recovery
What I learned from dying: Everybody needs a…
By Dave Taylor Something happened Sunday that made me feel so loved I just had to write about it. It involved, of course, my wife Jamie. As a part of my illness I spit up into a red SOLO cup that I always have on me and my wife has made it plain that she…
Read MoreWhat I learned from dying: I’m missing
By Dave Taylor “I miss that smile,” she said after I sent her an old picture of me. That’s not what I was going for. I was trying to show my wife how much thicker I was back when I was still way sicker. Then I said something about how my current smile makes me…
Read MoreWhat I learned from dying: Impossible Dreams
By Dave Taylor When I was first diagnosed with cancer, I had a string of good dreams that were so good I wrote a column about them. Well now things have changed and it seems like every dream is bad. Every night now it seems that I’m given some impossible task where I spend all…
Read MoreWhat I learned from dying: Who was I?
By Dave Taylor I watched a documentary the other day about Val Kilmer, the actor whose career was cut short by throat cancer, and I found myself tearing up after it was over because I identified with his story so much. It didn’t help that I’d just seen him in the sequel to Top Gun,…
Read MoreWhat I learned from dying: Hospitalized again
I’m writing this from a hospital bed… again. It’s a quick and firm reminder that things can change any minute. Just a few days ago I felt so good that I went in to the office for a little bit and I convinced my wife to go to Owensboro just to get out of the…
Read MoreWhat I learned from dying: Resolutions revisited
Now that 2022 is nearly six months old and since my death has been postponed, it’s time to look at the progress I’ve made on my New Year’s resolutions for the year. I made several resolutions and honestly wasn’t sure if I’d get to do much about any of them but I think I’ve done…
Read MoreWhat I learned from dying: No bones about it, cancer stinks
So apparently my bones are being slowly eaten away by cancer. I don’t like it. My most recent CT scan showed that the cancer in my spine, hip and shoulder have all grown and they’re causing me pain in those spots because there are gaps or missing bone in places. But there is good news.…
Read MoreWhat I learned from dying: My obituary
Lately I’ve been hurting all over and it’s gotten me scared that my cancer is growing and spreading. That fear has returned my thoughts to my obituary, which I had planned to write but then got busy living and let it go. How do you sum up your entire life into just a couple hundred…
Read MoreWhat I Learned From Dying: The power of baby steps
Today is my anniversary. This day one year ago was the fateful day that a gastrointerologist said “I’ve found cancer and it’s bad.” I’m quite certain I was supposed to be dead long before now. Now I’m thankful for baby steps and small victories. Today I’ll be taking my 1954 Bug to a restoration shop,…
Read MoreWhat I Learned From Dying: I’m getting nervous
I’m getting nervous. Things have been going very well lately and I’ve sort of forgotten that just two months ago I was told to go on Hospice. I’m getting used to things going well but I wonder if I’m setting myself up for a big, devastating disappointment. I’m scheduled to have another CT scan on…
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