Through out the course of a lifetime, you will experience several life changing events. I recently had such an event, or perhaps several events that all seem wrapped into a single event.
As this event took almost a year to completely unfold, I should start at the beginning. A year ago, I thought I was in good health for a man my age. I didn’t take any prescription drugs, I felt great, and was active with a 3 days a week part time job.
It was a lovely Ohio spring, and I was working on a dream of mine. I was milling some of the trees on my property to build some furniture and other items. Life was good!
On Tuesday morning, June the 6th, I took some generic stomach medicine as I was getting ready to head off to work. By the time I got to work, I was feeling great.
On Thursday afternoon I was stacking some metal fence posts and had to stop and sit down to catch my breath. By Saturday evening, I was feeling so bad, I headed to the hospital emergency room.
Turns out, I was having a heart attack due to a single clogged artery. This was the start of my life changing event. I had a stint put in and was back to feeling great in short order.
In August, a blood test showed that I likely had prostrate cancer. After a scan at the cancer center confirmed this, and I started treatment in October. It started with monthly injections, and in February, it went to every 3 months.
Three weeks ago, I left my part time job. I was simply exhausted by the end of the day and was having trouble getting my work done. I had always thought that I’d retire on my terms, and actually work a few days a week well into the future.