What To Do When You're Nearly Guaranteed To Be In The Endgame

Time. We all have it. That is, until we don't. What would you do for more time? Most of us will think about wanting more time at some point. It usually happens at that point in life when you're in the endgame. 

As a big movie buff, a person might have seen Avengers Endgame. The original Avengers and the Guardians of the Galaxy go through time to fix what Thanos did. They believed in doing whatever it takes to win. The movie ends with an epic showdown. 

People end up in an endgame. That's part of life. We grow up. We learn about mortality. It's supposed to be something we face when we're old. Tragedies come. We see them. We try to avoid them if we can. They hit when we least expect them. Most of all, we hope to live out our lives. 

What happens when that hope is dashed or greatly diminished by facts? What do you do with that?

What do you do when you're facing insurmountable odds? You'll do whatever it takes, within reason, of course. Where do you start, however? 

The first place to start is with a dose of reality. Denial is a river in Egypt. Leave it there. 

If you accept reality, you can deal with the situation from a better place. What's hard is accepting some realities. Economic uncertainty, loss of loved ones, house fires, car accidents, and personal heartache are a part of life. They are unfortunate, but that's the world we live in. 

Yesterday, I saw the fourth-best advanced prostate cancer urologist in the country. It did not go well. I wish I could say I expected it to.

When a doctor comes into a room and introduces himself, he's being professional. When a doctor asks who's with you today, they're trying to see if someone can come into the room to comfort you before they give you unpleasant news. When he asked me, "Who's with you today," I knew it wouldn't be easy. 

The upside to landing with the fourth best is you aren't finding much better. 

The downside is you're going to get the cold, hard facts. So there I was, finding out that I had only a 30% chance of beating cancer. Even worse, he told me this was going to kill me.

"If chemo and the right meds work, I can get you some years, maybe eight to ten, maybe a little more, and we have to hope that more advancements come out in that time."

 - Dr. Harb

I'm just getting used to being a grandpa. My son still needs me. What the hell am I supposed to think at that moment?

When cancer escapes an area and invades your lymph nodes, bones, and every organ besides your brain, you feel like it's a death sentence. When a doctor tells you that something is going to kill you, you're sure of that sentence. It can cripple a person. 

I know he asked if I had any questions. How anybody would know what to say at that moment is beyond me. I've never met someone ready to face mortality. Most of us want as many more sunsets as we can get.

Are any of you ready?

The Scariest Part, Besides The Future

The course of treatment is obvious, and it's the only chance of survival, remission, or possibly beating the cancer. It's also painfully scary. 

It calls for the immediate use of a pharmaceutical regimen. Jesus, they are $3,000.00 a month. While we await insurance to approve things the doctor arranged a thirty-day supply of samples. There's another new drug, but it shows promising results. They're trying to get me approved for that. I can only imagine how much those will hit for. 

Then comes chemotherapy. If history tells me anything, things have gone up and not down. Fifteen years ago, this was something that people were struggling to figure out a way to pay for. 

The economics of the ordeal are the scariest part of the story because they mean everything is at risk. A person can, and people have lost everything they've ever worked for trying to fight cancer and save their lives. It shouldn't be that way in my humble opinion.

What Would You Do?

What would you do if you were faced with an enemy that's killed millions of people? What would you do if a doctor told you that the enemy was likely going to kill you? You have two choices. 

You can roll over and let it happen. Nah! Or you can decide that you'll do whatever it takes to beat the damned thing. This would be a cool place for me to tell you, "Hold my beer!" 

I'm still needed here. There are still things to finish, things to accomplish, and living to be done. It won't be easy, and it won't be fun. Surely, I'll need all the help I can get. 

This will be physically the most challenging thing I've ever done. It will be the most emotionally tasking hurdle I've experienced in my life. That's a life that's seen far more than the average tragedies, death, heartache, and pain. 

There'll be no time for things like foolish pride. There'll be no time for anything foolish. Because whatever it takes means I'm going to have to leave no stone unturned to solve the problem. Between working, chemo, trying to stay rested, healthy, and hopeful, it's going to be tough. 

But, we'll get it done. It just means having to do whatever it takes. That's what you have to do when you're in the endgame. 

Thanks for reading. Please feel free to share this around the world if you find it interesting, moving, or uplifting. I hope to inspire others not to give up and that as long as we keep fighting, there are always options and ways to survive.