5 years ago today I woke up in the ICU of the University of Minnesota after my surgery to remove a 10 cm cancerous tumor from my pelvis. I still have residual issues from that period of time, when I am alone in a quiet room I can hear a vent beeping, I can still smell what the room smelled like and get agitated whenever I catch a whiff of those smells. I can remember the hallucinations I went through as they were bringing me out of a chemically induced coma and the moments of panic I went through when conscious thought took over and thought I was in danger, I actually thought I woke up during surgery for a brief few moments.

The next few days would be filled with drug-induced hallucinations and a lot of confusion on my part, I had a few close friends who were able to come and visit as well as some older friends who got wind I was in a bad spot and came to my rescue.

It’s been an interesting five years