How Not To Die

Kurt was diagnosed with leukemia in November of 2009, received a bone marrow transplant in April of 2010, and, as a side-effect to the transplant, was diagnosed with an incurable, non-reversible, and highly fatal form of lung disease in November of that same year. Medical statistics did not give him much of a chance to survive. But he did. He believes he was able to survive this incredible journey he has been on this past five years because he regarded it not as a journey of despair, but as a journey of hope, and as a journey of new opportunities. And, while the journey has been filled with many overwhelming challenges and more than a little bit of pain, it has also been filled with many more rewarding experiences and life learning opportunities. And learn about life, he did: He learned many things, but he especially learned that love and happiness and kindness are all choices that can and must be made. And they must be made for each now for each successive moment one has left to live, however long it may be. For neither the past nor the future matter much when Death is hovering so closely by. This journey Kurt has been on this past five years could have been one that led him toward the ultimate end, but instead, it has taken him toward a new understanding of life and of how to live it, which ultimately means he now understands... How Not To Die.