Where I’ve been…

…and maybe where I’m going.

When I started this Substack a couple of years ago, it was my intention to use it to comment on current politics, pass on random insights about the art and business of writing, specifically writing for comics and TV, and maybe trick myself into producing a first draft of my long-intended memoir.

As you can see I haven't really done any of that.

Life happened.

As I hinted in a couple of posts last year, I've had "health issues".

Let me be more specific, which I've been reluctant to be for almost two years.

About two years ago, in late September 2022, I was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Yeah, the same cancer that took Steve Jobs and the irreplaceable George Perez.

I was luckier than either of them, and than of most folks who received that diagnosis. Pancreatic cancer is an extremely aggressive cancer, and the potential survival time is measured in months, if not weeks. For no particular reason mine was discovered in enough time for my surgeon to preform a Whipple procedure, removing the tumor in my pancreas, as well as my gall bladder, spleen, part of my stomach, etc., and rearranging my intestines. The surgery was successful and I'm officially cancer free.

For now.

Almost.

Maybe.

My oncologist checks me with an MRI every few months. A few months ago I had a scare when the MRI found a "shadow" on my liver, which could have meant the cancer had reoccured and metastasized into my liver.

Praise Cthulhu, a biopsy found no evidence of cancer in the liver "shadow". Apparently the shadow was just a shadow.

Another MRI a couple of weeks ago confirmed no reoccurance of the cancer.

Home free?

The five year survival rate for pancreatic cancer is in the teens.

One of the reasons I haven't fully discussed all this before is because, for the first year after my surgery, I was dealing with the side effects of having many of my abdomenal organs removed or re-jiggered. I was in and out of hospitals, rehab, and skilled nursing facilities for much of 2023. My physical and mental states were, in brief, not good.

When I first received my diagnosis, I went into shock. I barely knew what was happening, everything was happening so fast, I couldn't take it in. Less than a week from the time my gastroenterologist had me CT scanned for an abdominal pain, I was in surgery. Thank Cthulhu Laura was with me. She became my brain, because my own brain was in shock and pretty useless. I couldn't take in information, I couldn't process what I heard, my brain locked up and I couldn't talk when I got anywhere near my medical situation. I was in denial that I was scared to death. My emotions were all over the place. I was grateful and I was terrified.

Even without the ongoing health "issues", I was a mess.

Heh. Like I'm better now.

Actually, I am better now.

The health issues that plagued me the first year are pretty much resolved. Well, mostly. I'm stronger than I was, and physically independent. My older daughter and her family came to visit (and vacation) a month ago. My younger daughter and her boyfriend (great guy) hang out with us every few weeks ago. I'm go to movies with Laura, and I also go alone. Laura and I eat out occasionally. I went to #CCI in San Diego a couple weeks ago and I'm going to GalaxyCon next week.

I look like sh*t.

I'm not one of those people who, in the face of adversity, say life is good.

But, believe me, it sure beats the alternative.

Why am I telling you all this? Because I made an (unspoken) commitment to post a lot of informative, biased, hopefully helpful commentary and stories here on Substack, and for the last two years I've failed to do so. I'm trying to make up for that by telling you probably more than you ever wanted to know.

Lucky you.

Catch you next time.