Okay, the results are in.

It appears to be nearly unanimous. Everyone from my oncologist, to a couple of sisters, to some nieces, to a pair of anonymous people, to a certain orange cat with an amazingly boring power point presentation and to a co-worker or two: they were all in agreement. Seems it was just my radiologist and I who were holding out for the easy route.

I guess the easy route is under water at this point.

So, on Monday, November 30^th, I am putting all my eggs in one basket and trusting Dr. Aliabadi to gently take out my adrenal gland and the accompanying tumor.

Part of what made it a tough decision was the compassion and devotion that both Dr. Aliabadi and Dr. Seung exhibited. Either they both truly believe that their treatment is my best option, or they are really good used car salespeople with doctorates. Neither offered a free turkey if I signed up before Thanksgiving, so I’m guessing that they truly believe in their science.

And as for me, I wish I had that wild eyed innocence of two or three years ago. I wish I could look Richard in the eyes and truly believe it when I said, “We’re gonna beat this.”

But Richard, we aren’t going to beat this. The painting is on the wall. I get to visit you at St. Mary’s Cemetery and at night when I hug a pillow real tight. But that isn’t enough, and I don’t know if there is any more.

This summer… perhaps the last hurrah! Iceland, Tromsø, Talinn, Dubrovnik, Rome, Paris, Amsterdam, United Kingdom; join me if you dare!