Suvivor (PDF)

"Wholesome and insightful…Part fiction, part self-help manual, the book delves into the nature ofstorytelling, the evolving dynamics of family and friendship, and the complex connection between fate and free will. Almost all of the story’s biggest events are portrayed with utmost detail and care, and the overall premise of a near-death experience sending a man on a journey of self-discovery works well; themes of self-realization, mindfulness, meditation, stress, depression, and PTSD automatically become a part of narrative.

 

George and Amy’s ongoing story is relevant and integrated efficiently, and his bond withRodney and Megan gives narrative both poignancy and depth. While the subplot involving the fall of The Wilco seems more like an afterthought, the book is complicated in compelling ways. An intriguing blend of fact, fiction, and mindfulness techniques."

–The Prairies Book Review, August 6, 2023

• A paperback version of the book can be purchased on this site.

An assumption is something that you take for granted. We presume a thing to be true often without proof based on our own experiences, knowledge, or interpretations of the world. We all make assumptions every day...the other car stopping at the traffic light if it’s red...taxes. You get the drift.

 

Sadly, 373 Americans assume when they get up in the morning they’re going to go about their business and go to bed that night. Unfortunately, they're not. Accidents, drugs and poisonings, falls, drowning, fires, and burns will mark the day as their last one. In addition, somewhere near 1,000 more will die from pulmonary embolisms or coronary thrombosis as well.

 

I can't speak of the accidents or overdoses. I can speak of pulmonary embolism (PE), which occur when a blood clot breaks loose somewhere in the body, travels to the lungs, and blocks an artery. A coronary thrombosis (CT) occurs when a blood clot forms in the coronary arteries or within the heart, and the blood vessels that supply blood to the heart muscle are blocked or the valves within the heart are damaged or destroyed.

 

Each day 500 Americans are diagnosed with a pulmonary embolism. I was one of those people who had both PEs and CTs at the same time. I happened to be among the lucky ones.  40% of all people with four or more expire.  I was examined and it was determined I had five clots in my heart, 60 more in my lungs and five more in my legs. I was given less than a 5% chance of living three hours.

 

To save my life, I was flooded with what is called a thrombotic dispersant, which works over time to break down the fibrin that holds blood clots together, allowing them to dissolve, restoring blood flow to the affected area. With a total of 70 identified clots, I was totally immobilized by being strapped to a bed—the only thing I could move was my right thumb with the ICU call button taped to it—put on a respirator, and told, “If you move, you will die.”

 

For six days I lay totally immobilized, staring at the ceiling and thinking about life. When you think you’re going to die, you don’t think about the things you did, but what you didn’t do. During that time, I came up with a set of social priorities I vowed I would implement if I lived, beginning with physical, mental, and spiritual priorities for myself, then priorities for my relationships with my spouse, children, job, nonnuclear family and friends, hobbies and interests, and the universe, in that order of importance.

 

After my hospital release, I went for a checkup and learned I had prostate cancer. One-in-four Caucasian men get it and I was one of them. Not really knowing what was going on, I studied and wrote a book on men's health and learned there would be changes in my life. At five years, I was classified as cancer clear. At ten years, I was considered a survivor, as are 99% of men who learn about their diagnosis and act early enough.

 

As one of my ICU “promises,” I vowed I would pursue a hobby and it was writing, which is how this book came about. Survivor looks at the physical, social, and emotional consequences of a near-death experience as well as being a victim and survivor of prostate cancer. To throw more ideas into the story, I also examined familial and marital dynamics and the reality that nothing can be taken for granted. It’s not a bleeding-heart story, nor a medical journal of any sort. It’s about love and fear, friendship, and acceptance...the things we all go through in life.

 

Do I recommend reading Survivor? Definitely! But not as much as getting an annual physical and being aware that today could possibly be your last day—

and making sure you make it a good one.