10.12.21
#GratefulFighters
At some point during the evening after my diagnosis on September 27th, it occured to me that there was no way I was going to be able to ‘privately’ go through this battle. Like I said in my last post, I don’t love to be the center of attention, but I soon realized that even IF I was able to go at this alone, that would not be fair to my family - especially Brandi. Brandi has been unbelievably strong the past weeks, but I know she’s going to need support. The kids, too.
And once the decision was made that I was going to have to tell people beyond my immediate family, started thinking about how I was going to leverage the need to tell people into making a difference. By the time I awoke on Tuesday morning, I was certain of 2 things:
1) I was going to tell people.
2) I was going to be a warrior against cancer - for me and for others.
I’m not sure at what point in the night that I hit the stage of acceptance, but I did. Looking back, I feel like it happened so quickly, but I think I was able to come to this conclusion because I know quite a few impressive people who turned their own battles into powerful voices for cancer fundraising and advocacy, and I also know quite a few people who I admire greatly for their spirit of giving. The kindness and ingenuity of those I know is inspiring...and I am feeding off of that!
One person on my mind the night of my diagnosis was my friend, Jenna. (I did not ask Jenna for permission here, so I hope I don’t embarrass her.) I have always admired Jenna’s strength and the way she channeled her battle into Twist Out Cancer. (Check it out! It’s incredible and inspiring.) I am not going to tell Jenna’s story, but I will say that she is an inspiration for the way she fought her disease, for the courage she showed during the battle, and for how she turned something negative and scary into a massive positive. On top of all of that, she is one amazing person who I’m proud to call a friend. So, yes, I spent some on the night of the 27th thinking, “What would Jenna do?”
*Full Disclosure: I did speak to Jenna after I wrote this and I was able to share how important she was/is to my mindset (and life)...
My friend Steve was also on my mind because Steve is a beautiful, generous light in our world. Steve is the owner and operator of Grateful Sweats. Over the time I have known him, Steve has been so generous with his merch. Currently, he runs 2 weekly give-aways on Facebook (Grateful Sweats Giveaways group on FB - Join it!). In addition, Steve has raised money for women's shelters and other causes with his merch...because he cares. I consider Grateful Sweats to be "Heady Clothes with a Purpose". And Steve's generosity and love are contagious. (Steve is also unaware I'm writing this or that he was on my mind, so I hope this is okay, Dubes!)
The next day, I told Brandi that I’d decided to be a warrior and that I wanted to make a difference. I told her that I wanted to use my love of music as a vehicle for inspiring others to get their screenings and to raise money for cancer. After thinking about it for a while, Brandi came up with the idea that we should call it Grateful Warriors. She tells me she loves the idea (and I’ll take her word for it.) I did a google search for the Grateful Warriors name and there is actually a woman who has used that name for her journey - so for now, I’m going to call mine #GratefulFighters. So using the lyrics that have defined over half of my life and influenced me so brightly, I plan on designing some shirts and raising funds with Grateful Dead inspiration. Helping in this adventure will be my dearest friend, Laina. I will channel a lot of my post-surgery healing time into the design process with Brandi and Laina’s support and input. (Logo and Fundraising Merch to come).
But more than purchasing a shirt at some point or joining in on whatever other ways we may devise to raise money and spread awareness, I am asking all of you to join me in #GratefulFighters with the mission to GET YOUR SCREENINGS and spread the word to others about the importance of cancer screenings. I was so humbled yesterday by the massive amount of posts and love I received after I posted the first blog entry about my journey. I was not even thinking that that would happen. My writing is personally therapeutic and spreading the message is important to me, but you all floored me. I really felt the love and prayers, and I appreciate every single one of them. Truly. I cannot thank you all enough. I know you are with me, and the messages, hearts, and caring emojis are everything.
Thank you all for everything yesterday - all of the love and prayers and messages.
I am a lucky guy. My cup runneth over...
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