Michael talks perspective

What is perspective?  I guess it’s the way we look at life and appreciate what we have. It seems like this past year I have been given a lot of perspective on life and I have had no choice but to accept it. For a normal person, waking up every day and being cancer free is not something that would even cross their mind, not something they would even think about or have to acknowledge, but for me it is something I have to acknowledge every single day and be appreciative of. Life is not back to anywhere near normal for me or anywhere near where I want it to be, but it could be worse. I have a lot ahead of me in the next year, which includes at least 6 months of ECP treatment for my GVHD. Which sucks. It is not what I want but these are the cards I have been dealt. I have no choice but to keep on marching on and keep on fighting. I am constantly being knocked down and teaching myself to get back up, knowing that I will be knocked down again, and knowing that there is no set date for my health to return. Knowing that I have to take every day as it is and knowing that I cannot live in the future and just wait for this year end. I must live now because no matter my limitations life is still going on and the world is not going to stop just because I cannot do much because of my immunity and health issues. I always knew that life after transplant would be very trying and difficult mentally because of the limitations of what I can do until I gain immunity again, but I did not know it would be this long, this intense and this difficult. But it has been. Upon my diagnosis, I was so sure that after my transplant I would be fine and back to a normal life in no time, but here I am 10 months later and it seems the universe has other plans for me. I have been taught so much perspective in this past year and have learned things that people do not learn until they are too old to do something about it. As a 20 year old fighting every day for my life I have learned that health is never guaranteed and neither is anything else in life. I see people complain daily on social media about the world’s smallest problems, and it tends to frustrate me, like why are some people just not grateful enough for what they have? I would do almost anything to be in their position and have the health and immunity they have, but I would never trade positions with anyone or ever want to change my perspective and view on life, because all I have gone through has changed me and made me someone I never thought I would or could be. I am told that I am an inspiration to others because of my strength and perseverance during such a difficult and intense time in my life. I never thought I would be here in this situation with loads of health issues and a future that is not guaranteed, I was a healthy athlete who did everything he could to not have health issues, I never smoked because I did not want lung issues, I barely if ever drank, because I did not want liver issues, I never did anything bad for my heart because I never wanted heart issues. Yet here I am at 20 years old, getting pulmonary function tests every 3 months to test my lungs because of all the chemo and radiation I received, here I am with liver issues because of the GVHD I have in my liver, and here I am with a higher risk of heart disease because of radiation. My point here is that life is unpredictable and that sometimes we have to look at how lucky we really are. I will take all these health issues on and be fine with them, as long as I know my family and friends will still have me here, as long as I know that my fight is helping motivate others and give them a new perspective on life and can make people inspired to do everything they can to be the best person they can be. The fact that I am alive today after reading about my diagnosis and health issues is rather insane. It’s just a weird thing to think about, people can be completely healthy and then have a freak accident and pass away, for example what are the odds of dying from falling and tripping as compared to getting cancer? I am pretty sure most people would rather take their chances and not choose the option of cancer, but life works in weird ways and anything can happen to anyone at anytime. So my point is my situation is not the best, but I still have hope, I still am alive, and I still feel good, despite the gigantic pills I have to swallow every day, the constant hospital treatments/ tests/ admissions, and so much more that goes along with my health every day that people take for granted, I am still here, and I am still writing, and I am still smiling, so make sure today you take a good look in the mirror and tell everyone you love and appreciate how much you really care for them, because life is truly about perspective and when life slaps you in the face and constantly knocks you down you have no choice but to get back up stronger every time.