Life Is Too Precious - Part II

I just got an sms from the player who underwent a surgery to remove his cancerous intestine. I immediately called him to find out how he was doing. He told me that his cancer was at Stage 1. He went into surgery at 9.30am and was finally wheeled back to his ward at 6pm. He is going to be on IV for the next five days as direct food intake is obviously out of the question for him after the surgery. The prospect for full recovery is good but he will only get full explanation from the doctor tomorrow.

Life is too precious!!! Yes, he got cancer and but I am still thankful that it was at Stage 1 and that it was discovered early. Depends on how we look at it, right? He sounded quite upbeat about the challenges ahead, and that’s a good sign. He also keeps me posted about his progress, and that’s a good feeling to have as a coach. I look forward to seeing him tomorrow.....must prepare a good pep talk.

On a different note, I jogged 10 laps around the rugby pitch yesterday, that was about 3km+. It was a good cardio exercise after a fairly long dormant period (blowing a whistle as a coach and going for my weekly golf therapy do not really count as exercises). My thighs have been really sore since I woke up this morning. And the knees are also in constant pain now, especially the right one. Have put ice pack but the pain hasn’t really subsided. Am I down? On the contrary!!! Hey, I got the much needed dose of cardio workout.... and that’s good. And today, I treated myself to a game of touch rugby with the boys. It was fun although I was probably the slowest player on the pitch.....and I even scored a try. Ha..ha..ha...I’d probably outrun and outwit most of the guys back then.....and now, being able to score a try using my wit while going at a snail pace was like seeing a miracle. I’m sore, and my knees are in pain, but I’m happy............isn’t that great.

A feel good photo for me

(US Naval Academy Rugby Team en route to beat US Military Academy in 2008)

Life is too precious!!! I won’t let the PCL surgery dampen my spirit. My other knee is already troubling me, and I suspect that surgery may be needed at certain point, but I should not let that bring me down either. Life is too precious!!! There is always a possibility for us to turn misfortunes (as they appear to be) into blessings. It’s not always easy surely…….but we’ll never know if we don’t even consider trying. And if it doesn’t turn out the way we expect……it’s good to know that we have at least given our best shot.

Life is too precious!!! Let’s take it as it comes.