Mixed Bag - A Sack and a Field Goal

Well, the 'breast cancer' words are official. That is the bad news today.  We'll call it a 'sack' early in the first quarter for Team Simpson.

But there is good news.  Team Simpson also scored a field goal early! The cancer may not be as aggressive as we initially thought and it likely hasn't spread past my left side's 'axillary' lymph nodes.  A week ago I didn't even know what an 'axillary' lymph node was!  Now, I know they are the front line of the battle field.  Hold strong my axillary defensive ends!!

So, tonight I'm pouring over my copy of the preliminary biopsy report.  Trying to understand the big words and the little abbreviations.  Reminds me of Tom's basketball and football playbooks that I was never supposed to see.  Every game has it's own vocabulary and while this isn't a game, it does help some to put it in a framework to which I can relate and articulate myself.

Next up is a meeting with the cancer specialist and the full report.  More to follow.

Refusing a Costly Play!

Today, I had to battle to get the preliminary biopsy results. I was told they would be available Tuesday afternoon so I intentionally made an appointment with our family doctor at 4:45pm on Tuesday afternoon.   When I met with our family doctor at 4:45 on Tuesday afternoon, he said the results weren't back yet.  Five yard penalty for my team and second down!

But I refused to let that stop an important drive!  I told him that wasn't acceptable. He's my quarterback right now and I needed him to fight for some yardage.  I told him that every day we wait is time for the cancer to gain ground on us.  So, he stepped up and called an audible.  In fact, I could hear him calling it from the exam room. He called the lab and insisted on the preliminary report and came back in and said we would read it together as soon as it was faxed over to us. We were reading it together about 15 minutes later.

That insistence put us in position for today's field goal!  Don't demand the impossible, but insist on making every possible gain and try to score.


NOT a Time for 'Average' Players

This current paradigm is full of questions.  Where will I be seen?  Who will make up my team?  Which option is the best?  One thing I have given a lot of thought to is who I want on my team of specialists.  But how do I know who is good and who isn't?

I am asking around, doing some research, and asking more as I understand more.  The single most significant reason I want exceptional specialists on my team is because I want exceptional results.  I am not willing to settle for 'average' because I don't want to be part of the 'average'.  I want to be the exception to live the longest!  This is no time to settle for average!  Average may mean living long enough to see my children get married.  Exceptional is living long enough to watch my oldest grandchild, who has yet to be born, play in his first varsity high school baseball game.

Average players need not apply for Team Simpson!