Well, folks, it’s been a rough few weeks stretching into a month or more. I was initially diagnosed with pancreatic cancer back in July of 2013. Thankfully, I was seeing the right doctor at the right time, and I was given a slot in an experimental drug trial in Florida. Six excruciatingly long weeks later, I finished the ordeal in a highly weakened state but was told a month later that my cancer had fully retreated.
Six months after the end of the treatments, of the original twenty-five people in the drug trial, only four were still alive. At the end of a year, I was the lone survivor. Some people are more fortunate than others, and I was blessed to be still alive.
In late 2018, I noticed some of the symptoms that I had experienced back in the summer of 2013 and I went to see my specialist. The cancer had returned. I began new and refined treatments here in Michigan before finally making it back down to Florida. I spent thirteen days in the hospital there getting the latest variation of a new treatment of cancer. When I left, I had lost 39 pounds, but my CA-19 markers had retreated to the high end of normal. Again, I am incredibly fortunate to be alive.
As of late April, I am slowly beginning to feel ‘human’ again and am looking forward to being involved in racing events again. The tech side of our live broadcasting technology has made some incredible advancements that might change the way that we do everything. I am hoping to be at Crystal Motor Speedway to do actual ‘on scene’ testing. I have the equipment on hand, so it’s just a matter of making sure that the lay of the land will allow it.
I hope to be more of a ‘weekly thing’ again starting with this column. I have some interviews that I will be doing and will include them here as we go. I already have four of those interviews set up for Friday and Saturday next week.
I’m still not back to normal, but when I think about it, I was never ‘normal,’ so not much has changed. I think once the weather becomes warmer, things will get better for me and everyone else. Thank you for indulging me!
Regards,
V
