Happy Thanksgiving to all of you! I hope you have the chance to reflect on all the positives that make up our lives. I know that when I sit and reflect on all the things I am thankful for, it really makes me appreciate them on a deeper level...really puts a smile on my face.

And then I’ll grab seconds of the turkey!

I have so much to be thankful. The biggest, is that I’m alive. Yeah, I’m battling cancer...and yes, I spent a lot of time wondering why I got it and why I have to go through the shit that comes with it...why I have to go through another round of chemotherapy Friday...why my wife and family have to go through this...why I had to quit my job...why I have a cancer that seemingly has no cause...why my son came so early...why he’s hooked up to so many machines...why he can’t come home with Mommy and Daddy...why we have to spend so many hours so many days in the hospital to be with him...why it breaks my heart to see him so frustrated with feeding tubes and monitors...why why why why.

But this Thanksgiving, I’m taking a step back.

I am thankful that my cancer was found when it was. I am thankful that I have the ability to fight it. I am thankful that I have access to awesome doctors and nurses to help me. I am thankful that I have a beautiful and supportive wife who sees me through all the frustration, anger, and fright. I am thankful that I have been blessed with the greatest friends and family a man could ever have. I am thankful that I was with my son when he entered this world. I am thankful that he is doing very well in the hospital. I am thankful that I have experienced the joy of instant, unconditional love for him. I am thankful that he’s surrounded by kind and caring people that are watching out for him.

I am thankful that the days will come when I am cancer-free, and Dante is home with me and Mommy.

Happy Thanksgiving!