An Army Of Bloggers, Fighting Cancer

Slightly more than 15 months ago, I announced on this site that I had lung cancer and that I intended to fight it down to the wire. I did and I'm still here, still fighting and still bouyed up by the prayers and best wishes of my wonderful readers, fellow bloggers and by my family.

Two weeks ago, I had a CT scan which has become part of my routine now-a-days... quartely blood tests, CT Scans, and visits with my oncologist. When I met with him last, shortly after my CT scan and just before my daughters wedding, we talked about some new findings on my scan. It seems that there was a thickening on the adrenal gland of my left kidney and one of the more common sites for lung cancer to metastisize to is the adrenals. Well, talk about another kick in the teeth. But, being an absolutely incurable optimist, I was pretty sure, as was the doc that it was either inflimation or perhaps another cyst of which I have several. No big deal right? Wrong. Any one who has had cancer will tell you that a "change" is worrysome and the tendency is to check it out ASAP and make SURE that you will still be in full remission.

I got the follow up PET scan on Monday the 14th of May and a clean bill of health on the 17th. No evidence of metastisis anywhere. Whoosh!!!

But, the whole ordeal got me to thinking. My fellow cancer sufferor Tony Snow and Elizabeth Edwards, and many many more have also had recurrances and this is a problem that just won't go away. So more is needed, more in terms of research and more in terms of money to support that research. Some how, some way, we must find a way to beat that scourge.

And then it hit me, sort of a confluence of ideas that had perhaps been circulating around in my brain for a while, and in part, perhaps because I'm of an age where Eric Erikson has stated that we reach "middle adulthood" or between the ages of 40-65 years, in a stage that Erikson calls "Generativity vs. Stagnation." The idea, according to Erikson is that we reach a stage where we want to give back something that will outlast us (generativity) or we stagnate (reaching the miasma of "what's it all about, why was I here?"). You see this in middle aged individuals joinging clubs such as Lions, Kiwanas, Knights of Columbus and the Masons - contributing back to society as it were.

Well, I'm a blogger (along with a few other things) and I know that there are millions of us out there, blogging away, hoping to make a small difference in someones life, whether we blog about politics, art, technology or family. Whether we are voluntary firemen or soldiers or law professors, we blog, we care what we blog about and we are just narcissistic enough to think our thoughts are worth reading by others.

I also recalled reading "An Army of David's" by Glenn Reynolds, the esteemed Instapundit and was impressed with the concept that (from a review)

There was a time in the not-too-distant past when large companies and powerful governments reigned supreme over the little guy. But new technologies are empowering individuals like never before, and the Davids of the world-the amateur journalists, musicians, and small businessmen and women-are suddenly making a huge economic and social impact.

In Army of Davids, author Glenn Reynolds, the man behind the immensely popular Instapundit.com, provides an in-depth, big-picture point-of-view for a world where the small guys matter more and more. Reynolds explores the birth and growth of the individual's surprisingly strong influence in: arts and entertainment, anti-terrorism, nanotech and space research, and much more.

The balance of power between the individual and the organization is finally evening out. And it's high time the Goliaths of the world pay attention, because, as this book proves, an army of Davids is on the rise.[If you haven't read the book by the way, I strongly encourage you to do so]

As a cancer survivor I know full well the pain and suffering that cancer victims face, sometimes daily without cease for years and years. I have been lucky, perhaps far beyond what I deserve, but lucky none the less. People I've never met, and probably never will meet have wished me well. Those who know me say that they admire my pluck, but to be honest, it's not so much pluck, as it is incurable optimism that I can make a difference but I have to be around to do it.

I don't know if my cancer will come back, I don't know if I will have months yet to live or years or decades. I do know that regardless of what the future holds, the past has been glorious for me. I've lived a full and wonderful life and I'd like to see cancer cured in my lifetime.

I'm asking that each blogger go to the An Army Of Bloggers blog and consider joining the fight with me. But, whether one blogger does, or a million bloggers do, this fight is not over, and will be won someday. I'd like to be part of that victory as I know you would too. So, sit down to your desk, write out a check to your favorite cancer charity and get it in the mail. If you are a blogger, join the cause and get your blog listed on the blogroll. Imagine the difference we can make by raising a couple of million dollars to further research into a cure for cancer.