No big deal, SU, and thank you for the good wishes. Sick people do most anything to stay above ground. And I'm feeling OK and not being poisoned by chemo. I catch a lot of heartbreak seeing fellow vets waste away and die after the chemo doesn't work for them. Some of the guys are decades younger than me and that is very hurtful to see.

I never went through the typical "why me?, denial, anger and woe is me blues" with the early gut-punch diagnosis and a worrisome, maybe fatal early prognosis. I had a lot of friends in the Marines who never got to be 20 and here I was still standing more than a half century later with a very nice life in the rear view. I thought I was rather fortunate and even more so to have good treatment available without being slowly poisoned by chemotherapy or gutted by major surgery. Even the bout with the agony of sciatica didn't get me down since I knew that horror wouldn't be fatal.

I am thrilled to be above ground for the Christmas of 2019 when I figured the Christmas of 2018 would probably be my last if I got there. And I expect to be swilling beers and laughing and diddling the ponies for all of 2020 too. I am very grateful to my VA doctors and immunotherapy nurses and I never fail to express my gratitude to them. And to my wife who has never failed to be with me.