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It Hurts (Poem)

  I’ve been thinking a lot about my mom lately; she passed away in November, 2010.  This is for her.   when I was five and life was a song of excitement and innocence the world was full of mystery and I had never felt the pain of hurt or loss of any kind    and then one day a playmate pushed me right off the swing you picked me up   brushed me off    told me not to cry ‘mommy,’ I said, ‘it hurts’ when I was sixteen and in love for the  first time to a young Cuban girl I felt like     an adult doing adult things dates and kissing and groping and late-night phone calls with the cord stretched and twisted through the house  and under my door    and then one day she left me for another teenage crush and I felt world-ending anguish  burning, hot, consuming as only a teenager can feel them you held me close    told me I’d be ok ‘but mom,’ said I, ‘it hurts.’ when I was thirty-five at the end of my marriage holding on to it with desperate and futile hands trying to be a good father to my sons who put me on a pedestal high enough  to rival the gods I fought depression  […]

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The BinaryBiker is a Candy Striper

Today was my first shift as a volunteer at the UPMC Hillman Cancer Center in Pittsburgh. I’ve been wanting to give back for a while now.  I’ve struggled with cancer awareness and activism, because it always made me feel a little . . . vain.  It makes me feel self-conscious.  I don’t want to be […]

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Sturgis 2013 Photo Gallery

I took a lot of photos on my journey from Orlando, Florida to Sturgis, South Dakota.  Enjoy.  Click on any thumbnail to see the full picture.

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Ron Sparks, 2013

Unbowed, Unbeaten, and Alive

My Scar my scar – etiolate; but my vigor remains I stand unbowed, unbeaten, and alive © Ron Sparks, 08/24/13 Over 41,000 people in the United States will be diagnosed with oral cancer in 2013.  That’s a lot of people and we’re now finding out that one of the leading causes of oral cancer, in addition […]

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You’re Lucky To Be Alive

You’re lucky to be alive. Sometimes you take it for granted, even with the constant reminder that greets you every morning in the mirror. A jagged 10-inch scar running from your left ear all the way down your neck is the most visible, and yet the least significant, scar you have. You can’t feel the […]

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Animal Crossing, City Folk

How a Video Game – Wii’s “Animal Crossing” – Helped me Cope with Cancer

I was home alone every day with a deadly disease ravaging my body and trying to take my life from me.  My children were in school, my disabled parents were unable to visit me, my wife was at work – providing me the insurance that was saving my life, my brother was working every day, […]

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My New tattoo - the Phoenix

Binary’s New Tattoo

I am a cancer survivor.  In August 2008 I was diagnosed with Head and Neck cancer, and an incredible and grueling journey began.  A journey that included surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, depression, fatigue, hopelessness, anger, despair, and a forced view of my mortality. It was also a journey of hope, love, compassion, understanding, and renewed vigor for life.  When death […]

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Cancer is a Terrorist

On September 11, 2001 a group of determined terrorists shocked, horrified, and angered the nation by killing over 2,000 people on our own soil.  America found out that where we thought we were safest, we were vulnerable.  We learned that where we thought ourselves strong, we were weak.  It was a critical blow to our […]

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United HealthCare & Florida Hospital Dispute Almost Cancels My PET Scan

I had my six-month PET scans this morning.  If these scans come back clean, I will officially be two years into remission.  I am, as you can imagine, terribly anxious to get the results.  I should get a call from my doctor’s office tomorrow with the result.  Until then, I will be one big bundle […]

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The Illusion of Control

We pretend we have control over things all the time.  We do it so often that we don’t even think about it.   We don’t worry about getting in a fatal car accident because we can control the outcome through our habits and the protective gear we buy, right? We don’t stress overmuch about choking on […]

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