Help me write a book

It has been my goal  to write a book on my experiences as a cancer patient and survivor.  Now that I'm retiring and on the verge of my last cancer-related medical needs, I want to write that book in 2017.  I have an agreement with a new publishing company in Philadelphia and have promised them a manuscript around the middle of next year, so time to get to work on it.

The working title is "Team Mike Versus the Prairie Dogs: My Two Journeys Through Cancer World."  The first journey will describe my experiences from pre-diagnosis in late 2008, through treatments in early 2009, to my first  NED (no evidence of disease) determination later that year.  The second journey will start there and describe the many side effects I've experienced from chemo and radiation, and my current life as a cancer survivor.

Here's where you come in.  Many of you have been members of Team Mike and have provided tremendous support for me and Terry along the way.  I want your voices to be heard in the book.  I am asking you to write anything you wish as a member of Team Mike that could provide readers a "third party"perspective related to my two journeys in Cancer World.   What were you thinking/experiencing/feeling from the distance and how did you cope with what you read on the blog and/or saw first hand?

The basis of the book's content will be this blog.  I am going to tell my story by using blog entries as much as possible, so if you need to review this Long, Strange Trip use that as a starting point.

I don't want the book to be just about me and Terry--I also want it to be about Team Mike, as part of the total effort to beat cancer.  If you want to contribute, reply to this post or send it as an email to tmmetzler@bellsouth.net and I'll make sure it gets into the book.  Do let me know if you want to be identified by name in the book or wish to be anonymous.

Remember, this is not meant to be a tribute to me--it's meant to reflect the contributions that Team Mike made to help me and Terry get through this challenge. And, as always, humor is appreciated!

mike

No News is Good News

Terry asked me a few days ago if I had posted to the blog, and I said I had nothing to report, so no new...reports.  Funny how that works.

We've had a very busy last 6 weeks--highlighted by Terry's daughter's wedding , so I've not made any progress on the dental work to help me get a new set of lower choppers.  That will change soon.

But over those weeks, I've continued to struggle with simple food consumption and still get fatigued from the added chewing and swallowing effort at meals before I get full--so I've added to my dependency on Boost and other similar products.  Trying to maintain my weight is difficult, but it's good that wine, ice cream and bourbon have a lot of calories in them--otherwise I'd weigh about 140 pounds right now. Yogurt remains a staple in my diet, and gets me through a lot of mornings in my office and afternoons when I get home--before nap time.

As of today, I am less than 50 days from retirement at Georgia State.   Hard to believe, but it's going to happen on December 15th--my last work day, and then officially on January 1.  Some people have asked me if I'm going to miss it, and my reply is that "I already don't miss it!"   Bring it on, I say.

mike