Owner: I've Still Got Both My Nuts URL:http://benjaminrubenstein.blogspot.com Join Date: Wed, 28 Feb 2007 14:40:15 -0600 Rating:0 Site Description: Generation Y's cancer poster boy has arrived. This is a young man's humorous take on cancer, which he survived two times. Site statistics:Click here
newspaper article: I've Still Got Both My Nuts 2007-04-03 10:43:00 This is an article I wrote for my school newspaper, The Cavalier Daily, which printed today. Notice the shameless self-promotion.I've still got both my nutsA true cancer blogBenjamin Rubenstein, Cavalier Daily PerspectiveWhen I was first diagnosed with cancer my junior year of high school, I never thought I would write about it. Take your licks and move on, I thought to myself. Some scars, a limp and a year later, that's exactly what I did -- I moved on.I joined the Key Club just like everyone else to boost my college resume (I only attended one meeting). I was elected parliamentarian of both Chess Club and "It's Academic," even though I still don't know what that word means. Sadly, my chess record by the end of the year was 0-19 and I failed to correctly answer a single question in "It's Academic" competitions. I wanted to be president of Quill & Scroll but didn't even show up to the election. Instead, I signed a paper that read, "Ben Rubenstein is running for president," an
The Stumbler 2007-03-29 00:49:00 One afternoon during the summer of 2002, before I went to college, I gave my friend The Stumbler a ride home from work. Right before I reached his driveway I saw a long, dark-colored snake on the other side of the road. I made a u-turn in an attempt to run him over, but he was gone by the time I got back. I fucking hate snakes.Our friend MrMountainDew was having people over that night, and we made it to his house around 8:00 PM. The Stumbler was taking a few shots from the bottle of Kentucky Gentleman Bourbon he brought, but seemed fine. Then, a few of the other guys decided to play power hour, a game where you take a shot of beer every minute for 60 minutes. This equates to anywhere between 5 and 8 beers, depending on how big the shot glass is.The Stumbler was reluctant to steal MrMountainDew’s beer, so he decided to play power hour with a mixture of bourbon and soda. He didn’t take a shot every minute, but he got damn close. By the end of the hour he was slurring, stumbling, and
Special Collections 2007-07-15 18:29:00 Over the years my house has collected some interesting items. Some have been thrown away while others have accumulated in cabinets and such…Dozens of puke buckets are stacked under sinks everywhere in the house. My favorites are the pink ones. At one time those plastic containers were distributed in every room – just in case. I had a pretty sweet deal, where instead of rushing to the toilet to spew I just grabbed a bucket. Then, someone else cleaned it up because “I wasn’t feeling well,” or “It was too gross and may make me puke again.” Those suckers fell for it.We used to have gallons of Biotene, the gentle germ-killing mouthwash. My hospital gave it out like candy. My nurse once said the hospital had stock in it, and I’m pretty sure she was joking.A set of crutches are chilling in my closet. I bust them out on occasion to practice my tricks and crutch up the hill – they’re great for the triceps. In a different closet is my walker, which I still use to race tortois Read more:Special
Fo' Shingle My Tingle 2007-07-19 23:32:00 On Valentine’s Day during my senior year of high school, I woke up with a peculiar rash on my chest. I went to the nurse’s office after Mr. Spunkmeyer’s homeroom class. “It looks like the shingles,” the nurse told me. “You need to see a doctor.”My mom picked me up that afternoon during calculus and we drove to my clinic. I thought the rash was just some kind of allergic reaction, but I wasn’t going to take any chances. It was red, bumpy, itchy, and developed horizontally across my chest.When we arrived, my nurse put me in an individual room just in case I was contagious. A doctor entered the room soon after, looked at my rash and immediately knew what it was. “You’ve got the shingles, pal.”“What is shingles?”“Shingles, or herpes zoster, is a viral infection caused by the same virus as chickenpox. You’ve had chickenpox, right?”“I don’t know. Mom, have I?”“Yeah, you had a small episode when you were younger," she said.“Well, that’s it. Once som
The Golden Age (Part I of III) 2007-07-27 15:26:00 It was a cold, dark night in December when I hopped in my car alone for the first time. I filled my 12-disc CD changer my parents bought me for my birthday with a few all-time favorites. I just wanted to cruise to nowhere in particular. It was my 16th birthday and I was going to take it all in.So I wound through the curvy streets listening to Dave Matthews Band’s #41 and U2’s With Or Without You just thinking and driving. There’s something special about 16, which is weird since it’s just one year, or in this particular case, one day past 15. The freedom that came with that age was such a powerful thing. I no longer had to wait for my mom to take me to Best Buy to buy that new CD. I no longer needed a ride to hang out with friends. I was no longer just a kid.Later that night I drove to PepperoniNip’s house, picked him up, and brought him back to my house to watch The Blair Witch Project. It was unbelievable, not because of the movie, but because I drove one minute dow Read more:Golden
The Golden Age (Part II of III) 2007-08-01 15:19:00 That summer in 2000 was one of the best three-month periods of my life. Not only did we have no responsibility whatsoever, we also had the freedom to do whatever we wanted. HollaAtYoBoy and I chilled together almost every day. We played a lot of Super Tennis on Super Nintendo. “Who else should we recruit to be in the Super Tennis Club?” we joked. Other popular activities included watching Half Baked and trying to find pictures of Mandy Moore’s ass. It was a tough job, but somebody had to do it.To give a sense of how easy-going my life was, when the game Perfect Dark came out my friend Infinicuralier and I played it 11 consecutive hours, with a short dinner break. I was 16 without a care in the world, except how to seduce Orange without having to talk.My family went on a trip to Israel that summer, which I thought was going to blow nuts. Things went all wrong before the trip even started. Our flight from D.C. to Toronto was delayed four hours. When we finally took off from Toronto Read more:Golden
The Golden Age (Part III of III) 2007-08-06 09:52:00 I got my first MRI in August. I didn’t know what to expect and was kind of nervous. “It’s just a bunch of really loud noises, like a jackhammer,” my friend Hamburgers assured me. I expected them to say it was a stress fracture, and when they told me to get a second MRI, I was surprised. Did you have trouble finding my hip the first time? It’s only a bigass bone. It took three weeks to fit me in for a second MRI, which is pretty pathetic if they suspected cancer. After that, they said I needed a bone scan and this time my doctor made them scan me one day later. He must’ve known.What a job it must be for the bone scan technician. She saw my future in perfect clarity on her computer screen – a bright white spot over my left hip. Amazingly, I still had no idea what was wrong. After the bone scan I was told to drink two full bottles of water because they had given me nuclear medicine for easier detection. I drank three bottles because I was scared of nuclear medicine, a minute Read more:Golden
Nice Sunglasses, She Said 2007-08-13 22:36:00 In the summer before my first year of college I got a pair of black Oakley sunglasses, complete with orange prescription lenses. They were as kickass as shades get. In fact, I rarely wore them on campus because I was afraid girls would be instantly attracted, dump their boyfriends and begin pursuing me. The angry boyfriends would then form a cult intent on destroying me and my Oakleys. A legitimate fear, I know.I decided to take the risk one late afternoon on the way to the dining hall with my friend, PingPongGirl. I walked across the quad to wait for her in front of her dorm. I sat on the bench and stretched out my arms, looking cool as can be. A different girl in her dorm stepped out and looked at me. “Nice sunglasses,” she said with a smile, and then walked away.Holy shit, is it really working? What if these really are a babe magnet?PingPongGirl walked out of her dorm shortly after and looked at me funny. Oh no, not you too. She began laughing hysterically. “What’s so funny? Read more:Sunglasses
Anticlimax to the Maximum 2007-08-16 23:40:00 Barely over six years ago I finished my final round of chemotherapy for my first cancer. I watched as the last drip made its way through the tube and into the catheter in my chest. My nurse disconnected the chemo tubing and threw it away. That’s it, no more chemotherapy ever again, I remember thinking.When I left the hospital the following day, my nurses gave me a banner that read Congratulations Ben! The doctors and nurses all signed it, and several gave me a hug. One would think this was a hugely important accomplishment worthy of a Diddy yacht party. But actually, it was the most anticlimactic event of my life because I had to begin radiotherapy just three days later.Two days ago I officially graduated from the University of Virginia in the second most anticlimactic event of my life. If I had graduated back in May then I would’ve participated in the ceremony, including walking The Lawn, sweating my ass off in the heat while hungover, and listening to John Grisham give the commen Read more:Maximum
Haters Want to Hate, Lovers Want to Love 2007-08-22 19:20:00 When I started this blog I told my friend, Hamburgers, "I can't wait to get my first hate mail. It'll be so exciting."Yesterday I received my very first one, left as an anonymous comment on book excerpt (3/3): Forever Sweet Sixteen. Here it is in its entirety:TRASH...pure vulgar trash. Your parents should be severly punished for having a son like you...an maybe, just maybe, in the after-life, if there is such a thing, you will be publically, spiritually and MORE physically punished. If not for your morals, for your lack of ethics and priniciples...you have none. May the Devil have mercy on your soul, God doesn't want you.To whoever wrote this, I might be able to hook you up with some Xanax to help chill you out. Better yet, if I dig hard enough I may find my old 3rd grade spelling book. I know how tricky words like "severely" and "and" can be. Read more:Haters
, Lovers
The Rabbit Protector 2007-08-27 23:28:00 Earlier this summer I spotted a cottontail rabbit nibbling in my front yard. Over the next couple weeks my parents and I saw him scurrying about, and even found that he lived in a bush next to our house. The prime conversation at home revolved around our new rabbit friend: has anyone seen him today, was he eating, did he run away?I haven’t had a pet since I was five, so at first I wanted to cage him up and domesticate him. But, I didn’t think he’d like that. I’m sure he enjoys living each day in survival mode – scrounging for food, making his own shelter, trying not to be eaten, and desperately searching for some rabbit poonany.My dad and I did the next best thing to caging him up – make his life easier by leaving food in his bush. I had no idea what rabbits eat, so I asked my dad. Just so you know my dad grew up in Brooklyn, where the closest thing to a wild animal is a non-kosher hot dog.“Rabbit
s eat carrots,” he said. “That’s his favorite food.”“How do you kn
Teeter Totter of Life (Part II of II) 2007-09-19 23:45:00 When I finished my first cycle of chemo I called a friend from my hospital room. She was having people over and I wanted to share my joy that chemo wasn’t all that bad. The superhotty, Orange, answered the phone and asked how I was.“I’m doing fine,” I said.“That’s great. Do you want to talk to Zeke?”“Sure.”I spoke to Zeke and a few other friends. They were just living their normal lives and I was living what had become mine. Getting out of the gossip loop was inevitable, considering I missed so many days of school. One of my best friends, HollaAtYoBoy, got a new girlfriend and I didn’t even meet her for a month. I was spending much more time with my new friends, also known as my doctors, nurses and other patients. My primary nurse, Laughy, was one of my favorite new friends. She enjoyed making fun of me for being so quiet and always greeting her with a simple “hey” in my deepest voice.As far as my old friends went, they moved on with their lives as should be exp
Teeter Totter of Life (Part I of II) 2007-09-15 09:45:00 I went into the room and got on the table in front of the large CAT scan machine. That three-minute scan of my lungs would shift my teeter totter of life. No spot, I’d probably live. A spot and I’d probably die. Simple statistical probability. I’d later discover that the anxiety my parents and close relatives felt before the excellent results was incomprehensible. At the time I didn’t even know what the fuck a CAT scan was, let alone the significance of those three minutes.Of course, the CAT scan was just one of the million tests I underwent before treatment began – measuring everything except the size of my dick. There were basically two reasons for all those tests. The first was to make sure I was healthy enough for what was to come. The second was to have a baseline for the rest of my life. It was expected that the future results of those tests would worsen from the treatment, some of them immediately. I was only 16 and my health had supposedly climaxed.I was barraged with
For a Good Year, 5768 2007-09-11 18:09:00 Seven years ago this Friday afternoon, I learned of my tumor. I have a difficult time believing it has been that long. I remember the day, the whole year for that matter, like it was yesterday. Time has gone by so quickly that in some respects I still see it as the year 2000, still see myself as 16.Exactly one year later, give or take 20 minutes, I finished treatment and became cancer-free. As I wrote in Happy Birthday, Bone Marrow, some cancer survivors celebrate the diagnosis, but I celebrate the freedom. And even though last year was my fifth anniversary of being cancer-free from my first cancer, or what is commonly known as CURED, I will always celebrate.Coincidentally, the holiday Rosh Hashanah, which marks the Jewish New Year, occurs around the same time. Because of that, this time of year marks new beginnings for me. A new football season has arrived. A new autumn is approaching. A new year is marked on the Jewish calendar. And a new year of cancer freedom will begin.I toast th
Hail to the Redskins 2007-09-06 10:10:00 Tonight kicks off the 2007 NFL season, and I couldn't be more thrilled. I've been a huge fan my entire life. In fact, one of my earliest memories is sitting on the couch next to my dad watching a game.In honor of tonight I'd like to make my Super Bowl picks. Anyone who has ever been around Redskins
Nation knows two things: we have the best fans in all of sports, and we always pick the Redskins to win the Super Bowl. Generally speaking, they've sucked for about 15 years, so usually it's a joke when we pick them. However, last year they were coming off a solid playoff season, and I legitimately picked them. But, they let us all down, going back to their stinky ways with a 5-11 record.As a joke, like most seasons, I will pick the Redskins to win the Super Bowl against the New England Patriots.But for "I told you so" purposes, I'll go with the Patriots over the New Orleans Saints.
Top Secret Classified 2007-09-02 12:39:00 When I finished writing I've Still Got Both My Nuts: A True Cancer Story, I printed it out and gave it to my friend, PingPongGirl, to edit. I also printed a cover page that read, "For PingPongGirl's Eyes Only." It was meant to be a joke, but she thought it was serious. Whenever another student walked by while she was editing at one of UVA's libraries, she would quickly cover it up like it was Level 3 Top Secret. "I wouldn't even let people see the title," she told me.After my book gets published, I told PingPongGirl if she ever wanted a real job as an editor then I would write her a letter of recommendation. Of course, she'd still have to edit it. Read more:Classified
The Booger 2007-09-26 23:53:00 There were four of us playing Texas Hold 'em in C-Smoke's basement. I could feel a wet mass in my left nostril, but we just started playing and I didn't want to get up to blow my nose. There's a very cool way some athletes shoot boogers out of their noses, which are then called snot rockets. I've seen it on TV and decided I'd try it out. Usually, the rocket is shot from the nostril onto the ground, but we were indoors, so I had to shoot it in my palm.While C-Smoke was shuffling the deck, I closed off my right nostril and blew hard into my left hand. The process would have been a success – except the booger missed my left hand and flew through the air like a missile. I couldn't see where it landed and hoped nobody saw what happened.Then, everyone started laughing because they knew exactly what happened. It was gross – I knew it, they knew it. I continued searching for my booger, but I was laughing so hard I could barely focus. Suddenly, I found the slimy creature."You know, t
Welcome to the Good Life (Part II of II) 2007-10-12 23:23:00 Besides staying alive and keeping up with my minimal amount of schoolwork, I had almost no responsibilities or commitments, something normally reserved for children in the summer. If you’re wondering what the benefit of that is, think of it this way: I often judge my days based on how productive I am, whether it be exercising, engaging in social events, finishing tasks or doing work. When I had cancer, I could literally watch television the entire day and that would be considered productive. That mindset was entirely unique to cancer and I don’t expect will ever be duplicated.I had to quit piano lessons, my soccer team I always joined in the fall, and teaching Sunday school. I quit using my Ab Crunch Trainer. I quite shaving, shampooing and bathing daily. Who was I trying to impress? I figured a shower every two days would do fine.I quit worrying about a balanced diet, and instead took advantage of the delightful dishes my parents and aunt provided me. My friends Ink and Ho-Train c Read more:Welcome
Welcome to the Good Life (Part I of II) 2007-10-08 15:41:00 People bought me things – some people I'd never met before. Expensive things, too, like video games, an mp3 player and a portable CD player. NoCommonSense's dad wanted to impart some Beatles culture on me, so he bought me 1, their greatest hits. My rabbi bought me the new Ja Rule CD, Rule 3:36, which I found quite humorous. I wanted him to listen with me, but he wasn’t so into gangsta rap.My parents and Aunt Flojo bought me whatever I wanted to eat, and rather enthusiastically if I might add. Huge, fatty, delicious milkshakes and greasy, heart-clogging foods were practically shoved down my throat. If I had the ability and the desire to become a fatass, they would’ve gladly financed my extra pounds.School became like a circus for me, attending when I could and taking breaks when I wanted. I dropped one class, and I spent those 90 minutes in the guidance office with two other kids that had no second period. Try to picture the most worthless conversation you've had in your life, Read more:Welcome
The Stumbler: Part III 2007-10-02 23:59:00 My 7th grade English teacher was absolutely obsessed with The Rosie O'Donnell Show. She loved it so much that she had us spend months of class preparing to do a mock Rosie show. Her plan was to ultimately record our show, send it to Rosie and get on TV. After the first month we thought she was nuts. After the second we thought she was the greatest teacher ever because we didn't really do anything. Case in point, my job was to play the drums to One Headlight by The Wallflowers, as the rest of my "band" played air guitar and lip synched. Since my dad had been giving me drum lessons for three years, I rocked out on the real thing.Our class was broken into two groups. The other group needed one more band member and asked me to play air guitar to Korn's Blind. The Stumbler played lead guitar and vocals. Everything was going well during the final taping, until Dookie started spraying water at us with a spray bottle "for effect," as he called it. When I jumped up for a power cord, I slippe
Ben vs. Wild 2007-10-21 09:55:00 Last week I saw the movie Into the Wild, which is about a guy (Emile Hirsch) who dips out after college and travels the country with the goal of reaching Alaska and living alone in the wilderness. Along the way, he documents his journey in his diary. Not only did I think it was a very good movie, it also inspired me to go on a similar adventure surviving in the wild and writing. I think it would be fun, exciting, and above all, postpone me getting a job.There are only two problems with my idea. First, I hate insects, bees, snakes, spiders, and most other outdoor critters. For example, last month I reached into my pocket and felt something funny. I pulled it out and it was an enormous beetle. I flipped out, screaming and stripping off almost all my clothes just to make sure there were no more bugs. I clobbered the little bastard with my big shoe for payback.Second, I know almost nothing about surviving in the wild. My limited knowledge comes from two Discovery Channel shows, Survivorman
The Oriole Way 2007-10-24 15:19:00 As usual, my Baltimore Oriole
s didn’t participate in the baseball playoffs this year. In fact, this was their tenth consecutive losing season.In 1996, during a playoff game between the Yankees and Orioles, a young hoodlum named Jeffrey Maier illegally reached over the wall and grabbed a Derek Jeter fly ball that would’ve fallen into the Baltimore outfielder’s glove. It was ruled a homerun, propelling the Yankees to their first of four World Series Championships in five years. In my extremely biased opinion, if Maier didn’t steal the ball out of the air, the Orioles would’ve gone on to win the World Series that year. Not only did that little thief go unpunished, he became a hero in New York.Despite the poor team performance, my aunt and uncle have been season ticket holders for as long as I can remember. The seats are incredible, located in the third row directly behind the Orioles dugout. They even get on TV anytime a left-handed batter is at the plate. Every year they give m
Welcome to the Cancer Life (Part I of III) 2007-10-28 23:28:00 I can hear the screaming. I can barely remember anything that happened during the first 36 hours after my surgery, but I will always remember the screaming. The dude next to me in the recovery room was whining about his knee pain. The girl to my other side had just had brain surgery. No amount of opiates in the world could stop her pain, stop the screaming.A year after my surgery, Dr. Phil told me they took digital pictures of the operation itself. I asked him to send them to me, and reluctantly, I looked. It was absolutely disgusting. I was split open and the skin was folded down. There was blood everywhere and multiple tubes either going in or coming out. I could see the bone, and if memory serves correct, it was colored blue either because they put dye on it or because of the cancer cells. In short, I was unrecognizable, even to myself.After my first cycle I didn’t think chemo was bad, but by the third cycle I realized it was awful. I may have been Superman, but even Superman thin Read more:Welcome
, Cancer
Welcome to the Cancer Life (Part II of III) 2007-11-03 00:27:00 People always asked, “How are you?” It was normal enough, but I despised the question because I knew they were really asking about cancer. But some people asked in a manner that said, “I’m glad you’re not dead, but I won’t be surprised when you are.” This often happened when I went to Temple, where people knew me as the guy with cancer whose name was on “The List” – the names of ill people the congregation prayed for.“No, I’m great,” I would respond.“I’m so glad to hear that. Keep it up.”Some fuckface actually had the nerve to question me that same way just THIS SUMMER. I’d been cancer-free for over four years. I politely responded that I was doing fantastic, about to graduate, healthy as an ox and strong as a bull. But really, I wanted to break her fucking neck.Since the age of eight I’ve saved every single card people have given me and stuck them in my desk drawer. A couple weeks ago I went through them so I could create more space. As I read them Read more:Welcome
, Cancer
Welcome to the Cancer Life (Part III of III) 2007-11-08 00:46:00 When I had to get more chemo following surgery – almost twice the number of cycles as before my surgery – I wasn’t too thrilled. I didn’t understand why it was necessary. The tumor was completely dead and had been entirely removed. But, I did as I was told and allowed more gallons of the poison to flow through my veins. There was actually a very good reason for more chemotherapy. Research on different protocols showed that to be the proper amount. But I just wasn’t informed and knew I’d play the role of the cooperative cancer patient, anyway.After surgery, my friends always knew where I was because I couldn’t go anywhere. The one time I left the house to see my surgeon, Zeke and PepperoniNip came around back to my porch fully expecting to see me sitting in my La-Z-Boy. When I wasn’t there they thought something was wrong.By the end of winter I could actually go places. One morning I got blood work done, and then ate breakfast at IHOP with my mom. It started snowing on t Read more:Welcome
, Cancer
The First Atlantic City Trip 2007-11-14 23:41:00 Experiencing casinos is almost a rite of passage for 21 year-olds, so two years ago C-Smoke, Big Easy and I took a trip to Atlantic City, New Jersey. After two poor excuses from them, I got stuck driving. That didn’t stop Big Easy from complaining about my music selection, but that’s neither here nor there.We were supposed to leave at noon, but those two are worthless and we ended up leaving at 2:00. If you don’t believe they’re worthless, keep reading.C-Smoke didn’t have any money with him, so he made us stop at his brother’s to borrow some. He expected $50, but only got $40. “You’re seriously going to Atlantic City with only $40?” I asked. “That’s not nearly enough.”“Don’t worry about it; I’ll be rich in no time. And after I am, the hotel room and hookers are on me.”“I brought $40, too,” Big Easy said, laughing. “And I can’t afford to lose it.”“You morons better not complain when you’re broke after an hour.”Big Easy told me to take a sh Read more:First
The Second Atlantic City Trip 2007-11-19 23:17:00 My second visit to Atlantic City was spent quoting the comedian Dave Chappelle, talking shit to Hamburgers for bad directions, and worrying about the “Check Engine” light that was lit in Froddy’s car the whole ride. We also stayed overnight this time at the Borgata, again without prostitutes.For weeks I told my two friends how casino buffets are amazing and how we had to eat at one. Those of you who have been to Las Vegas know exactly what I’m talking about. Anyway, they bojangled for too long, probably on purpose to spite me, and by the time they were ready to eat the buffet was closed. Coincidentally, the next time Hamburgers went to Atlantic City he ate at a buffet and loved it. I’m still bitter.At midnight we went down to the food court because that was the only place open. While waiting for my order, an obviously crazy and homeless man approached me and asked to see my hand. I looked over at Hamburgers for guidance in regard to the strange request. He was baffled and act Read more:Second
Hardest Hitting Safety in the Land 2007-11-28 11:06:00 Much like other Washington Redskins fans and non-fans living in the DC Metro area, I was deeply saddened by the loss of our star safety, Sean Taylor, early Tuesday morning. This community seems to be in a state of mourning – Sean was the front page story of The Washington Post both yesterday and today. I never knew him, spoke to him or saw him, and probably never would, but somehow it still feels like I lost a friend.This is the saddest I can remember being in a while. That in itself sounds a little crazy. I mean, he was just a football player, right? Correction: he was just a former All-American safety with a combination of speed, leaping ability, strength and hitting power that we’ve never seen before, right?I can’t speak for why the thousands of other fans have taken his death so hard. I can only speak for myself. And to be honest, this is a new experience for me. In that past I’d feel bad certainly, but I wouldn’t feel the kind of sadness I do now. In fact, I’d probably Read more:Hitting
, Safety
Bombs Over September (Part I of II) 2007-11-25 19:41:00 My radiation nurse gave me a Hershey’s chocolate bar and a hug on my last day. I’d miss her a little bit and I’m guessing she missed me. But, we both knew we’d never see each other again. That was her job – to send people on their way back to normal life or on the road to death.The entire nursing staff on my clinic and hospital floor, as well as all the doctors, wished me good luck with a “Congratulations” banner. Some of them made a major impression on me and I hoped I did the same to them. I didn’t want them to ever forget that I was the teenage patient who physically and psychologically beat the fucking shit out of bone cancer to the extent they’d never before seen.I always thought it was interesting that I became cancer-free one year after I learned of my tumor, almost to the minute. Not symbolic, just coincidental.My friend, RiddleMeThis, invited me over to his house that night. I had been friends with RiddleMeThis for a while, and always thought he was a cool du Read more:Bombs
, September
Bombs Over September (Part II of II) 2007-12-01 20:11:00 Bombs Over September
(Part I of II)Toward the end of the year I developed the itch in a bad way – senioritis, that is. On the morning of May 3, 2002, Big Easy and I planned our escape from school for the first showing of Spider-Man. We produced an elaborate plan just in case the security guard stopped us on our way out. When second period ended we each left our respective classes and nervously headed for the front door. Big Easy was about 20 feet in front of me. Please don’t look back and make us look suspicious. We escaped unharmed and saw Spider-Man in a packed theater. “I wish I was bitten by a super spider,” Big Easy said when it ended.I had a collection of homework assignments due in my calculus class later that day. I left them with a friend to turn in for me, along with a note that read: “I had to go see Spider-Man. Please don’t punish me. Actually, today is my last day of physical therapy. After 15 ½ months I’m finally done.” I finished the note with a smiley f Read more:Bombs
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