October 28

The sun was shining today. I needed a hair cut. My wife Tracy had a medical appointment and was planning on working out afterward. All of this sounds familiar.

It was exactly two years ago today that Tracy was diagnosed with breast cancer. Our lives were changed forever. It's been a long road back, but the future appears bright. We've been through a lot. But we were lucky her cancer was caught early enough. Stage two, grade two was her diagnosis. She wasn't far from stage three. But fortunately, the cancer did not spread into her lymph nodes. Now, we do what we can to try to minimize the chances of it coming back.

We've raised money for the American Cancer Society through their Relay for Life event. Personally, I have a grudge against cancer. I want to see it gone. I want to see a cure for cancer found. Progress has been made. But much more needs to be done.

I have a lot of bad memories about October 28 and the days that followed. There was so much uncertainty. We were scared. We wanted answers. That's one of the toughest parts of cancer. You have to wait. But with time, lots of prayers, and the comfort of family, things brightened up a bit. We were able to get a string of good news after her initial diagnosis. We had lots of fantastic doctors.

My wife is stubborn. She found the lump on her own and insisted on getting it biopsied even though a Lincoln doctor assured her that it wasn't necessary. She was stubborn in her fight against cancer. And she still is today. Two years later.