Life Updates

2024 has been an incredibly tough year for me and while I always try my best to separate my personal life from Approaching Nirvana, it’s had such a profound effect on everything that it feels necessary to let you know what’s been going on - you are, after all, the reason I am still here.

Let’s start at the beginning.

In March of this year our dog Ellie was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma, an aggressive bone cancer. She was given 4-6 months to live. Many of you have seen Ellie on stream and know what a source of happiness she was. During streams she was always coming in for scratches and belly rubs or to check in on me. In order to give her the most time and best quality of life, we decided to do palliative radiation therapy in April with the aim to manage her pain. Thankfully, she responded well to the treatment and she was able to have so many wonderful and happy days with us over the summer.

Ellie’s diagnosis was one of the driving factors behind our move to a new place in May/June - so we could get a backyard that she could enjoy. Moving is always a lot of work and stress, but it turned out to be the best decision because she absolutely LOVED the yard and was out there every moment she could be.

On September 10, Ellie passed away comfortably and peacefully in the backyard - her favorite place. We were so fortunate to get so many great days with her, but the whole situation has been unbelievably hard. Pets bring joy to sad days and keep you going when things are tough. Ellie was all of that and so much more. There is a massive void in our lives now and while we’ve started the healing process, she will be forever missed. She’s on to her next adventure and we’ll take a part of her with us on ours. If you have a pet, give them a hug for me.

That’s only part of it - in June, I was diagnosed with Papillary Thyroid Cancer. 2nd cancer diagnosis this year… you gotta be kidding me. The good thing is that this type of cancer is non-aggressive and is treatable with surgery. Survival rates are very high and it should not affect my quality of life or overall life expectancy. But the unknowns and the waiting - those were some very scary and dark days.

I went in for surgery in July to get half of my thyroid removed and I am happy to report that I am now cancer free. Recovery is still ongoing, but I’m mostly back to normal now. From here on out, it’s about how to manage and monitor moving forward. I might have to take thyroid medication for the rest of my life, but maybe not - still working through that. And while this cancer has a higher recurrence rate than other types (5-10%), it would still be very treatable and would not affect quality of life or life expectancy.

On top of all this, my partner was laid off in August due to a reduction in workforce… ugh. She works in tech and that job market is really challenging at the moment. Most companies are doing layoffs or putting hiring on hold. It’s just another stressful thing to deal with at a time when we have the capacity for no more.

TL;DR - 2 cancer diagnoses, 1 death in the family, and a job layoff. When it rains, it pours. This year has been one of the worst years of my life. Fuck 2024 and fuck cancer.

That said, I can’t thank you enough for supporting us throughout all of this from afar. I wouldn’t be here without you and I appreciate your support so, so much. I’ve been thinking a lot about how to communicate these events to you and hopefully this provides context for why I’ve had to adjust my content and schedule this year.

If anything, 2024 has been a harsh reminder to enjoy what you have and live your days to the fullest. You never know what tomorrow holds, but you have the ability to go out there and make today as good as it can be. At least, that’s what I’ll be trying to do. Give your pets a big hug, say ‘I love you’ to your family, call your mom or dad, or just take a moment to be present.

Next post we’ll be back to music and I’ll be working on catching up on things that I’m behind on. Thank you again and I hope you have a good week.

- Andrew