Today I met my buddy Dennis (not his real name) for lunch.  Dennis and I have worked together for years, our offices near each other when I worked on campus.  No doubt, he is one of the good guys. 

Dennis faced cancer almost 10 years ago, and now he is facing a battle with metastatic prostate cancer.  This means that the previously localized cancer has metastasized to other areas of his body, and is considered incurable by most doctors, but possibly manageable.  He is undergoing chemo treatments every three weeks, and the good news is that while chemo is nasty stuff, it is doing it's magic in Dennis' body, reducing the cancer.  A miracle is likely what is needed to eliminate the cancer....and since I believe miracles do happen Dennis has a shot of being cancer free someday. 

I am truly honored at the conversations we had and what Dennis shared...we talked about things that I've never discussed with anyone.  He broached subjects most of us would consider either taboo or theoretical. 

We talked about his desire to know how long he has left, but his fear of asking this directly to the doctors.  Maybe a year he thinks, which would make him happy.  We weighed the pros and cons of asking.  Ultimately deciding that what's the point of asking, the doctors really don't know. 

We talked about the side effects of Taxotere, a chemo drug we've both enjoyed.  Fatigue, bone pain, crankiness. 

We also talked about getting out for a bike ride next week.  Getting his house ready for sale.  We talked about changes in my life.  We laughed and laughed...Dennis so hard he spit out the tea he was attempting to drink. 

I told him he looked great, no one would ever guess he is 5 chemo treatments into a battle.  I wasn't lying...I actually think he looks better now than he did years ago, and he's always been a nice looking guy.

It's odd that metastatic disease can look so normal on the outside and be so destructive on the inside.  If you pray, please keep Dennis in your prayers.  I'd love nothing more than to blog about a miracle.....