A Happy Post

I met Marcia, my "Chiquita", on-line in October of 2010. We started by corresponding by email and chatting on line. I was taken by her beauty and also by the way she wrote as I could hear her accent in her words. We began speaking by phone and she sounded exactly as I imagined. To this day hearing her speak makes me smile I had planned on flying out to meet her in Minnesota in the Spring of 2011. She called me shortly before Christmas of 2010 and asked what I was doing the week between Christmas and New Year. I asked why and she said she wanted to come meet me. So, I ended up picking her up in Pittsburgh, PA on December 26th 2010 becuase her flight was grounded due to a snow storm that I drove through to get her. We spent the week together getting to know each other. I knew then she was a very special lady. I did fly out to see her in April of 2011 and it only solidified our feelings for each other. 

She moved to Virginia the end of July 2011 and we began a life together. It was wonderful and I knew she was the "one" I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. I had planned to propose to Marcia, Christmas of 2012. Then came my 2nd heart attack and stents in October of 2012. Shortly afterwards a diagnosis of cancer. Marcia stood by me through it all. I don't know how she did it as I was a difficult patient at best. She was there when I rang the bell on April 24th after 6 weeks of brutality and got my PEG two hours later. She was there grinding up pills and pouring them through a syringe into my stomach. She made sure I stayed hydrated and got my "food". Slowly but surely I recovered and I'm still doing so. The side effects are many and difficult but I'm here and doing Ok. Eight months after finishing treatment, I proposed to my Chiquita Christmas of 2013 and she said "Yes" through tears of joy.

We planned an elopement here in Virginia and married on her 50th birthday Saturday June 7th. Many here were part of my journey and I want to say as I have before "Thank You" for your support and encouragement. I don't post much anymore but I do pop in to see how many of you are doing. Forgive me for my lack of participation but I find it difficult to see so many newbies and those we have lost. I've found it hard to deal with the side effects, both physical and psychological and try to gain my life back adjusting to the "new normal".

All that aside, I want to share with you a video that Marcia put together of our wedding day. Thank you again for all the support and encouragement. I hope this brings some smiles and offers those struggling some encouragement. As hard as this disease, treatmnet and recovery are, there's light at the end of the tunnel and sometimes it's as bright as it was prior to cancer.

Positive thoughts and prayers

"T"

Our Wedding