I happened upon this blog while I was internet surfing. The actual article was about this man, with brain cancer, who ran a marathon with his 6 year old daughter in a stroller. The article linked to this particular post about the actual race from his blog "Picking Up A Hitchhiker."
After I read the intitial blog post, I realized that this man wasn't highly skilled writer, but he was an incredibly honest writer. I wanted to know more about him and his journey of cancer, and his blog started at the very beginning. Post after post, I read of this man, who has a very dry, good sense of humor, with his flaws, who received the diagnosis of brain cancer and his fight to reconcile it with himself. During this process, he also lost his job as a juvenile worker of troubled youth (due to his medications, not job performance). He lost the ability to drive a car. He also lost his marriage.
I encourage you to read it. The doctor's told him that he was in the best shape they'd ever seen anyone in who was diagnosed with cancer. He hadn't called in sick to work in 16 years and said he was hesitant to go to the hospital after suffering a seizure (which is which led to the diagnosis) because "the last time he was in the hospital was the day he was born." He is prideful, arrogant, and makes jokes at his own expense, and while he has so very many friends, it's hard to read his journey without cringing sometimes at the choices he makes or things he says. But boy, is it an amazing story to read.
It seems as though even before this cancer, he led his life to the fullest. He was always a runner and played many sports. He had a beautiful daughter. But the cancer just really made him more passionate about spending time doing the things he wants to do, namely spending time with his daughter. Of course, any story you read like this one makes you look inside of yourself and your life and ask some questions about how you choose to live your life. I couldn't help but see the irony that this very morning, I had questioned my life's passions and now, I am reading about somewhat who seems to have passion for almost everything he does.
I always like finding new blogs with people that I actually like reading about. It's not always easy, but obviously his story is one of enough importance to be written about in several places on the internet. Check it out if you get a chance.
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