Home at last! Thursday could not have come fast enough as there is nothing better than sleeping in your own bed.. I think I was on a high just being out of that hospital room but reality has set in and clearly getting my "front end" in synch with my "rear end" is the priority of the day. The six inch zipper (tiny in comparison to friend Ben's but it will be fun to compare scars at the reunion) from my belly button down quickly reminds me to take it easy though that goes against my personality. I want to thank Tricia, Ben, and Becky Cottrell for introducing Linda and I to Caringbridge.We are firm believers that if you gather the power of prayer, love, support, humor, and strength in numbers you can overcome anything. I am humbled by the outpour of support and thank you from the bottom of my heart.Caringbridge not only has been a vital tool for Linda to communicate my progress but more importantly, it has doubled as a clinical resourse for those of you who have shared your own fears regarding colon cancer. Our message is simple yet direct: early detection can not be emphasized enough. Do not ignore the signs, as small as they may be. For me, small, inconsistant traces of blood in my stool could have easily been chalked up to a bad piece of beef jerky or an internal hemorrhroid as my GI doc had suggested. A simple, pain-free colonoscopy proved to be a life saver. For those of you who visited me in the hosiptal and who shared your stories of loved ones who were less fortunate in their diagnosis of colon cancer, I thank you for your courage. For those of you who have decided to schedule a colonoscopy, we applaud you.

So what's next? Meetings with my surgeon and oncologist will plan out the chemo strategy to address the cancer that was found in the muscle tissue. I am currently at 90-95% cancer free at stage 1 T2 but we have no intention of allowing the cancer that was found in the muscle tissue to raise its ugly head sometime down the road, so chemo will be the next step to get me at 100%. I am anxious to get back to work but time will dictate how quickly I can get back in the saddle. We just launched a new drug for chronic lymphocytic leukemia and I want to get out there but time will tell. Thank God for internet as my accounts have been great communicating to me.

I want to take this time to acknowledge my wife Linda for all that she has done during this unscheduled journey. She has been the epitome of a true partner and I am blessed to have her in my life. She took her fears of this cancer, the needles, tubes, alarms, and nurses, and turned it into a positive with her journal updates, and for that I am grateful. From placing slivers of ice on my lips, to the head rubs, to dealing with all the complications of post surgery, all the while continuing to juggle the everyday responsibilities of being a great Mom to two fabulous boys, she has done it all and then some. Needless to say some beautiful flowers and a day at the spa as a small "thank you" was something she got to enjoy this past weekend. Lastly, to my classmates Ben Cottrell and Jack Manley who are fighting their own battles with cancer, I urge you to dig deep into your heart, let the support of loved ones bring you added strength, and know we are here for you every step of the way. God bless.

Love to all,

John aka Dodger