I met Tom and his wife and daughter at a party held by mutual friends. Our two families hit it off--and by the end of a long but casual conversation, they invited us to what they said might seem kind of weird: a brain surgery anniversary.
I almost fell off my chair. "You're kidding! I celebrate the anniversaries of my brain surgery, too!"
I think they might have thought I was teasing or making fun of Tom--but I was completely serious, as I wrote about yesterday. Although my experience was intense, I was very lucky to have a non-cancerous tumor which did not threaten my life. Although I have some side effects from the tumor and surgery, my status is completely stable and I am now healthy. Tom was not so lucky. From the beginning, his illness has manifested itself in much more serious ways.
Tom continues to face new symptoms, new doctors, and new treatments all the time. There are new dangers and fears as well. But as he says, "It doesn't make sense to me to approach any of this with pity or a lack of joy. There are a lot of ways all of us can approach fear and uncertainty. Humor is one of them. I wouldn't choose it any other way."
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