Tuesday, March 6, 2012

My 100th Prostate Cancer Blog Entry! Big Deal or What?


Why would anybody in their right mind do this?

It took me three and a half years to get to 100 blogs. Others write that many entries in a few months. So speed wasn’t my strong suite.

I started out to provide short articles with the newest prostate cancer information, share my experiences with medications, side effects, and clinical trials. And I added a cartoon to almost every one to add a touch of humor—not necessarily politically correct. A few times I published a guest blog. Sometimes I summarized new information from cancer research. Most of the blog entries related at least partly to me, my life experiences, my friends with prostate cancer,  and I must confess to the odd complaint (some side effects really suck).

By the time I started the blog I already knew my prostate cancer was incurable. I had just published a book about prostate cancer and my ongoing story. Writing and drawing cartoons has long been a good outlet for me. It has helped keep me positive and focused (most of the time) for the nine years (so far) of my journey.

I had few expectations when I launched the blog (launched may be pretentious—mostly I chose a name and clicked on an icon).
·       I assumed not many people would read it—true, but the numbers are getting better.
·       I assumed it would be fun for me to do—true, and it has continued to be.
·       I assumed it wouldn’t make me rich or famous—true (so far) and I have no illusions of future fame or fortune.
·       I assumed there would be breakthroughs in cancer treatment—true, and that’s good news for me and a couple million other men.

My expectations have changed a little. With my slowly growing knowledge of Internet technology I found ways to share information with more people. I even know what tweet and text mean. So, in the near future here’s what’s going to happen:
·       My book, Real Men Get Prostate Cancer Too, is being updated (2nd Ed.) and will be republished soon. A lot has happened in the prostate cancer world (and mine) in four years. I even added some new cartoons.
·       My other book (sounds impressive, eh?) with co-author Dr. Tom Beer, Cancer Clinical Trials, will also be published soon.

Both books should be available by mid-April.

If you are reading this on my blog site, you can look to the left and become a ‘follower’ by clicking on the ‘Join this site’ icon. Then you’ll get a notification whenever a new blog entry appears. Or not.

axman


No comments: