Worth celebrating

Today marks exactly two and a half years since I was admitted to hospital with lung cancer. It’s normal in cancer circles to speak about 5 year survival rates. With stage 4 lung cancer the 5 year survival is very low indeed. Well, here I am, doing well, 40 something chemo cycles later, generally pretty healthy, back into regular ministry, enjoying my grandson, time with my family… plenty to thank God for!

Saturday marked another anniversary—my first birthday as NED! On May 31 2013, the CT scan report declared me to be NED (no evidence of disease). Recent scans confirmed that I am still NED a year later. Thank you God!

I mentioned to Steve Larkham last week that this was an important anniversary weekend for me. He called back and invited me to address the players at the captains run, before presenting each player with his jersey for the game against the Rebels. This was an honour indeed, and I shared with them how my circumstances had led me to number my days, take nothing for granted, make the most of my opportunities, and prioritise what I value most.

It was a great night on Saturday. I enjoyed watching the Brumbies with my family. Liam got to take in the atmosphere from the sidelines before the game, as well as meeting the Brumbies mascot, Brumby Jack. Our team had their most convincing win of the year, collecting a bonus point against the Rebels. After the game, I got to catch up with Julian Huxley (former Brumby/Rebel and brain cancer survivor) and we shared a few words and a few hugs. The coaches, Laurie, Stephen, and a few others suggested I give the speech before other games if we’re going to win like that each time. I think I’ll keep my record intact with one-from-one!