For the curiously curious or the recently initiated, it's not easy to explain cancer in 25-words or less. But it sort of is. In one respect, it is a very complicated, high-science, physiological quagmire of molecular activities and misfirings that can have an equally convoluted diagnosis and treatment regimen, all of which result in an even more unique patient experience. That said, it can be boiled down to: The sudden and rampant overproduction of normal cells in your body that when unchecked or undetected can create a negative affect on the body's normal functionality (ok, 26 words; so shoot me). It can be triggered by an external lifestyle factor, or can merely happen completely randomly - as in the case of my Multiple Myeloma. Now, no Noah (or "Knowah") Webster am I, so this is probably obvious to most of you dear readers, but if not, I hope it helps add to the clarity of the calamity.
I also sought to establish with my mission statement that I don't have all of the answers. So I can't really even conclusively answer the question broached in my subhead. Partly because I lack the scientific acumen to tackle that task, and partly because one of the more baffling aspects of cancer is that it's different for everyone: the cause, the timing of identification, the treatment regimen and the prognosis (not to mention the overall reaction to any variety of appropriate medicinal intervention approaches), and any resulting post-treatment maintenance program. But I can tell you conclusively, from experiences well beyond my own, that cancer is: increasingly treatable, survivable and steadily losing the battle against modern medicine and the ever-emerging newer breakthroughs in therapeutic options.
I can however, explain ice hockey to the interested but understandably perplexed neophyte fan (as I recently did for my Uber driver in Nashville - home of the Predators). The approach of using comparisons to more familiar sports seemed to work best.
What are all those lines on the ice? The center red line is like the 50 yard line. The blue lines (one on each side at around the "30 yard line" / dividing the rink in thirds) are comparable to the demarcation for each team's red zone (to score or defend).
What are all those circles on the ice? The main one in the middle and the two to the right and left at each end - near the goalie, are like a place where a jump ball would occur. The underlying intention of the sport is to keep the game going, so any stoppage of play generally results in a jump ball (face off). Depending on who caused the stoppage determines if the face off is near their goalie (their team stopped the play) or near your goalie (your team stopped the play). having the face off near your goalie is the punishment for stopping play.
What's the main rule of the game? (Other than all of the penalties attempting to minimize mayhem - for which the infractor/s spend usually 2-minutes in the Sin Bin or penalty box; to sit and think about what they did which usually has no behavior modifying effect). Off-sides is the key infraction. In football, each team has to stay on their side of the line until the ball is snapped and then play can begin. If not: an off-sides penalty or some derivation of said occurs. Similarly, the attacking team advancing with the puck can not cross over the opposing team's blue line (nearest to their goalie) unless the puck is the first thing into that area/across the blue line. If an attacking player enters without/before the puck: off-sides. No "yards" are lost or penalized, just another face off - one of many in a typical hockey game.
Enjoy your next hometown team hockey game on TV. Give it a try, many believe it is the most athletic and exciting sport around. I know I do. And it's even better live and in person.
