Exactly four years ago, on the afternoon of July 10, 2013, my lymphoma adventures began. A chest x-ray would show that allergies weren’t causing my swollen face, but instead that I had a mass behind my heart, pressing on a nerve that runs to the face, causing the swelling. This was the scenario that my doctor wanted to rule out. She would call a few hours later to say, “This is not what I expected to find,” send me for a CT scan the next day, and the day after that, call again with the news that I had lymphoma. Four years, eighteen weeks of chemo, and several scans later, I’m back to working full time, am six months away from being considered cured, and continuing to tackle life’s adventures, one day at a time.

My last scan in January of this year, was in fact my last scan. The contrast between the before and after images shocked me when I saw them side by side. This time, the view was a crosswise section of my chest, looking down toward my feet, rather than the front to back ones I had seen in the past. If I remember correctly, those figure-eight shapes are my bronchi, the main passageways to the lungs, being squashed by the mass in the first image, and then seen normally in the second one.

The challenges I’ve faced over these last 48 months have been transformative, and given me a stronger awareness of myself. Much of that has come from sharing my story. From the beginning, I thought that if I can help someone going through this, it would be a reason to have gone through it, myself. It turned out that journaling my experiences has been an important component of my treatment and recovery.

A year ago, my oncologist cleared me to return to work full time, with no restrictions. At almost exactly the same time, I was connected to what would become a great new client, and a nice piece of new business as Consulting Creative Director of ADDitude magazine, a quarterly publication for people and families with ADHD and LD.

Now that I see the light at the end of the tunnel, I’m on to some new adventures. I’m frequently in the Mid-Hudson Valley, where I spend my time working on the house that my Parents built and I grew up in, and which my brother and I inherited after our Mom passed in 2014. I use it as a second home, and a retreat from the hustle, bustle, and heat of NYC. After 20 summers in an apartment on the top floor of a walkup, it’s nice to be able to enjoy some open space and fresh air. I’m also officially coming out as a gay man. Although I’m not a fan of labels, that’s the one that most people understand, so we’ll go with it for explanatory purposes. Having cancer helped me find the courage to seek out what makes me happy, and to live my life with that as my goal. It’s simply too short not too.

Thanks to everyone who has helped me get here over these past four years. As the saying goes, whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, and I’m living proof of that.