So long sweet summer…#superdad #worldtraveler #ALKsummit2023 #StrongerTogether #milestones

By now, I hope you’ve caught onto my philosophy that no news is good news. Last week, Avery came home from school and told us it was the last day of summer and I just thought to myself how quickly this summer (and this year) have flown by. Ever since my surgery last year, my perspective on life has sort of reset to how I felt right after my diagnosis – live your life to the fullest because you never know how many tomorrows you have left. So that is what I’ve been doing and boy, have we have been busy! Since my last post, I’ve watched Avery finish her first year of school, traveled across the northern hemisphere, and celebrated some big milestones.

I continue to relish in the opportunity to be involved in Avery’s upbringing in a way that I never would have been able to before. I’ve had the chance to volunteer at the school and attend every performance she’s had. I’ve loved every minute of being a hands on dad and there isn’t a recital or school show I would miss.

On the travel front, I was able to cross off many things on my bucket list: visiting Harry Potter World at Universal Studios, finally making it onto our cruise postponed from 2020, exploring the beautiful country of Iceland, and visiting family in Denmark.

We’ve also had the summer of Canada – visiting the beautiful Banff National Park and attending the wedding of one of my former co-residents in Toronto. In Banff, I really tested the limits of the lung capacity I have left and went on some really remarkable hikes. On one hike in particular, I felt like my heart was going to explode, but in the end it was all worth it to see this incredible view.

In Toronto, I was able to witness the wedding of one of my closest friends – someone I thought would be a forever bachelor. Not only did I get to attend my first Indian wedding (and wear the most comfortable formal wedding outfit – a kurta), but I was also able to take a day trip to Niagara Falls and experience the wonder of Nikola Tesla’s creation. Not many people know this, but Tesla was one of my favorite scientists because he persevered due to his grit and love for science despite Thomas Edison trying to screw him over.

This summer I was also able to travel to my first ever ALK summit! I have been wanting to attend this summit since 2019 (when I first found out the event existed), but with the pandemic I’ve never had the chance to attend in person….until now. I was able to meet with inspirational patients, caregivers, and doctors as well as new patients that I could give hope to, and let know that there can be a life after a terminal diagnosis.

Over the course of the last year, there are some major milestones that I never thought I would get to experience after my initial diagnosis. Kicking off with my big 5 year cancerversary in December, I’ve also had the privilege of celebrating my 9th wedding anniversary with Varisara as well as watching my daughter finish her first year of grade school AND turn 6. She was just 3 months old when I was first diagnosed and at the time I thought I only had 3-6 months to live. I hoped and wished to see her turn 5 (call me greedy), but now that I’ve enjoyed these past 5 years post diagnosis I want more and am crossing my fingers that research and science will get me there.

On the health front, I also hit a big milestone – my 25th scan since diagnosis. For the past 5 1/2 years, I have received scans 4x a year with a few extra scans last year post-op. I’ve had two scans since my last post and both have been unremarkable a.k.a. boring – which is what I prefer when it comes to my scans. #26 is scheduled for right after another big milestone – my 36th birthday. In the Chinese culture, the 36th year signifies the completion of a third cycle around the zodiac (I was born in the year of the rabbit and 2023 is also the year of the rabbit).

Here’s to hoping for more big milestones to come!