For those who have followed me for a while, you may remember that a year ago this week past I was hospitalized for major cancer surgery: the removal of a chordoma – a rare type of spinal tumor and the bone it compromised in my sacral area, and the implantation of a system of internal braces to carry my weight and enable movement. Over the past year I’ve clawed my way back to a new normalcy, relearning how to stand, walk and sit, and edging back into full independence. My radiation was completed back around Halloween, and I rang the traditional bell at the last session.

These things are always asymptotic, but I am proud of how far I’ve come considering where I was on 20 March 2025. I only rely on a cane as safety insurance for long distance walking over rough terrain or inclines. I need no aid indoors, and can go up and down stairs at whim. I can drive a car, sit long enough for air, automotive, or train travel; and at need have even climbed a ladder. And I was under evaluation for the reversal of plumbing modifications that needed to be made to access the affected area.

We are celebrating my Liberation Day and eviction of my invader this weekend, with a bit of extra spoiling, special dinners, and general good cheer.

But I am afraid that I have to reclassify myself again. I have to move back from Cancer Survivor status to that of Cancer Patient.

Between investigation of a bit of unusual jaw/cheek numbness and the full scans required as part of the great plumbing restoration project we have discovered that I have a small anomalous mass sitting on a major facial nerve just behind my right eye. I’ve nicknamed this one The Danger Lentil, and we are proceeding at full speed to classify it and formulate a treatment plan.

A week ago Friday I had a needle biopsy – an extremely small hole drilled above my ear and a probe inserted to retrieve suspect material for analysis. Unfortunately the test was inconclusive, so later this coming week I go in for what’s called an open biopsy – a larger hole that allows eyes-on observation and larger tools for sample extraction. Needless to say, the plumbing project is now on indefinite hold, so as not to insult both ends of the organism at the same time.

As to my mindset – I am just as determined as I was before, if not more so. I refuse to be defined by what I can no longer do. My bombastic statement of record is “I am a shieldmaiden of the East. I do not bow to infirmity or pain.”

(Photo from a Pennsic War long past. My helm, shield, sword and other gear are on the ground behind me.)

So if you don’t see me on line, offering up unnecessary advice, or marveling at someone else’s work, please don’t be alarmed. I’m just taking a few days out for a bout of literal physical introspection. I will be back. Plan on it. I’ve even started a new project so I have stitching of my own I need to return to the moment I am able.

In the mean time, be well, and don’t let the spiraling state of the world get you down. We will need every hand to heal and rebuild, and I for one intend to be here for that, too.