(Note: The following are three excerpts from family email updates 11 years ago.) Thursday, April 20, 2006 Tootie the Toomah must die! Rather than conduct a family participation contest to “Name the tumor,” I went with the first one that came to my mind – Tootie. Sorry, no prizes. Much…
Part 4 – A Look Back at my Cancer Journey – MAYDAY!

(Modified from a journal entry/family update email dated May 1, 2006. It may have been a day to celebrate Spring and May baskets, but for me it was “Mayday! Mayday!” — my own personal distress day.) Putting chemotherapy drugs in the human body is like spraying pesticide on a garden.…
Part 5 – A Look Back on my Cancer Journey – Hello side effects!
(Adapted from journal entries/family email updates from May 2-7, 2006) I now have several radiation treatments under my belt — or more accurately, below my belt. It is a daily appointment and painless except for the exposure issue. I have to drop my scrub pants and lie uncovered on the table…
Part 6 – A Look Back on my Cancer Journey – Flights, Hikes, and Hair Loss.
(Adapted from journal entries and family email updates from May 13 – 18, 2006. I flew to Boise to drive back to Colorado with our daughter, Tess, who had just finished her Freshman year.) Saturday, May 13, 2006 Hello again. Happy Mother’s Day to all you moms out there. Hope…
Part 7 – A Look Back at my Cancer Journey – Blood work, balding and other business

(Adapted from journal entries and an article written 11 years ago – May 2006. I never thought I’d be shopping for hair one day, and it’s the weirdest experience to pull handfuls of hair out of your head without feeling a thing. The good news is that I’m halfway through…
Obstacle Racing – 2016 World Competition, Toronto Canada

(Adapted from a 10/2016 family update email. As a result of my Spartan Sprint 2nd place age group finish in Minnesota, I was eligible to attend the Obstacle Course Racing World Championship – OCRWC – event. It took several months and more than a few miracles to actually commit to…