My 45th and last proton treatment is tomorrow!

I’ve endeavored to acknowledge all the kindnesses I have received since being here receiving proton treatment for prostate cancer. If I haven’t, please consider this as a general ‘Thank you” to all that took the time to show your care, concern, compassion, support, and empathy. You’ve exhibited the ‘Golden Rule.’ I hope I can return the gestures.

Thanks for all the well-wishes, cards, books, magazines, e-mails, letters, cookies, and phone calls. It made my time down here much more enjoyable and helped to pass the time. Oddly enough, depression is a possible side-effect of this type of therapy. Just about the time I’d be feeling down someone would always manage to pick my spirits up. It forever changes how I will deal with others that are dealing with a life-threatening experience, especially when they’re away from family.

Having treatment at a hospital is a real wake-up call to the frailty of life, especially having treatments in the evening when the only entrance that’s open makes me walk by body bags of people that, for whatever reason, completed their experience here. It’s a sobering experience and forced me to be more introspective. Also, hearing the helicopters delivering trauma patients is a constant reminder that someone always has it worse than me.

I’m just glad that the time here is almost over, and I can go back to my real life.

Thanks again,
Jim