Help Vinay & Sameer

The poet W.H. Auden nicely captured the spirit of Thanksgiving when he wrote that, in prayer, it’s best to quickly get past the begging and on with the gratitude part. He also wrote, “let all your thinks be thanks.”

This Thanksgiving, I can do nothing but this. It’s feels odd to think that it was only a few months ago, in May, that doctors told me I was gravely ill. One doctor even told me, “I won’t have you dying on my watch!”, prompting me to wonder what he was really saying since he would be rotating off my team in ten days.

But months have now passed and I’m still here. Not only am I here, but feeling as healthy as a horse. (Well, almost. My first leg workout this year last Saturday almost knocked me totally out of commission all week! It also landed me in trouble with my family and doctors since, combined with some dehydration and fatigue on Sunday, it led to shivers, chills, and a temporary fever.) Most importantly, I’m on the road to a full cure, something that will be marked by 3 years (2 years, 10 months to go!) of no relapse.

My thanks this year is for all of this amazing fortune, and for the miracle of a last-minute bone marrow match. But, more than anything, for what has made it all possible: God, my incredible wife, my loving family, and, of course, all of YOU who saved my life.