Monthly Archives: July 2016

Why I named it Five Years To Live (FYTL)

I’ve had some negative feedback on the title of this website and blog. Some of you have expressed your displeasure for the title, Five Years To Live (FYTL), because you associate the title with my personal battle with cancer, and you may be concerned that I am depressed and have given up on life. While I understand where some of you are coming from, let me explain myself.

My blog is called Five Years To Live (FYTL), but that does NOT mean that I believe I only have five years to live. Doctors have told me that I have between two to five years to live, that five years is possible, but ten years is not likely. But I am not hung up on the amount of time I have left. That is not the point of this blog. The title is relevant to my particular situation, but my vision for this website is much more than my personal story. My hope is to provide resources for people like me who are terminally ill, but it is also to inspire others to live life to the fullest.

The night I found out that my cancer had metastasized and that it would eventually kill me, I felt a desperate need for… (more…)

Pioneer Day got me like…

For those of you who don’t live in Utah or who are not Mormon, today is Pioneer Day. It is the day that Brigham Young and the first group of Mormon pioneers entered Utah’s Salt Lake Valley over 150 years ago. Growing up Mormon in California, I didn’t give much attention to this day other than to say, “Hey, it’s Pioneer Day. Aren’t Pioneers nice?” Just kidding. But seriously, we may have had a picnic with our local congregation and for sure, some discussion about pioneers during Sunday services. But most Mormons, residing outside Utah, probably can’t even tell you on what day this holiday falls. Just don’t tell my… (more…)