This quote, which for some strange reason has always made me laugh, was the opening line in a book by Max Schulman that I found one day on my parents bookshelves when I was about 12 or 14 years old, and it was the most adult book I had seen to that time

The quote had nothing to do with the story … Schulman says he just always wanted to start a book that way, but that very line has become prophetic in my life. For I am about to spend about a month with streams of radioactive electrons beaming into my groin from a linear accelerator, something Mr. Schulman had never heard of.

Anyway, prostrate cancer is fairly common, seldom fatal, and usually cured. About one in six American men will get it and, found early, (which mine has been), still small, (mine cannot be digitally apprehended, if you follow my drift) and not aggressive, (mine is in the moderate zone), it is almost always, to use the correct medical terminology, "blown to smithereens". My choices were (ugh) surgery which frequently leads to incontinence, impotence or both, radiation, or watching and waiting. Watching and waiting appealed to me since it is still localized, but wiser heads (read Sara) prevailed and it was pointed out that it wasn't going to go away by itself, and if it did get loose I'd be in real trouble. So radiation it is, and the prognosis is excellent.

Still. And while worry and anxiety are not needed, useful, or helpful, prayer will certainly be welcomed. As Jesus said in a vision to St. Juliana of Norwich, "All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well." And so I do believe.

As your advance scout in the aging arena, I'll keep you posted.

By the way my new eyes are extraordinary, and my new finger works fine! And I've lost 36 pounds, down to 225! So ….

Bang, bang, bang, bang. I'm off.

Love, Dan

March 2005

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This site maintained by John Reagan and last updated June 11, 2006