Writing has always been the easiest avenue forward.

Hi there, my name is Greg and I'll be your guest blogger this week. I don't know much about the blogosphere it's rule or the expectations of those who read these types of things. I'm not sure which writing format best fits the social media space. Given it's ability to reach a wide array of readers I could presume that a formal writing style might be best. But social media also lends itself to revealing of very personal information from time to time which might suggest that a more casual style is best. I work in the communications realm and yet I find myself at a loss when it comes to expressing my most personal feelings. So bear with me if you please and I'll try to share some of my humble experience with you. And the first thing I want to share is how cathartic it is to express your feelings as much as possible and whenever possible. It's bad enough to discover that something foreign is growing inside you and that the treatment is the use of toxic chemicals, damaging radiation and difficult surgery but to deny yourself the purging of emotional stress is downright fatal.

For me, writing was always the easiest avenue forward. I dislike confrontation and emotional outbursts and I've always found it much simpler to collect my thoughts in private and hammer away on my keyboard. Write, organize, rearrange, spell check, write some more. Damnit, that wasn't a proper sentence, my English teachers will be so disappointed.

My writing is at once an outlet for my sense of humour and some of the darkest emotions I've encountered in my 35 years on this planet. It allows me to say in confidence that which wouldn't pass my lips under normal circumstances. So for my first blog entry, I'm going to share samples of what I wrote as I was being diagnosed with what I now know was a synovial cell sarcoma growth in my jaw.
Friday, May 22, 2009 "Many of you have no doubt noticed that I haven't been to work this week. Those of you who I don't see as often probably have no idea that anything is out of the ordinary with me. So I thought I would embrace the great powers of Facebook to tell you all my story in one shot. Once you read the details below, you'll understand why I'm trying to avoid repeating the story three or four dozen times.

I've been diagnosed with a tumour about the size of an apple in my head just behind the right corner of my jaw. Now before you go shopping for condolence cards at Hallmark, know that it appears to be benign. Just a big annoying lump of tissue which has grown uncontrollably for no apparent reason. The doctors tell me this is actually quite common and quite treatable, but it's going to require some pretty radical surgery.

I won't get into too much (gory) detail here, but the procedure is going to require a fairly major incision down the middle of my chin and around the jaw. They'll cut the jaw bone in half, peel back half my face and then remove the stupid tumour. That's the gross part. The procedure is going to cause a lot of swelling, not to mention it'll be impossible to eat, breathe or swallow normally for a while, so I'll be in the hospital for a couple of weeks after the surgery with a breathing tube in my neck and a feeding tube in my stomach. That's the unpleasant part.

Afterwards I'll be home recovering, trying to get strength and normal mobility restored in my face and jaw so I can eat and speak again. There is a big nerve which controls facial function right in the middle of this whole mess, so there is a possibility that I will never regain control of the right side of my face and that will be the end of my career in radio. That's the worst case scenario.

If all goes according to plan, I'll be back to normal a few weeks after the surgery and by the fall it'll be as though none of this ever happened (save for a small scar under my chin). That's what I'm planning on.

I'm writing this publicly because I'm not a big fan of secrets and I don't want any of my friends to worry about me or for there to be any confusion about what's really going on. I would want to know what was happening with any of my friends if our positions were reversed. But I don't want any big ordeal surrounding this. I'm no different today than I was yesterday and I don't want anyone to feel obligated to do or say anything they wouldn't normally do or say. It is what it is and I'll get though it in no time.

So there it is. Big lump requires big surgery and carries potentially big consequences but I feel fine and I'm totally confident that I'll be back to my normal self in no time. If you still feel the need to react to this news in some measurable way I am accepting cash donations which will undoubtedly help to determine who my favourite friends are after this is over.

That was what I was thinking before I knew I had cancer. My thoughts were focused on easing the concerns of family and friends and imparting a sense of courage and bravery on my loved ones and myself. Mostly it felt good to get the words out in one motion, knowing that word would spread and that I could avoid the unenviable process of explaining my situation over and over. I highly recommend this method of writing and sharing on the social media realm.

After this came one of the most difficult challenges I have ever faced. Tune in tomorrow...