The Song: Livin For The Other Side: I wrote this song "Livin For The Other Side" because I wanted to acknowledged that I have changed and capture the impact that being a Cancer Survivor has had on me. It is just me and my guitar, but I will find a way to get this song professionally made, get it to iTunes so folks can buy it, and then donate 100% of those proceeds to helping others.

March 2011 - Diagnosis: I had taken some steps to get back into shape in late 2010 needing to lose about 15 pounds. I did that relatively easily by dieting and taking Healthe' Trim. On top of that I was doing sit-ups and push-ups daily. Somewhere along the line around March of 2011, I pulled a muscle in my lower left ribcage. It was more of a nuisance and I managed the discomfort by occasionally taking ibuprofen. I was playing a lot of golf and as time went on I could tell the muscle pull wasn't getting any better. I played in a two day golf tournament in early July and went back to visit my mom in late July and when I returned, I decided it was time to get it looked at. I called a friend of mine, Dr. Chris Hiler, and he set me up for an x-ray and an ultrasound. The results were a separated muscle from the ribcage which would heal over time; and the other result was that the ultrasound spotted a mass on my right kidney. It was 4.7cm tumor. That diagnosis came on August 8, 2011. I never had any symptoms associated with Kidney Cancer. If it hadn't been for the pulled muscle, God only knows what would have been in store for me.

Over the course of the next few weeks, I went through several tests and after talking to my Urologist, Dr. Robert Shapiro, we both felt it was best to remove the kidney. Because of where the tumor was growing, center of the kidney, inward toward the renal vein, a partial removal wasn't the best option because of the reconstruction of the renal vein that would be necessary.

October 5, 2011 - Surgery: I relied heavily on my friends since all of my family, other than Megan was back in Oklahoma. My friends were there for me through it all. There were surprises along the way from others that I knew that cooked me food, drove me places as I was recovering and opened their doors for me to live with them as I couldn't handle the three flight of stairs at my apartment complex. I was in the hospital for 5 days, 3 days longer than expected due to some minor complications. Many many thanks go out to those that were there physically and also to those that couldn't be with me but were praying for me. I was deeply moved by the amount of support I received from across the country from my friends and family.

October 10, 2011 - Recovery: Recovery was fairly quick physically, but very slow mentally. I had so many things running through my head. Why me? How did this happen? Will I be okay? It was a strange feeling that I know changed me for good. I wasn't able to work from October to December and on December 16, 2011 I ended a three year contract with a friend that did the same type of computer support that I did. I needed time to heal and felt a calling to go help and do for others. Since then, I have volunteered at my church and have visited friends and family across the country. I have had to re-organize my life, making sure the important things were done first. 180 degrees opposite of what I was doing.

In February, 2012, I began having a lot of pain and symptoms that I should have had with my right kidney, but didn't, were now showing up on my left side. I was very concerned that my Cancer had returned. I went through the same series of test that I had gone through previously and this time, there was nothing to see. To this day, we (my Dr. and I) are still unsure what caused the pain and the blood in the urine. We can guess that maybe it was small kidney stones, but who knows.

Today, my remaining kidney is functioning about as good as it ever will and seems to be doing the job. I would say I'm 100% recovered and 100% a changed man. Thanks for reading and listening and most of all, Thank You for your donation. I also want to mention that I have taken to blogging as part of my wanting to share my life experience with others and I have posted a more in-depth version of my story there. You can follow along by clicking My Blog on the left or click Home to return to my Home Page, but most importantly, click DONATE, to give today. Thank You ~ BK.

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