Yesterday I think I overdid it. I was up early hauling donation bags out for Purple Heart pickup. Then I headed to Karmanos to have a bump on my lip cut and cauterized. When I got home, the bunk bed Charlee had been waiting for was sitting on the porch — so I carried it inside and started building it. I kept going after she got home from school and finished it so she could use it that night. By the time I was done, my body was spent. Aches everywhere. A pounding headache. The

Most people, when they hear “chemo” as a cancer treatment, immediately worry about losing their hair. I’ll be the first to admit that thought crossed my mind too—along with about a hundred others all at once. I was fortunate to learn that the type of chemo used to treat my cancer, FOLFOX, usually doesn’t cause complete hair loss. I felt lucky. I could look normal while going through treatment, pass a mirror, and for a moment believe that nothing was wrong with me. As the mont

Since being diagnosed with cancer, I’ve tried to look for the silver linings that even the cruelest situations can bring. This photo captures one of the most important ones for me. Paul and I were each other’s best men at our weddings — ironically, we both married teachers. We’ve been best friends since high school and were even voted “best friends” by our class our senior year. Over the last decade, as we both raised our own families, work life and parent life made it harder