There is a truth and it's on our side. Dawn is coming… open your eyes.

Jose Gonzalez may not have been thinking about THE TRUTH when he wrote that song, but it speaks to me. Especially when he sings, "Do whatever just to stay alive." Because that is what it feels like when you fight a deadly disease.

I listened to this album a lot last year and this year. Even though Mr. Gonzalez is an atheist, he is my brother. Like Yann Martel said in "The Life of Pi", "Atheists are my brothers and sisters in faith, because just like me, they take reason as far as it will take them, and then they leap." It takes faith to believe there is no god just like it takes faith to believe there is. Until you experience God. And then it's real. And unchanging. My faith is much stronger because it's deeper, because I experience God in ways I never knew possible. Because adversity causes me to leap further, and God is always there to catch me. He always catches me.

Today is my 47th birthday. I'm not trying to be dramatic, but it feels BIG. I feel good. I really do. The rhythm of my days is peaceful. My energy is back and I'm doing more. I've made it to my first birthday of my newly healthy life.

Dawn came and my eyes are open.