Michael Harrold

21 Nov 2022 I was diagnosed with testicular cancer. I immediately took the most aggressive approach I could think of and found joy in this situation. Hearing multiple doctors confirm you have cancer is never fun, but I had my family there to support me (my son gave me my callsign “Single Jingle” on my way home from the hospital that night) and I decided then and there that I was going to murder cancer. I had the traitor evicted as soon possible and was faced with my next options: chemo or surgery. As the type of cancer, I had was quick to spread (found out it had spread as far as my neck), I started my first of four rounds of chemo at Portsmouth with a, “I’m here for the cancer-murder juice, is this the right place?” Knowing I had a hard road ahead of me, I made a point to come in with new dad jokes for the chemo nurses every single day for infusion, especially on the days I needed a pick-me-up. Ringing the bell 16 Apr 2023 with my Bride and kiddos by my side was awesome, but I wasn’t done. In the following months as the steroids wore off, I noticed neuropathy in both my hands and feet, making exercise even less enticing. I’d been far less active than I cared for on top of the extra weight gained.
After the summer months of 2023, I began physical therapy and working to regain strength, mobility, range of motion, and overall well-being. Exercising a little each day is easy, but unfortunately, not exercising a little each day is easier, and I had fallen into the habit of easier. WAR-P was the team and accountability I sorely missed, along with the camaraderie of other RSMs going through different, but similar situations as myself. Having the flexibility to offer different PT options that also worked around my seemingly endless appointments was crucial to my recovery.