SunnyX
ReefSite.com
Hello,
Well, here we are. I am writing this post to accomplish two objectives. The first of which is to raise cancer awareness, specifically blood cancer. The second is to answer questions concerning my absence. I'm constantly being asked "when ill be back". Hopefully I can answer that question today.
While a few of you may already know, I was diagnosed with blood cancer a while back. I had a rare type of blood cancer that required a brutal and exhaustive 4 day a week treatment for 10 months. During that time I had very little contact with the outside world as my immune system was extremely vulnerable. While the treatment was tough, I am happy to be cancer free and in remission. I currently undergo maintenance treatment once a month. I am fortunate to have made it through the treatment, as I almost lost my life twice during those 10 long months. I have a new found respect for life and everything that it encompasses.
I would like to stress how important it is for everyone here to get their annual checkup and blood tested. Before being diagnosed I was told by multiple Drs that I was fine and healthy. My blood work exhibited no abnormalities and I was in great shape. Yet, I knew that something wasn’t right. I had a slightly enlarged lymph node and I instinctively felt that something was wrong. It was only after I found a Dr to perform a biopsy that they discovered the cancer. Thankfully I caught it in the early stages, before it spread from my Lymph nodes to my bone marrow. Had I not kept pushing to find out what was wrong I wouldn’t be here today. So please, conduct your yearly physical and always go with your gut feeling. If you sense that something is wrong please check it out. It’s always better to be safe than sorry.
So now you know why I have been absent these past years. Shutting down my systems crushed me. It felt like I lost a great friend or family member. To many of us our setups are more than a glass box filled with water. They are a labor of love and a source of pride. I’ve continuously had a saltwater aquarium running since about the age of 12, and setup my first freshwater tank at 6, so not seeing that characteristic “blue glow” or hearing the soothing sound of water is discouraging. But, with intensive chemotherapy I was unable to take care of my setups so everything had to be shutdown, sold, or sent to storage. The act of shutting down the systems and selling it off hit me harder than the cancer diagnosis. I have been lurking around the forums for quite some time and have lived vicariously through you all.
I am very happy to see that some of the corals that JimC and I released at Pro Corals, such as the PC Superman and PC Rainbow have been spread wide and far, and grown into beautiful colonies. Its almost like watching your children grow.
With that being said, the good news is I am healthy and planning out my next reef setup(on paper and in my head
). It may take a while, as medical bills and other expenses take first priority, but I will be back and better than ever! I look forward someday to “fully” being back in this wonderful community of reefers. The reef “itch” is strong and hopefully ill be able to scratch it soon.
If anyone needs any advice, help, or wants to talk, about cancer or reefs, please feel free to PM me. I'm in the SPS forum lurking around if you need me.
-Sonny
Well, here we are. I am writing this post to accomplish two objectives. The first of which is to raise cancer awareness, specifically blood cancer. The second is to answer questions concerning my absence. I'm constantly being asked "when ill be back". Hopefully I can answer that question today.
While a few of you may already know, I was diagnosed with blood cancer a while back. I had a rare type of blood cancer that required a brutal and exhaustive 4 day a week treatment for 10 months. During that time I had very little contact with the outside world as my immune system was extremely vulnerable. While the treatment was tough, I am happy to be cancer free and in remission. I currently undergo maintenance treatment once a month. I am fortunate to have made it through the treatment, as I almost lost my life twice during those 10 long months. I have a new found respect for life and everything that it encompasses.
I would like to stress how important it is for everyone here to get their annual checkup and blood tested. Before being diagnosed I was told by multiple Drs that I was fine and healthy. My blood work exhibited no abnormalities and I was in great shape. Yet, I knew that something wasn’t right. I had a slightly enlarged lymph node and I instinctively felt that something was wrong. It was only after I found a Dr to perform a biopsy that they discovered the cancer. Thankfully I caught it in the early stages, before it spread from my Lymph nodes to my bone marrow. Had I not kept pushing to find out what was wrong I wouldn’t be here today. So please, conduct your yearly physical and always go with your gut feeling. If you sense that something is wrong please check it out. It’s always better to be safe than sorry.
So now you know why I have been absent these past years. Shutting down my systems crushed me. It felt like I lost a great friend or family member. To many of us our setups are more than a glass box filled with water. They are a labor of love and a source of pride. I’ve continuously had a saltwater aquarium running since about the age of 12, and setup my first freshwater tank at 6, so not seeing that characteristic “blue glow” or hearing the soothing sound of water is discouraging. But, with intensive chemotherapy I was unable to take care of my setups so everything had to be shutdown, sold, or sent to storage. The act of shutting down the systems and selling it off hit me harder than the cancer diagnosis. I have been lurking around the forums for quite some time and have lived vicariously through you all.
I am very happy to see that some of the corals that JimC and I released at Pro Corals, such as the PC Superman and PC Rainbow have been spread wide and far, and grown into beautiful colonies. Its almost like watching your children grow.
With that being said, the good news is I am healthy and planning out my next reef setup(on paper and in my head
). It may take a while, as medical bills and other expenses take first priority, but I will be back and better than ever! I look forward someday to “fully” being back in this wonderful community of reefers. The reef “itch” is strong and hopefully ill be able to scratch it soon.If anyone needs any advice, help, or wants to talk, about cancer or reefs, please feel free to PM me. I'm in the SPS forum lurking around if you need me.
-Sonny
