41
Tomorrow is a big day. Facebook is going to give you THE big announcement of September: “It is Ben Brown’s birthday.” I mean, it is pretty BIG news. 41 years on this rock rotating around the sun; and boy has the past year been quite the thunderous adventure. To be honest with you, I didn’t think I would make it to 40. So, we celebrated 40 like it could be the last…and then once again I didn’t think I was going to make it to my next birthday. But here we are. On the eve of turning 41, and I couldn’t be anymore happy to be getting another year older.
During this 41st year Ann and I made sure we beat cancer by how we lived our life, and tried our hardest to have the best time possible as we raced around the sun one more time to get to 41. Below are some highlights.
· Drove across the country (to avoid covid) in September to go to Colorado to see family, celebrate Oktoberfest and see the aspen trees turn golden yellow up in Breckenridge. Note to self, don’t want to drive to Colorado again.
· VOTED!
· Outdoor Thanksgiving with Anna, Preston, and Katie; and Ann’s Parents on the back porch. Smoked turkey and football, with a side of is it going to rain and ruin our plans?
· A very covid Christmas at the Brorwn’s. An intimate Christmas with just our family. Very odd, but very satisfying to be with just our family at such an important family holiday.
· Survived an Insurrection – still can’t believe what we all witnessed on TV that day.
· Learned how to be a New Yorker – 8 weeks of treatment at MSK taught me a lot about The Big Apple; I was just getting to really know and like the city when my treatment plan changed.
· Competed in my first E-mountain bike race in February in Hendersonville – honestly never thought I would race a bike again after my diagnosis. My e-mountain bike has provided me so many options to pursue my passion even when my lungs don’t want to work
· Family trip Denver in April. With Ann and I both vaccinated, and my parents vaccinated as well, we boarded up a Delta flight and flew out to Denver. Went to a Rockies game and met the Fulks down in Colorado Springs for the day to visit Garden of the Gods.
· April trip to Disney World – I must admit it was a little weird during covid, but we had a blast.
· May trip to Colorado to ride the Colorado Trail on the mountain bike. Rode from Baily, CO back to Denver, CO: a seven-hour, 70-mile day on the bike. It was Epic!
· May/June trip from San Francisco to Denver – Flew into San Fran, then to Yosemite, then to Sequoia, then to Vegas, then to Zion, then to Kanarra, then to Moab, then to Glenwood Springs, then finally to Denver. We put some miles on that minivan. Be sure to ask Ann about the drive up to, and down from, Sequoia. Probably her favorite road ever.
· July Florida trip to Volcano Bay and visit the Fulks in Bradenton. Epic day at a massive waterpark!
· July trip Litchfield with my brother’s family in July. Fireworks and bourbon are definitely a perfect match.
· Paws for People visit in July – three golden retrievers came for a visit to our house as part of their training. It was great to meet the trainers and the dogs!
· Totally awesome BBQ with Charlotte people/Myers Park hosted by All About That Baste in July. It was so awesome to have so many people who care about me in one spot.
· August trip to Colorado on a Private Jet!! We were donated a flight on a private jet to go out to Colorado and visit my family; and while we were there, we made sure to make a stop in Leadville for the Leadville 100 and help friend Zack Kropp with nutrition during his race. Congrats on earning the buckle, Zack!
· Day trip to Florida to get JASPER! The newest, fluffiest addition to our family. We are all madly in love with the little guy, but it has been a crazy two weeks!
Needless to say, we took full advantage of the 41st year of my life. We treated it like it was the bonus round. Extra time was put on the clock and we were not going to let it go to waste. To be honest it wore me out; not to mention all of the cancer treatments I had to endure in-between all of this madness.
Four rounds through my newest treatment, with a possible fifth coming up on 9/14, I’m kind of gassed. For my birthday I need the gift of thunder from all of you. I need you to feel it from deep down inside and send it my way. I will harness all of your energy and fight like hell! We have a long road ahead of us if you want to read another one of these posts for my 42nd birthday.
Thank you all for being part of this crazy journey; and thank you all for making the 41st year of my life the best one yet.
Feel The Thunder.
Ben
