Oral cancer. My personal journey

I had a follow up appointment with the chemo doctor yesterday. She pronounced everything A-ok and made an appointment for me to have another CAT scan in two months. Once again I heard a doctor say, " You are our poster child you know." I was very thankful!!!

I wrote this little story which was printed in our local paper recently.

My wife’s birthday is coming up next week. She asked me if I had gotten her a present yet. I said that I hadn’t. She showed me a flyer from Sears and said that there was a big sale on things for the home and that she would like some new every day silverware and dishes. Dollar signs began to run through my head. I somehow instinctively knew that this was gong to cost way more than I had intended to spend. I had been thinking that I might run to Peebles and see what they had on their sale rack in petites. New dish towels might also be nice. Maybe even a new mop. I knew that she would appreciate a good quality mop. She struggles so with the old one.
“What’s wrong with the silverware that we have dear?” I stupidly asked her.
“I mean the tines aren’t bent to badly on the forks, and I can straighten the bent ones in my vise!” The spoons don’t have holes in them yet! They still hold soup! The peas still stay on my knife!”
“ Look at them!” She stated. “They are horribly pitted and stained! They look worn!”
I refered her to the comments listed above. She scowled
“And what is wrong with the dishes sweety pie?” I stupidly asked her again.
“ They aren’t chipped! I don’t have to worry about cutting my tongue when I lick the plates and bowls!”
“Aren’t you sick of looking at the same design?” She asked. “You know that we have been using the same dishes for sixteen years?”
“Yes we have and that’s because we are very careful!” I answered.
Another scowl!
“You just don’t get it do you?” she stated.
She was right. I don’t get it, but then men never do seem to, “get it.” After all; Men are from Mars and women are from Venus, or Pluto, or somewhere way, way out there.
I know that my arguments are futile. I know that there will soon be shiny new silverware, and gleaming plates at our house. I know that this will happen, that is if I continue to care to eat.
And when all is said and done I know that I will truly enjoy the pleasurable feeling that one gets when inserting a shiny new knife full of peas in one’s mouth, especially when they are lifted from a sparkling new plate, and there will be no more little wounds on my lips from bent fork tines.
Happy birthday dear!
Amen
Tom Neiger