In one of my first few columns, I discussed how I liked my old normal and was adamantly opposed to accepting a new normal now that I had cancer.

It's been well over two years since then, and I've had time to reconsider that position, and whether it might be in my best interest to establish a new normal.

Specifically, as the euphoria of reaching a complete response and getting off treatment has worn off over the past several …

I have only once gone to a support group meeting.  Earlier this year, I attended a meeting at the local Gilda's Club because I thought Beacon columnist Pat Killingsworth was going to be attending as a guest lecturer, and I was looking forward to meeting him.  Unfortunately, the calendar on the group's website was in error, and Pat had actually been there a few months before.

Most cancer patients in the United States are probably familiar with Gilda's Club, but …

Karen Crowley's most recent Beacon column titled "Live Like You Are Living" struck a chord with me.

In the column, she discussed how some cancer patients meet their disease head on, how they want to live each day to their fullest and not give in, and how they're admired for doing so.

She countered this with the position that it's also okay to feel sorry for yourself, and that we may not always want to, or be able to, …

I recently had my first quarterly checkup since completing my treatment earlier this year. My lab results showed that everything (red and white blood cell counts, immunoglobulins, etc.) was back in the normal range, or very close to it, and there was no sign of M-proteins. The doctor indi­cated I looked to be in great shape and wished he were as fit as I am.

As a side note, when people say they wish they were as fit as I …

I recall first encountering the word 'potpourri' as a category on the game show Jeopardy when I was a kid.  I wasn't sure what the word meant because the an­swers that came up in that category never seemed to have anything in common.

Years later, I came across jars of foul-smelling bits of dried plants that were also called potpourri.  My curiosity was roused because I had no idea how this related to what I had seen on Jeopardy. So …

In my February column, I discussed my decision to forego maintenance therapy and go drug free following the conclusion of my initial treatment.  I closed the column with the statement "I have made my decision, and good, bad, or indif­fer­ent, I will live with it."

A bold, confident statement and one I still stand behind.  However, in the weeks since ending my treatment, it's also one that I think will be easier said than done.

It's difficult not to …

Most (if not all) of us know that treating cancer is not cheap.

During my first year of treatment, my insurance was billed approximately $250,000, which covered blood tests, x-rays, bone marrow biopsies, stem cell collection, appointments, infusions, and other various and sundry expenses throughout the year.  Since I was part of a clinical trial, the costs of Revlimid (lenalidomide) and Kyprolis (carfilzomib) were not billed, otherwise the cost would have been almost doubled.

During my …