1 Year Ago...

At this time, on this day I was sitting in the emergency room at the hospital after undergoing an MRI which revealed a mass pressing against my spine that was causing me all sorts of problems (numbness, pain and walking problems). After the rest of my family arrived, eating a piece of pizza and seeing one "specialist", I finally saw the doctor who I was originally sent to see. She told me that she wanted to do a biopsy on the mass. After another MRI (this time with contrast - why don't they just automatically do them with constrast?), I was admitted to the hospital with surgery scheduled for the next day.

In essence, December 28, 2006 was the day that changed my whole life (and 2007) for the better.

Here I am today, alive, healthy and well. The four months of treatment and eight months of recovery were hard but in the grand scheme of things weren't so bad. If the end result was only to allow Natalie a chance to admit how she feels about me, it was worth it. But, there is so much more that I learn as the days go by from the past year. I think that is where the real tragedy lies - why something like this had to happen before I started realizing who I am, what I'm lacking and how blessed I am.