Thursday, March 15, 2012

Blogging again?

I've attempted to blog in the past - the last time was fairly recent, I was in the hospital after first being diagnosed with AML Leukemia last September, and it was my hope to document the experience as it evolved from start to finish. The task soon proved too daunting, and I gave up a few months into the fight. I'm now seven months into this, and after much deliberation I have decided to begin blogging once again. Why? Well because... throughout this ordeal I have sought out the blogs of other survivors in hopes of gaining a better perspective on the whole cancer experience. Leading up to my allogenic bone-marrow transplant I read multiple blogs that allowed me to prepare myself for what was to come. Reading the first-hand accounts of other individuals and their struggles with this disease has helped me to feel less alone, and in the end has encouraged me in my own fight with cancer by providing me hope for a future, cancer-free life.

Right now I'm living in a Denver apartment with my parents, recovering from seven months of treatment that included an "induction round" of chemotherapy, two "consolidation rounds", one "conditioning round", and finally one allogenic bone-marrow transplant. It feels really good to be done with treatment, but my body is wrecked, my mind is tired, and I feel emotionally drained. Committing to this blog, I hope to document my recovery and return to life while reflecting back on the many aspects of this experience, how it has impacted my life and shaped my future.