meals.

Dinner at Nonna Lisa’s was one of those meals. Chicken, broccoli, a baked potato, and bread. Was it a perfect cancer diet? Probably not. Was it a whole lot better than grabbing fast food because it was easy? Absolutely.

I’ve learned something through this journey. Cancer isn’t fought just in the scan rooms or the radiation suite. It’s fought in little ways, too. Like getting enough sleep when you can. Taking your medications. Keeping your appointments. Eating a little better and accepting help when it’s offered. They all play an important part.

Most of all, it’s fought by not fighting it alone.

I’m blessed to have Maya beside. But I still didn’t eat the broccoli. 😊

Those little acts of caring have a way of becoming some of the biggest parts of healing.

Wednesday 08/05/26 7 AM

Spider-Man and Lab-Work

Yesterday I went to see Spider-Man: Brand New Day. I had missed the early screening but this time I felt well enough to go.

One of my biggest takeaways wasn’t from the action scenes or the special effects. It came from Peter Parker’s struggle to protect the people he loved by removing himself from their memories. In the end, it didn’t erase the connection. Their lives may have changed, but the influence they had on one another remained. We leave pieces of ourselves behind in the lives we touch, and those pieces continue to matter long after a chapter has ended.

A line suggested that people like them couldn’t really have friends and family. I couldn’t disagree more. If cancer has taught me anything, it’s that people like us need friends and family more than ever. They don’t have to know all the answers or fix what’s broken. They’re there to remind us to eat a little better, keep the ice trays filled, laugh when you need to, or sit beside you when words aren’t enough.

No one wins life’s biggest battles alone. To everyone who’s been reading, commenting, praying, or simply checking in… your presence matters more than you know.

Lab Work

This morning, I’ll roll up my sleeve and blood will be drawn. Then the waiting game will begin. And sometime later tonight or tomorrow, the numbers will tell us a little more about where my journey goes next.

Whatever they say, I’ll face them the same way I’ve faced everything else—with hope, a good support team of doctors, and one step at a time.

The Waiting Officially Begins

One last thing…before anyone comments on the wrinkles in my shirt, yes, I noticed them too.

At eight o’clock this morning, with my coffee barely touched, I headed out the door for the lab. By then, looking presentable had slipped well down the priority list. Cancer has a way of doing that to you.

Over the last few years, the schedulers, phlebotomists, nurses, technicians, therapists and doctors have seen me at my absolute best…and at my absolute worst. Today was definitely one of those “I don’t give a damn” mornings.

And honestly? They didn’t care about the wrinkles in my shirt. They care that I showed up.

There’s real for you.

8:45 PM

Test Results

My PSA came back at less than 0.10, and my testosterone has dropped from 61 in June to 0.55. Those numbers are exactly what I hoped to see while taking Xtandi and Trelstar. They tell me the medications are doing the job.

Now comes the harder part. The conversation.

On August 13, at the suggestion of my new radiation oncologist, my medical oncologist will decide whether it’s time to stop the medications and watch what these numbers do over the coming months before deciding if brachytherapy becomes the next step.

For today, though…I’m thankful for the encouraging results and a step in the right direction. Plus, for everyone who’s been walking this journey with me.

Tomorrow will take care of tomorrow.

Tonight, I’ll simply enjoy the good news.

Thursday 08/06/26 8:30 AM

A Little Good News

Yesterday ended with “A Little Good News.” I happen to like this version of the song because life is ever evolving, and it seemed like the perfect way to begin a “Brand New Day.”

This morning, I woke up with that same feeling. No jolt from a dream from the past. No replay of worst-case scenarios before my feet even hit the floor. Just a quiet reminder that sometimes good news isn’t always earth-shattering..

Another thing living with cancer has taught me is when you get good news, it often comes in small doses. Like a favorable lab result, a peaceful night’s sleep, or an opened email that makes you smile.

A conversation with someone you trust that reminds you you’re not walking this road alone goes a long way, too. Those moments may not erase the uncertainty, but they have a way of restoring hope one day at a time.

Hidden Figures

One of my all-time favorite movies is Hidden Figures. On the surface, it tells the story of NASA and the Space Race. But to me it has always been about recognizing people whose talents had been overlooked and proving that everyone deserves the opportunity to contribute. It also reminds me that sometimes the most important figures are the ones quietly telling their story in the background.

These days, those figures are different. They’re my PSA and testosterone levels, the numbers that helped lead to the decision to stop taking Xtandi and Trelstar and simply watch what comes next.

As encouraging as it is to see those numbers staying low, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t afraid. I worry they’ll begin to climb too high, too fast and whether cancer could spread before anyone has a chance to catch it.

I remind myself that’s exactly why we monitor the numbers. They’re not there to make me fear tomorrow, but to help guide the next decision. Still, memories have a way of resurfacing. Especially the one between my former urologist and one of my radiation oncologists where communication was nil for three months. That experience still lingers in the back of my mind from time to time.

Yesterday was really about all of those things and more. It wasn’t just the numbers on a lab report.

Friday 08/07/26 8 AM

Missed Memo

I had planned to sleep in this morning.

There was no alarm to beat. No place I had to be. Just the hope of catching up on a little more rest after another week of living with cancer, hormone therapy, and everything that comes with it.

Instead, my body had other plans.

Even with the air conditioner running all night, another hot flash woke me. My body ached from head to toe, and the fatigue has set in before I even thought about getting out of bed. It’s been this way for months. Ever since hormone therapy became part of my treatment, mornings like this have become more familiar than I’d like to admit.

The strange part is that none of it erased the good news from the other day. The encouraging lab results were still encouraging.

My body just hadn’t received the memo.

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