There are days when I'm exhausted but realize that there are many other people out there who are experiencing worse situations than me. Thus, when I'm tired and workout, I take that extra step for our brothers who can't take that extra step; I push through that extra set of push ups for our friends who can't; I'm putting in the work for all of our folks that can't because we are ONE!
When I'm tired, I continue to walk because I walk for my new friend John, who finished his treatments and prays everything is all good. When my spirits are low, I rejuvenate my spirit for Allen, who had his prostate removed but the cancer came back. I beat cancer because of the millions of people who have been diagnosed with this crap, but need their spirits lifted and need a voice to help. I normally feel good at the beginning of the week, but as the week trends, I become a little weaker, but stronger in spirit because my Prayer Warriors won't allow me to succumb to the radiation side effects. WE stay strong because we have to!!! There is no option! I feel your angels with me, I feel your thoughts and prayers with me, I feel loved....how can cancer defeat us???? It can't! Every text message, get well card, awesome email, beautiful gift, loving hug & cherished prayer crushes the cancer cells, one by one (daily/hourly). Cancer is on the run....thanks to you! These wonderful blessings couldn't occur without you, thus I thank, cherish, appreciate and love you! KCisms 131) Support small, community businesses (every dollar you spend with them goes to keep their lights on, helps employ staff and keeps them in your community) 132) Support local entrepreneurs 133) Be active in your community 134) Help preserve all parks (our kids need them) 135) Love you wife, husband, partner, friends, family and kids like there is no tomorrow Today's Prayer Blessed be the LORD who daily loads us with benefits, God of our salvation PSAML 68:19 Love you for reading my Blog!
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I have had several people ask me how this Cancer journey all began.....so, below is my first post about kicking cancers butt. ********************************************************************************************** I'm really not use to doing stuff like this, however, my beautiful wife (Elisa) thought it would be a good idea to share our victory and journey over this stuff called cancer, thus here I am! Now, before we get in to the meat of this stuff, please understand that there are many other people in our world that are dealing with much worse diseases, illnesses and family trauma then what I'm going through right now. This disease is just a small bump in the road for me and my family. We have decided to go with the Brachytherapy which involves daily radiation, SEEDS (radio active seeds are temporary implanted into the prostate, crush the cancer cells, then are removed - all before I wake up...thank GOD)! These treatments along with Hormone shots (which make any cancer cells outside of the prostate fall into a dormant stage) will help defeat this disease. "They" say side effects are: Extreme fatigue, muscle loss, sleepiness, constant pain and blah blah blah. Side affects for the Hormone shots are hot flashes, moodiness, sensitivity, urinating while sitting down, watching more programs on Bravo, Lifetime Network and "O" and the urge to have brunch with the neighborhood moms & crying when the Titans or Spurs lose (which won't happen that often). With all of that being said, if you are reading this craziness, then my family and I view you as a treasure and valued friend (and part of our family), and appreciate you being on this journey with us. You are loved and appreciated. And, thank you so much for the daily, inspirational text messages. They really keep my spirit smiling and strong. Well, Here We Go! June 18, 2018 Received a phone call from Dr. Still (Primary Physician) stating that my PSA was high and I need to see a urologist immediately. Well, being that I'm not a doctor nor have ever pretended to be one....I didn't know what a PSA was or what it meant. She stated that it's a test on your prostate and that the normal man' PSA is lower than 5 (Prostate specific antigen. A test for PSA may be used to screen for cancer of the prostate and to monitor treatment of the disease. PSA is a protein produced by the prostate gland). Ouch! So, she quickly gave me the name of a great urologist, Dr. David Banks, and I called his office and scheduled a visit. June 21, 2018 I see Dr. Banks at his office, he takes blood, urine, credit card info, first born and everything else possible, and says he will call me back in a few days with his results. June 25, 2018 Dr. Banks contacts me and states that my PSA is 39 and that we need to schedule a biopsy immediately....now I'm getting a little nervous. So, we schedule a Biopsy for July 13th. I'm told the biopsy will take no longer than 15 minutes and I can drive, myself, home afterwards. Okay, so I'm thinking no worries, this will be quick, easy and painless. July 13, 2018 Elisa and I arrive at the office for the biopsy, then they take me into this somewhat chilly room, and I disrobe from waist down. I'm a little nervous, only because I have never had this procedure done and this area of my body has never been invaded or explored as such. Instead of giving you graphic details on the process, lets just say, one of the machines stop working during the actual biopsy, as my pale buttocks is proudly displayed for the entire world to see and there are now two doctors and two nurses in the room trying to fix this damn machine {like it was medical school, except I was the subject :(} Well, needless to say, the 15-minute biopsy went in and out of the window rather quickly. In fact, they spent at least 15 minutes (which seemed more like 45 days) on fixing their malfunctioned machine. After the machine started working, and I lost about 10 pounds due to sweat, they finally finished the exploration of my butt (prostate) and completed the biopsy. I really felt like they should have given me flowers, candy, dinner and a kiss on the cheek (face cheek, not the other cheek), however, what I did receive was a box a moist sanitation wipes to clean myself up. LOL This was by far, the most uncomfortable experience of my life. They say, 8 out of 10 biopsy' go very smooth. Well, guess who was one of the 2 that didn't go smooth.....ME! So, after I get dressed and have a few Gatorade's and crackers, my wife is driving me home. Now, if you know my wife, she drives fairly fast, and this particular instance was no different. She proceeded to fly out of the parking lot, hit a speed bump around 50 MPH and then proceeded to say, "where did that come from." Once my head came back down to my body, I calmly said, "What the' heck are you doing, you're killing me." She slowed down and carefully drove us home. July 18, 2018 The phone rings at 4:47 pm and caller ID says "Georgia Urology." So, I'm really hoping that it's Dr. Banks assistant as that would mean Good News! I pick up the phone, and it's Dr. Banks. I quickly say, "Dr. Banks, why are you calling me? You don't call me on my birthday, anniversary, etc. What's going on?" He says, "Kim, how are you doing? Unfortunately, the test came back as positive for cancer but it is treatable. Your Gleason score is 7 and the cancer is only on the left side of the prostate." He may have said more, but my eyes quickly became cloudy from the tears forming and from momentary deafness, too. He then said his office would call me to set up an appointment to discuss treatment options. After hanging up the phone, it seemed like a lifetime of tears started to drench my sadden face, and Elisa begin to hug me and rub my back. As we poured each others love into our hugs, we simply had to let everything out and then regroup. She began sharing encouraging words of victory of this disease, which really started to reinvigorate my heart, vibe and spirit. Words of encouragement I really needed, as I was thinking, "Why me?", God has blessed me with two outstanding companies, why would he do that and then this?" "What are my children going to do without me?" This is not fair to Elisa, we always said we were going to die together like they did in movie "The Notebook." "How am I going to be able to coach?" "Who's going to run my businesses?" Then, after a few minutes of selfishness, we said, "Let's Go Crush this Stuff as "We Got This." We were not going to allow this to "rock our world." It did "tilt" it just a little bit, but we were not going to allow it to curse GOD, bring a dark shadow on our lives nor give it life! July 19, 2018 Life goes on! We flew to Los Angeles, as Elisa had her Aunt's dinner party to attend and I had meetings in regards to our new company, Halftime Health and attend a former players wedding in San Francisco. It actually felt good seeing friends and talking about our recent diagnosis. I saw former players at Melissa's wedding, but did not share my prognosis, as I didn't want to take away from Melissa and Chris's awesome wedding. But, talking with James, who is a prostate cancer survivor and his wife really helped me understand the process and journey coming our way. My best friend, Chris, who is also a prostate cancer survivor really helped me understand the options that are available and urged me to continue to workout, stay strong (emotionally, physically and spiritually). My childhood friends, Tyron, & Charles, along with my brother-in-laws (Eric, Ricky and Daryl) helped with the positive encouragement as we started to ventured down this unknown cancer road. July 30, 2018 Hardest day of them all - telling our kids about the situation. This was actually harder then me hearing the news - I have cancer. There wear tears, hugs, spreadsheets, How To Beat Cancer website links and more shared with us that day. And, it just reminded me of Why I have To Beat This! I have the greatest family ever!!! August 9, 2018 We met our oncologist team, which is AWESOME! One member of our new team, Gail, has a son in my Halftime Sports basketball program, so when she saw me - it was a happy smile that quickly went south, as she knew why I was there. The team consists of Gail, Cara, Wendy, Nikki and a few other awesome Angels who are the most delightful, wonderful, warming, knowledgeable people you could ever meet. We felt so comfortable and confident with our new team that we cancelled our appointment with the other doctor (prostate removal). August 16th Visit our friends at Dr. McCord's office to get fitted for a lower body mold and have (what they call "tattoos") placed on my left & right hips and lower abdomen. This is where the machine will shoot beams of radiation attacking the cancer cells in my prostate. It is also Elisa's Birthday :) August 22, 2018 I'm so pumped, as today starts my treatment and crushing the cancer in my body. Just received a phone call from Dr. McCord's office that I cannot start my treatments today due to the Insurance company not approving the treatments yet. What a huge bummer! So, I went an ate a Chili Dog....not good for me but it did help me emotional. August 23, 2018 Visit Dr. Banks office to get two Hormone shots in my stomach. I made the mistake of viewing the needles that will be used to inject the hormones into my body and begin to get very nervous. Becca, Dr. Banks assistant, tells me to raise my shirt and breathe out, so I do so while looking up at the ceiling. One shot then two. Not so bad! Well, I felt a little hazy for the rest of the day and now my stomach looks like I'm pregnant with twins. Yuck! The areas where the shots were given are hard and angry, but nothing some Advil can't take care of. August 24, 2018 Having Starbucks drinks with Ashley O, Wendy calls me and tells me all is good and can I come in at 1:30 pm today.....heck yes!!! I meet Cara and the staff at Dr. McCord's office and we go through a "dry run" of the actual procedure. I'm so excited to get this party started, however the reality, that I have Cancer pierces my heart like an arrow and I get a little nervous. But, Amy (my newest team member) takes me through the process like a champion and all is good, except I have to share a locker room with a couple of other men who are much older than me, so I keep my eyes down and focus on getting dress (lol). Stomach still hurts from the Hormone shots. August 27, 2019 THE DAY!!! Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte is back. Thanks Chris C (childhood best friend and Starbucks Executive VP). Well, actually, I'm excited about my forthcoming treatment (and of course Starbucks PSL); my phone is flooded with awesome, positive text messages from former/current players, friends and family. The love is pouring in and my heart is taking it all in. Stomach still hurts from the darn Hormone shots. I get to the Dr, McCord's office, Wendy has me make some payments, Gail provide vivid instructions on what's about to happen, then Amy comes and gets me from the front office. I proceed to change in the "old man" locker room and head to the room with all of the hi-tech machines. The actual treatment last no longer than 20 minutes and doesn't hurt at all (as lady Antebellum is jamming from the room speakers), but just feels weird. Amy helps me off the table, I change and meet Elisa in the waiting room and drive home. We go for our usual walk around Alpharetta/Milton areas and the walk is a little tougher but I powered through it. No Cancer is going to slow me down. Not going to happen. MY HYPERBARIC OXYGEN CHAMBER ARRIVED - THANK YOU NIKKI, SAMIR AND OXY HEALTH. YOU'RE THE BEST! August 28, 2018 WOW! Challenging morning.....first woke up to Sandy kicking the crap out of Sponge Bob and Patrick' butts on Cartoon land, then brushed my teeth, washed my face, and begin puking like a drunk high schooler. May have been a combination of the radiation, Manu Ginobili retiring from my beloved Spurs and not getting enough sleep. But, after that, went and had some of my "Kick Cancer Drink" and went for my am walk around Alpharetta/Milton. The walk went extremely well, and made my body feel much better. Then, received the below pictures from my Halftime Health, VP of Team Services, Chuck Price, in regards to our New company and client (See below). Now, it's 7:35 am and it's time to shower and start my "kick butt" work day. Lets Go Get It! KCisms 126) Give your time to your community 127) Hug someone today 128) Help someone less fortunate than you are today 129) Being successful takes risk 130) Go somewhere you have never been each year Todays Prayer I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you. ISAIAH 46:4 Love you for reading my blog! Good Morning,
Rocked a treadmill workout this morning (30 minutes with running and walking), then went to Publix grocery store, and now starting my work day at 8:00 am. Please pray for my friend Carol DeLapp (breast cancer), and Jackie (young worker at Publix) - who is very nervous about working the cashier station today and hoping to she doesn't get any mean customers. Pray for my friends. KCisms 121) Never underestimate the power of a hug 122) Never underestimate the power of a compliment 123) Do it right the first time 124) Approach Love with passion and desire 125) Call before visiting a friend Today's Prayer Praise be to the LORD, to GOD, our Savior, who daily bears our burdens PSALM 68:19 Good Morning,
Pray you had a wonderful Easter. Family and I went to brunch at The Mercury at Ponce De Leon Market Place and had a great time with each other but the food was horrible. Waaaaaayyyy to expensive for nasty food, but we did thoroughly enjoy each other. I'm still having urinating pains....wish they would go away as it is still uncomfortable to pee.....uuuggghhh. But, all in all, energy level is getting better, not as many "brick" walls throughout the day, walking in the early morning to build my stamina and life is good!!! Make today a great day! KCisms 116) Don't take good health for granted 117) Don't take good friends for granted 118) Don't take your marriage for granted 119) Be happy with what you have 120) Don't try to keep up with the "Jones') Todays Prayer Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 1 CORINTHIANS 13:4 Love you for reading my blog! Good Moring,
So, my day started off at 5:00 am with a phone call from the National Weather Service and Tornado sirens blasting. Elisa and I quickly gathered our shoes, sweats, wallets, and rocky, and proceeded to the basement. Of course, I had to pee before venturing to a safe environment. We stayed in the basement for about 20 minutes before the weather service gave us clearance to go back up stairs as the Tornado warning was over. Made us a little nervous but so happy all is good. Plugging home computers back in and other electrical equipment and starting my day. Ain't no storm going to crush my day. Today's Prayer …..with God all things are possible. MATTHEW 19:26 KCism's 111) Have an emergency "GO" bag prepared (i.e.. can food, clothes, money, etc.) 112) Smile with Love 1113) Be a Blessing to someone today 114) Pray...there is so much power in it 115) Call your mother, father or sibling today Love you for reading my Blog! Happy Wednesday,
Real deal talk, when I urinate it still burns, in fact last night was like having the dragons from Game of Thrones inside of me blowing out flames....but we got through it. When I sit for 15 minutes or more, my hamstrings hurt and it takes a few steps to "shake out" the stiffness and pain, but we got this. Bottom line is - I still have side effects from the Radiation treatments, but I will not let anything get in my way from my family and life goals. Cancer, You Suck! But, I will not let you take over or run my life. I'm going to make each day a GREAT day because I want great days. Not going to let negative people enter my life, as my spirit is filled with love, joy and peace. Today is going to be a great day for you, but it starts with the right mind set. Positive thoughts create positive emotions and vibes. Love on yourself today! You deserve the Best! Today's Prayer Whatever you do, do it with all your heart COLOSSIANS 3:23 KCisms 106) Winners do what losers won't do 107) Leave your life signature on everything you do 108) Do not gossip 109) Do not leave your car keys in the ignition 110) Never tell someone they look tired Love you for reading my blog! Hello my friends,
Hope you are having a great day. I had an incredible weekend with basketball friends & family. Completely exhausted but it was so darn awesome. During the hoops weekend, I had a couple of in-depth conversations with some good friends about character and integrity. And, here are my thoughts; What do people think when they hear your name? Do they think, “Oh, that person is very trustworthy and loyal. Or do they think, “Watch out for that person. He/she will lie, steal and cheat while looking you directly in the eye”? God wants us to be people of integrity, people of honor, people who are loyal and trustworthy. A person of integrity is open and honest and true to their word. He/she says what they mean and mean what they say. There are no hidden agendas or ulterior motives. They don't need an attorney to draft a legal contract to force him/her to fulfill their commitments. People of integrity are the same in "behind closed doors" as they are in the general public. They do what’s right whether anybody is watching or not. If you’ll be faithful and choose integrity in the little things, it will be a great treasure in your life. Be loyal and faithful to your family and friends. Todays Prayer Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; His love endures forever PSALM 107:1 KC'isms 101) Tell someone you love them today 102) Don't run "red" lights 103) Be courteous to other drives 104) Hugs are such energy providers 105) Compliment someone at least once a day Love you for reading my blog! My favorite bible passage is Thessalonians 5:16-18.....Be Joyful always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances.
I say this prayer each day as a reminder of how blessed I am and to let go of any past situations that may have hurt me. Many people don’t fully understand what it means to forget the past. One definition of the word "forget" is "to disregard intentionally, or to overlook." You have to intentionally disregard your past so that it doesn’t keep you from moving forward. But, that means the good and the bad. If we’re not careful, even our past accomplishments can keep us from rising to our potential and can cause us to become complacent. God wants to take us from glory to glory, but if we don’t let go of the old, we’ll never be able to embrace the new. It’s time to stop looking in the rear view mirror. Focus all your energy on moving forward. Trust that God has new levels of peace for us. Trust that He’s working behind the scenes on your behalf. Had a great weekend with my family....enjoying an outing at SunTrust stadium and the Atlanta Braves game. Excited to attend a former players wedding, Lauren Nolte next month. I truly believe a coaches success is based on how many wedding invitations, birthday greetings, school graduations, breakfast invitations, baby announcements, etc. you receive after your players graduate. Proud to say, I have been to three weddings within the past year and have breakfast once a month with former players. Love my hoops girls. Todays Prayer Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed. JOHN 20:29 KCisms 96) Always have plenty of Toilet Paper in all bathrooms 97) Fall asleep to something funny or soothing 98) Give to the homeless (doesn't matter how much, as every little penny counts) 99) Give from your heart (don't worry about where someone is going to spend the money) 100) Take a vacation each year to recharge your spiritual batteries and life Love you for reading my Blog! While at my 9:00 am Mass, a mother and child walked in front of me, and went to the back of the church to be seated. The child let out a loud noise and began to talk (I believe the child is autistic)…..I didn't have a problem with the child or his tone, but I did notice (almost) everyone in the church quickly turn around to look at the kid or see where this loud voice was coming from. I felt bad for the mom, as she was already embarrassed and had many gleaming, unrestful eyes looking at her, as if she just cursed someone in church. As church ended, I made sure to find this mother and her son and took her hand and said, " I'm praying for peace and comfort for you and your son." I just wanted her to know that they were welcome in our house of worship, and hope that I brought a smile to her heart.
I say all of this for one reason, when someone walks into church, meeting or event late.....don't stare at them. In fact, don't even look there way! They already feel uncomfortable and don't need you judging them. Everyone has something going on in their lives, don't add an embarrassing eye to their life. KC'ism 91) Don't take 20 items to the 10 items of less grocery line 92) Answer your phone with a smile 93) Positive energy is contagious 94) Listen more than you talk (learned that from my friend Karch Kiraly) 95) Tell your children you love them at least once a day Today's Prayer Mightier than the waves of the sea is His love for you. PSALM 93:4 Love you for reading my blog! I promise you, a good dose of Cartoons in the morning will start your day off with a smile and loving spirit. Let's make today a GREAT Day!
Today's Prayer Let your light shine before others MATTHEW 5:16 KC'isms 86) Always have Neosporin in your home/apartment 87) Read a good book at least once a year 88) Show your kids love daily 89) Never take away someone's hope, it may be all they have 90) Have a missing tooth fixed Love you for reading my Blog! Are you facing a situation that seems doom and gloom today? God promises that your path will shine brighter and brighter as you seek His truth and righteousness in every situation. Righteousness means to be in "right standing" with God. Being in right standing with God is about submitting your love and life to Him. It's about obeying His commands and seeking His plan for your life on a daily basis.
It pleases Him when you study your Bible and talk to Him in prayer. God's Word will guide you in every decision you have to make. No matter what challenges come your way today, take time to ask the Lord to shine His glorious light on your thoughts and spirit. Ask Him to shine the light of His Word in your heart so that you can clearly see the next step to take. God shined is glorious light on my son and I this past weekend as we spent four great days in San Antonio....home of the San Antonio Spurs, Riverwalk and great people. As you know, I have had a fairly challenging 9 months but my journey has opened my eyes and cleansed my heart. I don't take advantage of each day that is granted to me, yet I relish in the glory of the day that is upon me and cherish every waken moment. Elisa and I have been blessed to be able to go the NFL Super Bowl game, NBA All Star and are setting our hearts and spirits on some more travel. My son Chase surprised me (Christmas gift) with two tickets to the San Antonio Spurs game (which was the Manu Ginobili Jersey Retirement Ceremony), and thanks to an awesome former player now working with the NBA Office in New York (Ilene), for upgrading our tickets to lower level. But, it would not have mattered where I was sitting.....I was in the Spurs house with mi Familia. So, I say to my Spurs family, "Ole ole ole ole ole...Maannnnuuuu Maannnuuu, Ole ole ole ole ole....Maannnuuuu, Maannnuuuu! The weekend was filled with Spurs fans, which I had never experienced, since the only time I see them play is in Atlanta (Hawks games, and there are only Hawks fans and me), love, great conversations with Chase and love everywhere. We were greeted by the most incredible, free spirited woman you could possibly meet (Sonia) who provided us with lots of complimentary treats, and service - a complete blessing to us, as she didn't have to do all of the great things she did. Just an awesome spirit. We were able to be amongst thousands of our Spurs family and watch the Spurs defeat the Cavaliers and enjoy Manu's Jersey Retirement Ceremony. At times, I felt like crying, as I was so happy to be in this environment, and so lucky to enjoy these special moments with my son, who I don't see that often because he works and lives in Seattle. I will forever cherish this past weekend, as spending it with my son and Spurs family was incredible. I want to thank all of my friends at Hilton Hotels (Jennifer E, Sonia, Victor, and more) for their service, professionalism, thoughtful smiles and warm hearts. Chase Coleman and San Antonio, you made a dream come true and I thank & love you. Today's Prayer To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven. ECCLESIATES 3:1 KC'ism's 81) Leave the toilet seat down 82) Learn to listen 83) Remember people's name 84) Introduce yourself to someone knew at least once a day 85) Have a "Bucket" list Love you for reading my blog! |
AuthorWas diagnosed with Prostate Cancer on July 18, 2018 which may have crushed someone's soul and spirit. However, it did the opposite, as I already knew GOD had claimed my victory over this disease and was using me as an instrument to others who suffer from this deadly disease. Archives
August 2019
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