It's not all about numbers for me

Although I often fixate on numbers, trends, statistics; a big part of who I am is my faith and belief in the unseen. This is probably why I am filled with so much hope that through all this treatment and prayer I live with confidence that I will receive a positive outcome and so will the others on this journey with Multiple Myeloma.

A couple of months ago I mustered up some strength to share my life journey at the Ann Arbor Vineyard Church (FF to 22min mark). While preparing for the talk it became very obvious that the last 6 years of my life (Cassie's too) has been filled with a lot of loss, pain and what I would sum up as darkness.

But it hasn't felt like extreme darkness, although a quick recount of all the unfortunate and outright horrible experiences would deem otherwise. Today I stumbled across a verse that made me realize why I haven't been consumed by the lurking and frequently consuming darkness in my life.

You are my lamp, O LORD; the LORD turns my darkness into light. -2Samuel 22:29

In my struggle to understand life, marriage, work, kids and now cancer; God has taken the darkness that has often times surrounded me and transformed it into a light that has shined onto my path to bring direction, clarity and ultimately comfort in knowing that He is there to shepherd me so that I don't have to go at this life alone. The greatest part...is that regardless of what happens...I know how the story ends.

Dominate Life.

-Phil

Kiwi domiNATION

I am continued to be floored by the support of my faith, family and friends throughout my journey with Cassie to dominate Multiple Myeloma. There are the neighbors, former teammates and coaches, new faces and old faces...the list goes on and on and it feels like the momentum is building.

Just this week Nick Willis, Silver Medalist in the Beijing Olympics in the 1500m, sent me the above photo of him winning over in Milan (Italy, not Michigan) with his MM Burgundy Dominate bracelet hoisted in the air as he celebrates victory. Nick is from New Zealand and a former Michigan Wolverine who has quite the faith and cancer story that he shared on camera with me in the hospital amidst my second bone marrow transplant only a couple of months ago (watch video). Nick's faith and perseverance are contagious and I hope for continued healing over injury and a steady pace as he goes for gold in London in 2012. Follow his blog here.

Thanks to volunteers there are close to 5,000 burgundy MM Dominate Bracelets in circulation around the world today. I am convinced that for us to dominate MM, we first need to get the word out about Multiple Myeloma. Thanks to everyone who has shared my story and participated through prayer, thoughts and generosity. Together, with Nick and the help of others, we will dominate this disease.

-Phil

Phil's Vacation: Day +8 (Special Interview with Nick Willis)

This is a very special post to me because my friend Nick Willis, Silver Medalist in the 2008 Beijing Olympics in the 1500m, gets personal and vulnerable to explain how he has been able to dominate his mother's death by cancer when he was only 5 years old.

Nick is going for gold in London in 2012, but greater than that, Nick is officially a dominator of life. This guy lives with a semi-truck full of passion and a soft heart....but he is still a little punky around the edges with his sarcasm. I love this man. You can read more about Nick on his personal website by clicking here.

Below is Nick in Beijing receiving his bronze medal which eventually was upgraded to Silver when the winner was caught using performance enhancing drugs. Second fastest runner in the mile in the world.....now that's DOMINATION!