I am very sad today. Our little guy Quinn has been feeling under the weather for a little over a week. He has been eating sporadically and has had a hard time keeping his food down. He also has terrible gastro-intestinal issues going on right now. After many visits to the vet and then a stint in the Emergency this past weekend, a specialist has diagnosed him with Stage 5 Lymphoma. The consensus is that treating him with chemo will likely not give us positive results and if they did, his days are severely numbered.

We are busy saying goodbye to him while he still feels relatively good.

About six months ago, my brother tagged me in a "Virtual Cocktail Party" where the participants disclose five little known details about themselves. Mine were:

1. I worked in a wine shop
2. I fell into technology by accident
3. I met my wife online on LambdaMOO
4. I love to cook
5. I am a cancer survivor

Tomorrow is the seventh anniversary of my completing chemotherapy. In the period between late April and late June I had pretty much been through the wringer.

1. I had surgery through my abdomen
2. I had a groshong® catheter implanted in my chest with a tube down just above my heart
3. Through the catheter I took Bleomycin, Etopiside, and Platinol in a grueling regimen that had me lose my hair.

The experience was profound and life changing. You will often hear from survivors that, in retrospect, the experience was one of the most positive experiences they have ever had. I share that sentiment. I learned a great deal about myself and others around me. My relationships became deeper. My sense of self changed.

To bring this into the realm of NPT, while I sat in the chair at the oncologists office, at home at a table on my back patio, and at the dinner table I quietly coded on a laptop, called programmers, and put together WritersRegister.

So, tonight I raise a beer and toast the people who helped heal me.

Thanks. I mean it.

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