The world according to Mike

My friend Mike is amazing. I knew that before his diagnosis of pancreatic cancer, but since then, I'm upping that amazing a couple of amps. He and Olive, and Ricardo, their son, all have a special place in my heart for allowing those of us who love him to travel this journey with him. (If I have forgotten to say so, thank you.) My own inclination when health problems come up, is to curl up within myself and hide. (The two notable exceptions to this were my mother's battle with breast cancer, where I found myself her spokesperson to keep in touch with what she lovingly called her "fans", and my own experiences with latex allergy and the resultant pulmonary problems, which I've tried to use as a teaching tool to increase awareness about this problem.)

A few friends who have not made the leap from LiveJournal or Dreamwidth to Facebook have written me for news of Mike. Today, yet another friend wrote, and I ran an idea by Mike. I asked, simply, if he would mind my reposting some of his health updates when he makes them on FB. It would be a way to pass the information without taxing his energy, which is a precious commodity these days. I'm posting Mike's response, edited only to remove the name of the latest person to write me. I will do my best to remember to repost, from here on out, but if I forget, nudge me and I'll zip over to his FB wall, brush aside the cricket posts, travel links, Humanism/Atheist or Organized Religion objections, and find the latest update.

And without further adieu, heeeerrrreeee's Mike!

Hi Czukie!

Feel free to forward/repost any of my FB posts! I keep meaning to e-mail (redacted) directly, but I only have her e-mail address on my laptop, not iPad, and to use the laptop I have to trek upstairs. I know that sounds dumb, but sometimes these days my body moves slower than my brain and I am becoming an even worse procrastinator. Anyway, if you speak to (redacted) first, give her my love, also from Olive.

I'm determined to make another LJ post soon. A lot of people ask me how I am. I appreciate their concern but it's burdensome to reply to everyone individually. Basically my health has stayed the same since May, nothing to report. No news is good news! If there is something to say, I'll let people know. Neither I nor my doctors can predict the path of this illness - it may strike suddenly, it may not. I'm not going to waste a second wondering about it. I just want to have fun!

XXX

Mike

Sent from my iPad

But I want to close with a recent post that may go down as one of my most treasured quotes from a treasured friend. It sparked a wonderful dialogue on FaceBook, and maybe it will here, too. (I've blocked out Mike's last name, because I neglected to ask him if I can post it, and this is a public blog. )

Thanks, my friend. Keep on keepin' on.

#mikeshares