Today ends my best "feeling" week in over 2 1/2 months.  I feel strong, vibrant and at ease.  Although, I still struggle at night with getting a deep rest, and fatigue throughout the day, my body is handling the radiation and my spirit remains positive and effervescent.  I dedicate Today and the entire journey to my friends who are struggling with Cancer, in general.  I walk for you today.  I work out for you today.  I love for you today.  I fight for you today.  I pray for you today.  Our prayer warriors are with you......you are not alone in this fight.....you can do this!  #WeGotThis together.

I know some days are more challenging than others but we are in this fight together.  Know that we are praying for you and sending our Angels to be with you today and everyday.  Our Angels are warriors and straight up ballers that will help you and your fight.

Although I'm done with my radiation treatments, my battle is still not complete.  It's a long journey to health but WE are heading down the faithful, right path.  

Love you for reading my blog.

​Dear Cancer,
I know you're feeling kind of low right now as you have lost some of your cellmates over the past 8 weeks due to my Oncology friends and GOD!  Coming into this, you didn't expect a battle as you are undefeated vs. the Coleman family.  You viscously took my mother (Iris), brother (Wylie), sister (Jackie), Uncle (Howard), Nephew (Tyrone), grandmother (Gertrude); and attempted to take my best friends (Arthur and Chris, but were unsuccessful) so I understand your unwavering confidence.  In sports terms, you're 6-2.

Well, what you didn't know was I have been preparing for you my entire life.  Your reign over the Coleman family ends now!  You thought this was going to be a Mike Tyson fight from the 80's (a quick shot to the gut and down goes your opponent).  NOPE!  Ain't happening here!

Let me say this with clarity and conviction, Cancer Be Gone!  Your days of bullying the Coleman's are over.  You are not wanted here, thus you better enjoy the cozy confines of my prostate for a just a little while longer, as you will have to take up a new residence soon.  Get use to seeing my new friends, "Mr. Radiation and Mr. SEEDS," as they are there to kick your butt and provide you with an eviction notice. 

GOD has claimed this victory over you!  We will celebrate your eviction with a new tattoo on my left tricep, some butter pecan ice cream, a fried crustwich (from CRUST), and a nice glass of some good old fashion Kentucky Bourbon (not necessarily in that order, well, what the heck, maybe in that order).  Hey Cancer, "see ya and wouldn't want to be ya."

As a believer in Jesus, remember you are a new creation. You have a new spirit and a new life! There may be “old” things in your life that you are trying to get rid of. Maybe you have old habits that you want to change or people who are not a positive influence on your life (who need to be removed from your inner circle of friends). Remember today that the new has come. It’s time for you to be the new you. Let this be the day that you take hold of all the spiritual blessings the Lord has promised—peace, health, protection and victory.
Be encouraged today because no matter what is happening in your life right now, you have a chance for a new beginning. Choose to leave the old behind—leave behind old behaviors, old thinking, old words and old mindsets, and embrace the new by faith. 

Love you for reading my blog.

​There’s nothing more powerful than your faith. When you believe, when you expect things to change, when you know what God started He will finish, when you live with expectancy, that’s what activates His power.

Below is a recap of the beginning of my new journey battling cancer.

Hello,
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) and father-on-law (Eugene) 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!

​God never said we would understand everything along the way. He didn’t promise that there wouldn’t be any pain, suffering, disappointments. But He did promise that it would all work out for our good.

The last treatment is complete however the journey continues.  The side effects will linger for another 45-60 days, but the victory party is near.  The past two months have been very challenging but I have become a better man, husband, father, coach and friend because of this small obstacle.

I am so thrilled that my treatments are complete but sad that I will not see my (new) friends at Dr. McCord's office.  They are always so light hearted, sweet, funny and simply put, "they take your mind off of you being sick."  They are truly special people.  Before leaving the office, Gail, presented me with an autographed basketball signed by the staff, along with my uniform (robe).  And, of course, I couldn't hold it in - I CRIED!  It was tears of love, joy and appreciation, as everyone there has treated me with respect and love.  Words cannot express my love for them.  Alex R (Head Coach at Oglethorpe University) has extended an invitation to Dr. McCord and his team to attend a game, so we can honor them for their undying, unwavering, positive effect they had on me and others in our community.

​Elisa and I catered their lunch today, as a small token of our appreciation and love for them.  Thank you Kea and Bruce (Grouchy's) for handling the food, and catering for us.

Well, since we are talking about food, what does one eat when their treatments are complete?  A big steak?Juicy hamburger?  Nope, Of course, a grilled cheese sandwich and french fries :)

Today' Challenge
Don't let anyone dictate your day.......you want to have a great day, then make it GREAT!

Love you for reading my blog 

​Most times, it’s not the big events in life or the big breaks that get us where we need to be, it’s the little things that move us forward in the good things God has planned for us. There are three things you can do every day that can change the course of your life;

#1, expect God’s goodness. Get up every day looking for God’s favor, thank God for waking up and being able to live the day.

#2, recognize God’s goodness. There are no coincidences in life, no lucky events or breaks. It’s all the goodness of God. 

#3, always thank God for His goodness. Anytime something good happens, big or little, give God the glory. “Lord, thank You for that idea. Lord, thank You for my meal.”  Even, will challenges comes your way, thank God, as the challenge will draw you closer to him and make you a better person.

Also, I ask for your favor, please pray for Hailey (Gallbladder surgery), Carol D (College school mate - with Lymphoma) and for all the families in the path of Hurricane Michael.  Please give them a shout out in your prayers today.

Today, is #27 Radiation treatment out of 28.  The race to the end begins!  Love you for reading my blog.

Your Challenge
Do something nice for someone you do not know.

Sometimes, we ask why do bad things happen to good people, and good things happen to bad people.  Well, it's simply a part of life and has been this way since the creation of our world.  I see ungodly people experiencing wealth, health and other material things that makes you scratch your head and say, "Why."  But, as I have matured over the years (Elisa will disagree with the maturity comment), I have learned to not worry about others and their materials, but focus on my God, and my spirit and soul.  When the storm hit our family a few months ago, we went directly to GOD.  He can move any mountain and problem, as my God is much bigger than my problems.

Where do YOU go when the storms of life come? Where do you go for comfort and safety? Some people find it easy to turn to their friends, their job, or even chocolate bars. There’s nothing wrong with any of those things, but God wants us to turn to Him first. He wants us to seek Him. He longs to protect us, defend us and give us His strength. We serve a good God, and when we take solace in Him, He will pour out His abundant blessing in our lives.
​
Last night, we were blessed to have our long time friends, Jack, Jodi, and Alex with us and a drive by from Jack and Vicki Merkle.  An awesome night filled with fun, laughter, great conversation and love.  And, Charlotte and Elisa rocked the food (it was AMAZING).  Thanks to our friends, Spalla's, for the Mac and Cheese (made my stomach very happy). A night of happiness for all.  Good things do happen to Good people.

Love you for reading my blog today! :)

So, the hard part about having cancer isn't having sleepless nights, or constant fatigue, or continuing burning when urinating or constant pain reminding you of the cancer or losing muscle mass or weight gain (in the wrong areas), or the radiation and seeds treatments, but it is having to tell your kids and family - You have Cancer!  Back in the day, Cancer was considered a "death sentence", meaning if you had the disease you pretty much were going to die.  Our Coleman family experienced cancer and the destruction it caused via my mom, brother, sister, nephew, uncle and grandmother.

Having to tell our kids and family was the most difficult thing of them all.  There were tears, heartache, and sorrow, however after discussing with each one (kid) how we were going to attack the cancer - came much relief and joy.  Our whole perspective, from the beginning, has been crush this disease with joy, positive energy, fellowship, great doctors and nurses, and love.  Thus, we embark on our last three sessions this week, and the Celebration will begin!  Unfortunately, the side effects will linger for another 45-60 days, but it is something that we are prepared to handle and deal with.

Today, I'm feeling fairly good with some positive energy.  Waiting for my grilled cheese sandwich for lunch and my long time friends, Jack, Jodi, Alex Richey and Charlotte Y (neighbor and great family friend) to come by our house and have some dinner, drinks and college football (later this evening). Life is really good and despite this small challenge, I am truly blessed!  The Coleman house will be filled with love as usual. 

Thought for today;
Today, know that the wind of God is blowing. This is your season. This is your time to believe again. Believe that God can open doors that no man or woman can close. Believe that He is working behind the scenes for you. Believe that it’s your season; it’s your time, and get ready to embrace every blessing He has in store for you!  Because they are coming!!!

Challenge for Today;
Do something nice for someone you do not know.  It could be as simple as opening a door for someone, or giving $5 to a homeless person, or complimenting a stranger on their outfit.

​Love you for reading my blog today.

Today, I embark on my #24 radiation session!  The treatments are taking it's toll on my body, just a little, as I have lost some muscle mass, I fatigue a lot faster and longer, and I'm just a step slower.  But, with that being said, I'm still crushing this illness and look forward to our celebration party soon.  

Thank you for all of your love, support and prayers, as we crush this Cancer crap.

Well, #23 today and I'm so ready.  Feeling  a little fatigued, but better than most days.  Had a great workout this am, solid breakfast and crushing work activities for now.  Still painful when urinating, but the pain is easing up some.  Can't stop thinking about Grilled Cheese Sandwich for lunch (crazy). More to come!

Today is very hazy and foggy but still rocking through it.  Just feel a little off today, although, my friends will tell you that's a daily occurrence.   The Seeds procedure still has me very sore and lethargic but knowing I'm close to the finish has me pumped up.  Planning on having some friends (Coach Alex, Jack, Jodie, Mara, Kat) at the house this Saturday for some pre celebration food, drinks, college football and basketball talk.  Gonna be fun.  More info to come.  Love today!

Treatment 22 down!!!  I feel a half step slow today but all is good.

Session #21 is in the books. So, close to session #28 and finalizing my journey and chapter on these treatments.  Feeling solid today, little hazy, but doing alright.  Still sore from SEEDS procedure, but thankful there are no more of those thangs!!!

Was able to get out a little bit this past weekend; had a great meal at Pure with Elisa, saw White Boy Ricky (movie) and enjoyed my Titans beating the NFL Defending Champs 26-23 in OT.  Let's Go!

Before I answer the question, I want to thank Lauren Nolte (former Coach Kim baller) and her fiance, Kallen, for visiting me at the house and their awesome card and gift card, as well as Roswell High School Head Coach, Ty Philips and crew for coming by this weekend, too.  Special thanks to Etowah Basketball family for their thoughtful, inspiring card and gift card and my former college hoops teammate, Mike Rich, for his heartfelt card and Alison G for her cookies and cheese.  Much love to all of you.

The questions is....What is it like to have Cancer?  Well, when I was first diagnosed, I felt a wide array of emotions and feelings; sad, scared, mad, angry, defeated, ashamed, embarrassed, nervous, dirty, etc.  A world wind of emotions run rampant through your heart and mind, and nothing really makes since.  You are scared because you never want to leave your family.  I felt like Elisa was getting the short end of the life stick, as I was cutting our relationship short. You think of lots of crazy things, in such a short time period, but then you regain your composure, put on your big boy pants and buck up!

You quickly realize that this is just a small bump in the road, and it's time to crush this alien inside your body. 
You appreciate every step with your wife 
You love every tone in her voice
You listen & love every word your kids speak
You treasure every moment with family and friends
You love every visit from former players
You love every text message from former players, family members and friends
You constantly feel sluggish, but don't allow it to affect your day to day life
You feel constant pain, but you ignore the pain and continue rocking each day like it's your last day
You eat lots of Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
You appreciate every card, and gift given to you by caring and loving family and friends
You notice how soft your wife' hands are when you hold them
You enjoy a nice Bourbon, on the porch, with friends
You walk a little slower to enjoy the surroundings
You still get excited when the Tennessee Titans win!
You still root as hard as possible for the San Antonio Spurs to win!
You remove negative spirited people out of your life (i.e. Allen Whitehart) :)
You taste radiation (metal) constantly 
You endure painful SEEDS procedures because the end game is Your VICTORY!
You get to meet awesome people, like Walter Dean, who is at the beginning stages of his prostate cancer journey, and help him get through his treatments
You meet "Angels" at Dr. McCord's office who help you through every step of the way
You become Best Friends with Ice Packs
You still workout when your body says No
You listen to your father-in-law
You love sitting on your porch with your wife and just talking
You tell your friends and family, "I love you" every day

​I LOVE YOU!