Another Negative PET

Another negative PET scan. I feel blessed to be here. It is hard to believe just a year ago I was going through chemo full force.

I have been finishing up a bunch of recording and songwriting projects before school starts. A lot of my friends have come to Nashville to visit this summer; I have been very happy to see them!

I also have finally begun my thesis research after being approved by the IRB at TSU.

Here are some books I have read and enjoyed this summer:

Life Is A Gift by Bob and Judy Fisher
The Power of Intention by Wayne Dyer
Critical Choices That Change Lives Castro
You Call The Shots Cameron Johnson
Making Records Phil Ramone
Mad Money Jim Cramer
How We Got The Bible Graham

My illness has helped me simply life a lot. I learn more and more each day that this life is about people and relationships. Relationships with people you respect and admire. I have gotten to the point where I don’t want to do any activity in life by myself; I want loved ones around me. That is why I enjoy Nashville so much, both Belmont and the music industry are primarily communities of great people that love and respect one another.

It is true that everyone needs reflective time by themselves as well, but I find I need less and less. I want to give more and take less. Perhaps this is a sign of growing older, perhaps it is a lesson from my illness.

And in some ways, my illness has shaken up my life a lot. You will notice in this blog that there are no pictures of Meghan. I still care for her very much and will always cherish her light in my life during a very trying period. She is on my mind and heart every day and she deserves the best in this life.

Another PET scan down...and my trip to NYC

I went in to Vandi this Thursday 4/10/08 for my 2nd follow up PET/CT scan. The preliminary results look good. I still have a few small spots in my left lung, which the doctors think is residual from my pneumonia infection. All spots have disappeared on the right lung.

God has chosen to give me another 120 days until my next PET scan and I am thankful for that.

I have included some pictures in this blog from my recent Spring Break trip to NYC. Meghan and I went shopping, saw a musical, saw the town and even went to Cleopatra’s needle where I sat in on drums with the band and did a drum solo Davey T style (the first pic)! The last pic below is me with Dr. Oteal. Dr. O was the first person that diagnosed me in the Emergency Room last March. God's hand was on him that day...the other pics besides NYC are in the studio with Jody's group last month.











As I have mentioned before, this whole illness makes you think a little differently about life. Life for me has become more about the moment than the past or future. Family and friends are more important. I am trying to see some old friends this summer instead of working the entire time. Post illness questions that I still struggle with include...Is life short? Is life long? How should I plan?

I have really been inspired by Randy Pausch. I bought his DVD "Achieving Childhood Dreams". I can relate to a lot of what he says in his last lecture.

We only have 26,280 days or less in this lifetime. Eighty years goes by fast, the older you get, the faster it moves.

I recently spoke to a very warm friend on myspace. I have included my response here not to be self-righteous, but because it helps me document my evolution as a human being. Here it is:
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How I did I get to the person I am now?

First of all, I always think of the picture that the astronauts took of earth from the moon. We (and all our problems) are very small in the scheme of things. So that’s the first rule, don’t worry and enjoy every moment.
www.geography4kids.com/.../moonearth.html

Secondly, I attribute my success to God in my life. I pray all the time to ask his will for my life. God put us all on this earth for a mission, it might be small or large, but he gave us a purpose. Many don’t believe this, but I don’t believe anyone’s life us just an accident.

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.” - Nelson Mandella

From your pictures, it looks as though you have respect for beauty and God’s creation, which is the first step to success!

I believe I have succeeded in music because it is one of the things left in life that is still a mystery. Science has taken the humanity and feeling out of a lot of things, but not authentic music (yet). What makes a good piece of music good or have feeling? What is the formula? Etc. These are the kinds of things that challenge me to keep exploring God’s universe.

I love creating. True, many times there is nothing “new” under the sun, but creativity is one of the unique gifts given to humans. Animals can communicate but not create, that is man’s domain. Think of the cave paintings at Lascaux. That is why it is a gift to explore everyday.

Your job has to be your passion. Once again, life is too short to do otherwise. You need to feel like you wake up everyday and go to “play” (as opposed to going to “work”). This ties into your purpose again.

I always ask new people I meet, “what would you do on a daily basis if you won 50 million in the lottery?” and/or “What would you do if you were given 4 weeks to live?” Nine times out of ten you can tell people’s true passions from the way they answer these two questions. As an aside, this, in my view is why society is so ill, 1) people don’t follow their intuition and passions and so they never self-actualize (Maslow) and are basically lying to themselves and 2) people don’t put their problems and life in the hands of God and others and try to do everything themselves, i.e. selfishness.

I also set goals. I have a list of daily, short term and long term goals. Each dovetails into each other. If I knock even a few items off my daily goals during the week, it gets me closer to my l/t goals. It is akin to working out…if you work a muscle just a little bit everyday you will have amazing strength down the road. This gets me closer to God’s ultimate purpose for my life. I believe practicing an instrument daily gave me this kind of discipline, which you are also aware of.

My parents also encouraged me and supported me through my process of exploration and education.

Books-wise I would recommend:
The Bible
Critical Choices That Change Lives – Daniel Castro (I just finished this one, it rocks!)
7 Habits-Stephen Covey
Unstoppable by Cynthia Kersey
Think & Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill
How to Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie
The Power of Now (Lorena got me onto this one)

Thanks for letting me explore, this was also helpful to me. I wish you luck and send you prayers on your journey.

Dave

My first checkup

Happy New Year! I am writing again to update everyone on my status in case I haven't emailed you back. Meghan and I met with both my oncologist and radiation oncologist on Wed 1/9 and they have given me a negative on my first PET/CT scan! I do have an abnormal PET Scan because of a inflamed spot near the bottom of my right lung, but the doctors have indicated that it is most likely due to swelling caused by radiation and not from cancer.

My next doctors appointment is in March and then I will have another scan in April.

Meghan and I would like to give praise to Our Lord and Savior for the incredible healing that he has done. I know that we have had a lot of prayers for us and we are so blessed to have such a community of family and friends. I can not say this enough, thank you for everything you have done for us this past year. You have been an incredible gift.

Dave and Meghan