Punching the Bucket List

Yes, we did. My wife and I went to the Olympics (don’t tell the kids that their inheritance has shrunk significantly).

We went for two reasons. First, we love the Olympics, all of it. We love the pageantry, the events, the camaraderie and the multinational environment.

The second reason is that, given my recent health history, we thought that seeing the Olympics sooner than later was a good thing.

I felt even better about going this year when I heard Mark D. Johnson (M.D., Ph.D., Department of Neurosurgery, Brigham and Women’s Hospital/Harvard Medical School) speak at the recent ABTA conference. My notes tell me that he said that meningioma tumors reoccur in about 10 – 15% of the cases. I am not crazy about those odds as I have a medical history of snatching defeat from the gaping jaws of victory.

I then visited the ABTA site and read that “multiple meningiomas occur in 5% to 15% of patients”, which is only slightly lower than my little league batting average.  (Ok, this is a lie.  My little league batting average was a lot lower.)

After mulling all that over, my sense is that those of us battling serious illness of any shape and size should do a bit more carpe diem. I have no idea what the future holds, but I’m convinced that now is not the time to put off taking that vacation we’ve been lusting over for years, visiting that restaurant we’d love to visit except that it costs mucho buckeroos or calling my old roommate with health problems whom I haven’t called in way too long.

I am trying, with limited success, to enjoy every day for what it is because I know that one day, the days won’t be that enjoyable.

John

PS – Yes, we’ve already booked next year’s vacation.