One year ago...

...I was in the Intensive Care Unit at Mount Carmel East hospital in Columbus. The day before I'd had a third of my left kidney removed because it was cancerous, small-cell renal carcinoma being the correct term for it, an aggressive form that shows no symptoms until it spreads to the liver and lungs. I started bleeding pretty badly during surgery, to the point that I received six units of blood to replace what I lost.

I was lucky.

They'd caught it early, while it was still totally inside that section of the organ. Otherwise, I probably wouldn't be writing this right now.

There IS a silver lining, though, in the form of 'lessons learned'; I don't take life for granted anymore. Family and friends are more important. I don't let small things bother me nearly as much. The sky is bluer, my wife's touch is cherished even more than before. People, no matter how small a space they have in your life, matter. I appreciate what I've been blessed with, though I'm not wealthy. I have all I need to get me through this journey I'm on.

Today matters, too. Do something with it, something positive and uplifting.