When the doctor calls and invites you into the office, you can be sure that it isn't good news. Knowing that bad news is coming, I try to figure out what could be coming and what I will do about it. It is like taking a deep breath and holding it. The diagnosis arrives. In my case, it is cholangiocarcinoma, bile duct cancer. To survive, I will need a liver transplant. Cancer is the first layer in this story.

After the initial shock, I relax and let out my breath to discover space inside this first thin layer. New layers of the story build upon each other as I share the news with family and friends, have new medical tests, plan for my family, develop new relationships, spend time with my wife, radiation, chemo. Every experience adds a new layer of color and detail.

Sometimes, inside the thickening wall of my story, it is dark and lonely, and sometimes it is a place of safety and security.