Everything has changed, yet everything has remained the same since May 20, 2020, the day I was told Sully has B-Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia. By the grace of God he became cancer free, but the overall length of his treatment program is 3 years.
People witnessed his return to school, they saw his hair grow back and the color return to his face. But what they don't realize is that quietly behind the scenes he is still in the throws of twice daily meds, blood tests, spinal taps, and chemotherapy for what is supposed to be another 9 months.
Our lives have acclimated to these things in a manner whereby they have become as routine as everything else and we are just counting down the days until it's over. He still has a medical port embedded under his skin near his collar bone which prevents him from playing football and wrestling. He is not thrilled about that, but he will complete chemo in September 2023 and have the port taken out.
Life has not lost its luster, it has become more vivid. It has caused us to appreciate everything so much more, even the daily mundane aspects of life so often taken for granted. It has highlighted my relationships with others allowing me to experience some of the greatest acts of human compassion, while at the same time revealing self-absorbed idiots. My circle has gotten tighter, and stronger.
The responsibilities of a single dad have distracted me from having cancer anxieties. There is rarely any downtime. With my daughter off at college it's just me and the 2 boys at home and we've become an inseparable unit. I've had to travel all over the country with my older son for football camps, college visits, and games, and Sully has never left my side.
We do everything together, and depending on the day our life can resemble a fraternity, a military school, a comedy show, or a trial-by-fire. More often than not it is a bit of a shit show, but we have a lot of laughs and they will have plenty of stories to tell when they get older. Like the night of the state championship when we got caught in a lake-effect snowstorm leaving Buffalo and a 6 hour drive home took us 11 hours.
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