October, 2008

My son, Dylan, turned 11 weeks old on Monday.  Wow! I can't believe it! I'm flabbergasted at how quickly he's growing and changing. 

He's moved into the stage where he's very awake and wide-eyed, taking everything in.  He's has a smile that melts my heart and makes us giggle.  Of course, I'll do anything to get a smile out of him, including la-la-la-ing, bo-bo-bop-ing, and dancing a jig.  It usually works.  I get a huge grin and a coo out of him and I'm satisfied for at least 5 minutes.

Being a father is such a joy!

I always knew I wanted to be a father.  Cancer put a bit of a damper on things in my 20's.  There was a possibility that the chemo would make me sterile, a challenge many young men face when they decide to go for chemo or radiation. 

I remember after being diagnosed, I decided to make a deposit at the sperm bank.  Wow, that was fun! 

BTW (gentlemen) - don't let your mom take you to the sperm bank! Ask ANYONE else to take you!  NOT your mother.  My two cents.

In my 20's I thought preserving my sperm was a pretty stupid idea.  I'd figure something out later, I thought to myself.  Plus I had to pay $200 a year to store my stash, a lot of money for a student.

In hindsite, even though I never had to use it, the deposit was money well spent.

I try to spend some quality time with Dylan everyday.  He brings us more joy than I ever thought possible.  I used to think parenthood was a burden.... and a lot of hard work.  Well, it is a lot of work, but most people forget to tell you how much fun and rewarding it is. 

If you're a young adult with cancer, I hope you get to have kids.  It makes the battle worth while.

Namaste,

Michael