I was born in 1970, and raised in Pittsburgh, PA. I’ve been married to Dayna for more than 20 years. We have no children. This blog details and reflects on various aspects of my life. Medical details begin with the events of my life during 2011. I know there are a lot of people out there who can identify with my story. A goal of mine is to find them. Hearing from others in similar situations helps with coping and healing. The last decade of my life has led me on a path including 27 surgeries (some minor and some not so minor), 2 diagnoses of cancer, 2 benign tumors, severe fistulizing Crohn’s disease, liver disease, and a disease which is autoimmune mediated, but not yet known or understood.
I’m not active in social media. I do not participate in Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter. I debated long and hard before choosing to set up this blog. I’m a pretty private person. Throughout this crazy period of my life, I have continued to work full time, and carry on as active of a life as possible. For the most part, I’ve been able to golf, bowl, swim, and do large projects around our house. Although more recently, I have to admit things have become more difficult. I want those who are experiencing this type of challenge to realize just how important it is to stay active. Less activity will make you think incessantly about your situation. That will add to your already large load of stress and mental hardship. Just being sick is stressful enough; don’t pile on to it. Another important thing to remember is that you can’t dictate all the paths and events your life may encounter. Sometimes I struggle with this one. The more you try to control them; again, the more stress you will create for yourself. Failing naturally causes anxiety and stress, even if your expectations were much too high. You will be distracted from your true focus. Which should be…. bouncing back from these negative events you can’t control. These events have a place in our lives. They are much needed, and a vital learning tool. Most of all, they help define the positive events. This is a bit of a subconscious thing but trust me it’s true. If we didn’t have negativity as a subconscious comparison to the happy events, then we wouldn’t understand or appreciate the great things we love in life. Therefore, we must look at life events such as death, job loss, or illness through a lens that sees them for what they are, not just through eyes of fear or despair. They’re really teaching and learning events. They are an essential part of human emotional development.
I really encourage people to write to me or leave comments. It is important to learn about other people’s experiences, and challenges in life. Regardless of whether or not these experiences are medical related. Although my true first interest is to compare and contrast my life’s medical history to others and learn from it.