C-Day

"When is Angela coming back?" Donna asks me as she removes the latex glove that she used to examine my mouth.

"Next Monday" I answer.

"I think you should come over for supper to our house tonight"she continues as she walks over to the garbage to dispose the glove.

"Does that mean you think it is cancer?" I inquire and add: "Be honest now"

"Yes" she replies.

Donna is a physician and college of Angela's who is also a close friend to us along with her husband David. While Angela was working in Thompson they invited me over the night before to visit. During that evening I mentioned my mouth issues to her (partly making fun of it) and she encouraged me to come to the emergency the next morning where she could examine me and take a CT-Scan. "Then you know." Well, we did know: The scan showed a large mass of about 5 inches in my tongue.

I had an exciting life over the last 12 months: daCapo bought a new building; I turned 40; I travelled to New York a few times as well as to France, Holland and Germany; MTYP produced my show 'Rich' in November (A definite highlight of my career); Angela and I vacationed on the Galapagos Islands and after that volunteered in the slums of Lima, Peru; I was able to attend a production of my musical 'The Wave' in The Netherlands and I finished the score to my first large-scale-52 episodes-animation project called 'Noonbory'.

But none of these experiences proved to be as powerful and life-changing as the above mentioned conversation with Donna at Winnipeg's St. Boniface Hospital on Sunday, May 17 that lasted for about 20 seconds.

Needless to say, my friendship with Donna will never be the same; She was the one that had to tell me that I had cancer. Since then a lot of things have changed and I think the adventure is just beginning.

This blog will be an attempt to share my journey with those of you that care to follow it. I will try to have regular updates about my attempts to overcome my greatest challenge in life so far.