I used to be...........

When I was a child, I would watch my dad play fast pitch softball.  He was pretty well known around the Omaha area as an excellent pitcher.  Our church team won a lot of championships.  Dad also played church league basketball.  He used to be a jock.  He was good at a lot of sports.  Not only did he enjoy watching sports, but he enjoyed playing sports.

When he got older he had heart problems and diabetes.  He could barely walk.  That man who used to be a jock was living in a body that no longer allowed him to be the person he once was.

I used to be young.  That illusion of invulnerability.  Always young.  Always healthy.  WRONG!

I have tried to instill into other people how ignorant we all are until it is too late.  Well, I guess I cannot say we ALL are ignorant because there are some people that get it.  Some people exercise and eat healthy because it's the right thing to do.  How many people put their heads in the sand and continue to do things to themselves that will not lead to a healthy body down the road?  A lot of us.  How many people have you seen gain weight over the years?  How many people do you know of who suffer from arthritis or cancer or other things that change their lives?

Right now I consider myself marked.  Before I would think about tummy tucks or botox or other things that might enhance my appearance.  Now, I am not worthy of such things.  I have been transferred into a group of cancer fighters.  My abdominal surgery left me with a big scar and an uneven belly.  I have an area on my stomach where the abdominal wall is too thin.  My oncologist poo poos me when I ask about having the area fixed.  "You've got more important things to worry about."  So suddenly you are no longer a person who gets to think about normal things.  Why should you when you are fighting for your life?  I know that I cannot give blood.  I cannot donate my organs.  I also cannot get an organ.  A liver transplant might save my life in the future but I cannot get one because I have cancer.

I used to be walking along minding my own business when BAAM!!  My life changed.