Friends and Family,
If it seems like a long time since I’ve posted, you’re right. I didn’t mean to keep you guessing. It’s just that I’ve been having too much fun to write.
Let’s start with my latest CT scan results, which are stable- again! We’re grateful, but weren’t surprised because I’m feeling great and don’t have any symptoms. There’s more going on than scan results, though.
Ever since I recovered from last year’s near-death experience, and then got past the doctor-ordered healing period after my hernia surgery, I’ve been stretching my physical limits. There’s the daily yoga (thank you Adriene Mishler for the great YouTube videos) and the hour-long daily walks up and down the steep hills in our neighborhood with Genevieve. But those are just the basics. I’m also golfing every week and working in the yard most days.
But this is no ordinary yard. There is a 55-foot drop between the street and the bottom of the yard. It’s so steep I use switchbacks to get down the hill. For much of the summer I removed a million weeds, which left the yard mostly bare dirt. Next, I added thirteen different types of plants (Next Door is a great resource), filling almost every available inch. Now that the hard work is done, I’m already looking forward to spring! And to make it even better, all this exercise has left me feeling better than I have in years. I’m having my own personal spring!
People often want to know how I have survived sixteen years with lung cancer. One part is luck. But there are a lot of other things that go into survival, which is why I wrote my book. What surprises me is that people usually only ask about my diet and what supplements I take. Nobody asks about exercise! This is one man’s opinion, but I believe physical activity is at least as important. Not only that, but nothing makes my body feel as good as regular exercise. With this much physical activity, my body is feeling less like winter, and more like spring.
Here’s hoping you put a little spring into your step too.
Love,
Dann