.....Is the new friends and experiences that you have as a result of the treatment. Either through support groups, or doctors and nurses, or those that use my blog as a way of finding strength for their own war against this horrible disease, or people I met in the various triathlons and half marathons I decided to run just to prove that I'm in charge of my life, or volunteer groups I became involved with when I was recovering and had time to help out, or old friends who came to me when I needed them.
I have a long list of friends that I love being with - people I probably wouldn't have known at all were it not for lymphoma.
I was thinking about this earlier this morning when I was out jogging - I run every Saturday morning with the doctor who initially diagnosed me. The first time I met him was when I turned up with classic lymphoma symptoms and he got the ball rolling on the diagnosis.
It's funny how what might be a horrendous diagnosis to begin with turns out to be a blessing in many ways.
I'm not a drinker anymore, but if I was I would raise a glass to all my friends, old and new, who make my life so enjoyable.
