In many ways, I believe I am just like any of the billions of people existing on this planet.
I have reinvented myself frequently over my professional career. After I graduated from college at The Citadel (where I played NCAA Division I basketball), I was employed in the Marketing Department at the corporate headquarters of Wendy’s International in Dublin, Ohio. From there, I worked in hospital administration for Riverside Methodist Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. After getting married and moving to California for my wife's job, I became the Customer Service Manager for an academic publishing company in Santa Barbara. After our daughter was born and we moved to Cincinnati, Ohio, I became a police officer with the Cincinnati Police Department, where I was a SWAT Hostage Negotiator. Following a family relocation to Texas, I started a school security consulting business and coached high school girls basketball in Houston. Each time I took on a new job, I had to develop new skills and faced different challenges. There was always a significant learning curve with every new position.
But my greatest challenge began in early 2012 when I was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer called, Acral Lentiginous Melanoma which presented on the bottom of my foot. By the time the melanoma was detected, it had metastasized to a lymph node in my groin. Because my cancer is so rare (only about 6,500 people are diagnosed with this form of malignancy in the U.S. each year), I was treated at the world-renowned MD Anderson Cancer Center. I had two surgeries to remove the tumors, and after I healed, I was put on a weekly injection of the drug, Interferon, to help keep the disease from coming back.
I took those weekly injections for four years and seven months before the Interferon became so toxic to my body that I ended up in the Intensive Care Unit with a fever of 108 degrees. Fortunately, expert medical care saved my life.
The Interferon gave me severe flu-like symptoms for two to three days after each injection. I lost fifty pounds during my therapy, was constantly nauseous, fatigued, and chilled, my ability to taste food significantly diminished, and my body constantly ached. This misery went on for over 1,660 days!
One thing I learned during all my pain and suffering is that you have two choices. You can succumb to the debilitating discomfort and misery, or you can learn to embrace it and use it to make you a stronger and better human being. I chose the latter.
There were times I felt so poorly and was in so much agony that I prayed to die. Each day was a struggle to use my mind to override the apathy and distress my body was feeling.
I realize pain and discomfort can beat you to your knees and keep you there if you let it. But I also came to appreciate that I could use my hurting and anguish to make me stronger and more resolute.
I was no better at dealing with pain and discomfort than the next person. But every day, I found a way to survive, with the knowledge that I would need to do it again the following morning.
I wrote a book about my cancer journey that chronicles what I experienced in a “not-dying” state for almost five years, and what I learned during my trek across the cancer landscape.
Unfortunately, my cancer experience hasn't ended with me conquering my disease. The melanoma that had plagued me for over six years returned in 2017, and my only treatment option was the amputation of most of my left foot in 2018. The cancer reemerged again in 2019, requiring multiple operations. In February of 2020, a tumor in my ankle fractured my tibia. My only remedy was the amputation of my left leg above the knee. Recently, my doctor advised that more than likely, I won't be here 12 months from now.
But I refused to be a victim of this malignancy. I vowed to continue my fight. I knew the only way cancer could win is if I gave up or gave in to the disease, or it killed me.
I chose the title, Motivational Check, for a simple reason. When I was a recruit in the Cincinnati Police Academy, it was a phrase any of our classmates could shout if they needed encouragement, motivation, or support. The response from the class was to answer with a loud “84,” signifying our Recruit Class number and letting the person needing the reassurance know that we were all there for him or her.
This site is my effort to convey what I learned from my ongoing battle with cancer and to encourage everyone who reads these posts that no matter what you are struggling with, you are not alone.
If you are besieged with anything in your life, know there are people available, willing, and able to help you. I understand what it is like to fight for your life. I hope the quotes, stories, and videos on these pages will encourage and motivate you to fight against whatever is hindering you. As long as you do not quit, you can never be defeated.
However, I came to understand the responsibility for altering your life is entirely up to YOU. Whining, complaining, and blaming others for your plight will not enhance your experience. Motivation alone will not cause you to progress. YOU have to want to make the change and commit to it every minute of every day. There are no days off when attempting to make significant and lasting improvements.
Just as fire strengthens metal and lifting weights until exhaustion grows muscle, use the pain and discomfort you are experiencing to harden your mind and make you a better and more determined individual. Keep fighting no matter how many setbacks you have or how bad you feel. Believe in yourself and know that there will be light at the end of your journey one day.
Motivational Check is here to support you, inspire you, and help you in your struggle. Remember, YOU are never out of the fight, no matter how often you fail or how many obstacles you face. Stay positive and keep moving forward!
I have reinvented myself frequently over my professional career. After I graduated from college at The Citadel (where I played NCAA Division I basketball), I was employed in the Marketing Department at the corporate headquarters of Wendy’s International in Dublin, Ohio. From there, I worked in hospital administration for Riverside Methodist Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. After getting married and moving to California for my wife's job, I became the Customer Service Manager for an academic publishing company in Santa Barbara. After our daughter was born and we moved to Cincinnati, Ohio, I became a police officer with the Cincinnati Police Department, where I was a SWAT Hostage Negotiator. Following a family relocation to Texas, I started a school security consulting business and coached high school girls basketball in Houston. Each time I took on a new job, I had to develop new skills and faced different challenges. There was always a significant learning curve with every new position.
But my greatest challenge began in early 2012 when I was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer called, Acral Lentiginous Melanoma which presented on the bottom of my foot. By the time the melanoma was detected, it had metastasized to a lymph node in my groin. Because my cancer is so rare (only about 6,500 people are diagnosed with this form of malignancy in the U.S. each year), I was treated at the world-renowned MD Anderson Cancer Center. I had two surgeries to remove the tumors, and after I healed, I was put on a weekly injection of the drug, Interferon, to help keep the disease from coming back.
I took those weekly injections for four years and seven months before the Interferon became so toxic to my body that I ended up in the Intensive Care Unit with a fever of 108 degrees. Fortunately, expert medical care saved my life.
The Interferon gave me severe flu-like symptoms for two to three days after each injection. I lost fifty pounds during my therapy, was constantly nauseous, fatigued, and chilled, my ability to taste food significantly diminished, and my body constantly ached. This misery went on for over 1,660 days!
One thing I learned during all my pain and suffering is that you have two choices. You can succumb to the debilitating discomfort and misery, or you can learn to embrace it and use it to make you a stronger and better human being. I chose the latter.
There were times I felt so poorly and was in so much agony that I prayed to die. Each day was a struggle to use my mind to override the apathy and distress my body was feeling.
I realize pain and discomfort can beat you to your knees and keep you there if you let it. But I also came to appreciate that I could use my hurting and anguish to make me stronger and more resolute.
I was no better at dealing with pain and discomfort than the next person. But every day, I found a way to survive, with the knowledge that I would need to do it again the following morning.
I wrote a book about my cancer journey that chronicles what I experienced in a “not-dying” state for almost five years, and what I learned during my trek across the cancer landscape.
Unfortunately, my cancer experience hasn't ended with me conquering my disease. The melanoma that had plagued me for over six years returned in 2017, and my only treatment option was the amputation of most of my left foot in 2018. The cancer reemerged again in 2019, requiring multiple operations. In February of 2020, a tumor in my ankle fractured my tibia. My only remedy was the amputation of my left leg above the knee. Recently, my doctor advised that more than likely, I won't be here 12 months from now.
But I refused to be a victim of this malignancy. I vowed to continue my fight. I knew the only way cancer could win is if I gave up or gave in to the disease, or it killed me.
I chose the title, Motivational Check, for a simple reason. When I was a recruit in the Cincinnati Police Academy, it was a phrase any of our classmates could shout if they needed encouragement, motivation, or support. The response from the class was to answer with a loud “84,” signifying our Recruit Class number and letting the person needing the reassurance know that we were all there for him or her.
This site is my effort to convey what I learned from my ongoing battle with cancer and to encourage everyone who reads these posts that no matter what you are struggling with, you are not alone.
If you are besieged with anything in your life, know there are people available, willing, and able to help you. I understand what it is like to fight for your life. I hope the quotes, stories, and videos on these pages will encourage and motivate you to fight against whatever is hindering you. As long as you do not quit, you can never be defeated.
However, I came to understand the responsibility for altering your life is entirely up to YOU. Whining, complaining, and blaming others for your plight will not enhance your experience. Motivation alone will not cause you to progress. YOU have to want to make the change and commit to it every minute of every day. There are no days off when attempting to make significant and lasting improvements.
Just as fire strengthens metal and lifting weights until exhaustion grows muscle, use the pain and discomfort you are experiencing to harden your mind and make you a better and more determined individual. Keep fighting no matter how many setbacks you have or how bad you feel. Believe in yourself and know that there will be light at the end of your journey one day.
Motivational Check is here to support you, inspire you, and help you in your struggle. Remember, YOU are never out of the fight, no matter how often you fail or how many obstacles you face. Stay positive and keep moving forward!
