One Year-Wrapping Up.

It's been just over one year since my seizure, surgery, and diagnosis. Regular checkers of this blog have probably noticed that I haven't posted anything since early September, right after receiving news that there was no tumor progression per my first follow-up MRI. Health-wise that was undoubtedly good news, as was the identical report I received after a second MRI in early December. My next one is scheduled for late February. From here on out I can expect to have MRIs every 3-4 months or so, as the tumor Penn Medicine determined me to have almost invariably returns and catching it early affords many more treatment options. (but note that MD Anderson's diagnosis was markedly different and according to them it is much less likely the tumor will ever reappear)


Anyway, as you can probably imagine it's been an unexpected roller-coaster of a year. With everything happening medically, a wonderful summer out in Colorado, a taxing (but ultimately worthwhile) fall semester, a very relaxing Christmas break in both southern and northern California, and now an easy-ish semester focused almost exclusively on criminal law-related courses, the year began with a shock and ended on a note of cautious optimism. Through it all this blog has been instrumental for helping me process the emotions and thoughts I experienced, even if the words I typed did not seem to convey it. This blog was like a diary, I suppose, but with pictures. It was also a means for assuring me that Amanda, my family and friends, and I, were not all alone on this unplanned "adventure." You never can tell who stops by. Even if it didn't inspire any contemplative moments or stir any inspired intentions, it certainly was a huge help in that regard.

I don't plan to update the blog any further unless something significant (read: bad) comes up. So as long as you hear reliable rumors of my still roving the streets of Philly (or wherever we end up), it can be safely assumed that no news is good news and that my health is doing just fine. Thanks everyone for sticking with me and by me over this past year. I hope that, if nothing else, this blog has helped to foster an appreciation for what's really important in life, and how easy it is to take those things for granted.