Happy Anniversary

Today is my anniversary. Actually, my "multiversary"...

Eight years ago today, I wed the only love of my life, Pooh.

We dated for almost four years before getting married, mostly because she kept turning me down (maybe I'll blog on those events sometime). For now, it's sufficient to say that the last eight years have been the greatest years of my life, thanks entirely to this wonderful woman. She is my stability, my rock, my comfort, my confidant, my true love. Happy anniversary, Pooh!

We haven't always been able to truly "celebrate" our anniversaries. Just a few weeks after proposing, after a freak accident on the basketball court, doctors discovered my brain cancer. We went through with the marriage, quite uncertain about what the future may hold. It wasn't long before we knew...and on April 29th, 2001, I spent our first wedding anniversary in pre-op, getting ready for my first brain surgery.

The surgery was done at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center's Maxine Dunitz Neurosurgical Institute, by a genius named Dr. Keith Black. It was successful -- and really, how many newlywed couples with our income get to spend their anniversary in Beverly Hills? The accommodations weren't impressive and I had just a little headache, but the company was perfect...and, I was cancer-free.

For a while, anyway. April 29th, 2005 -- four years later, almost to the day -- we were back in Beverly Hills, but we weren't on vacation. My cancer had returned with a vengeance, larger and more aggressive, and I had my second major brain surgery (by the way, is there such a thing as "minor" brain surgery? Anyway...) on April 28th, 2005, the day before my fifth wedding anniversary. Like my turban?

54 Staples and feeling fine!

Six months later, I ran my first marathon...and Pooh ran the second half with me. Nothing impressive -- 4:47 -- but not bad, just six months after a lobotomy!

Here we are, April 29th, 2008. Through eight anniversaries, I've spent half of them either in surgery or on chemotherapy. It's been eight years since marrying the love of my life. Seven years since my first brain surgery. Three years since my second brain surgery. The cancer is back, and I'm going through another twelve rounds of chemotherapy. Pooh is still by my side, and we have a new reason to run -- our little Monkey:

Like my Pooh, she's just gorgeous. Happy Anniversary, Pooh...you are my love and my life. Thank you for the last eight years. Thank you for modeling truly unconditional love to me. Thank you for our little Monkey. And thank you for running with me -- we have many miles yet to go, side by side.