As the ship we are on pulled out of Fort Lauderdale, I was filled with emotion that I was not expecting. Not enough to actually elicit a tear, but enough to kind of take my breath away. Even 5 days later the contrast between March of 2023 and March of 2024 causes my breath to catch just a little.

A year ago Jeri and I were drinking from a fire hose. We were spending 6 hours a day - every day - researching, talking, listening, and scheduling. We tried not to read (failed) and then not to believe (mostly succeeded) the statistics about Multiple Myeloma on the Internet. We were also canceling every plan we had for 2023 with the exception of our youngest son’s wedding. This included a cruise.

Now we are “cruising” out into the ocean and we do not even really know where we are going. Many have asked, “What ports are you stopping at?” Other than Half Moon Key, we still do not know without looking at the guide. And unlike most things in my life, we don’t really care. We are just happy to be able to get away without risking any treatment OR need to be talking about what is next in my treatment. Baring a “speed bump” I will be doing the same maintenance for the next 3 years.

I have no idea what the most memorable part of this trip will be. My guess is even after all the sun and meals, the thing we will be most thankful for is the absence of fear that we were constantly in a year ago. We did the research. We did the work. We got pretty good results. Multiple Myeloma is not gone, but it is no longer even close to dominating our lives. We are so lucky.

SHINE!
The Road Rider