Jay Michael: More About My Battle With Stage IV Cancer

Photo by Melissa Salvatore for Splash

Jay Michael of FLATS and Cedar Street Properties has gone into battle against non-Hodgkin Lymphoma, as he publicly revealed a couple weeks ago.  Now he's written a second essay on what it's like to live with cancer, to fight it, and the surprising revelations that his diagnosis has brought him:

It wasn't until I was confronted by the possibility of losing it all that I understood what was truly important. While most people would have taken this time to feel sorry for themselves, I took it as an opportunity to turn my life around. Now, I see each day of rigorous treatment as one day closer to taking my life back. It’s almost like I am training for some sort of race, getting myself ready to come back into the world with a new and refreshed set of goals. I want to fearlessly date and love freely, I want to fearlessly take time off from work for myself — not for anyone else — I want to spend time doing what brings me joy and not care what anyone else thinks, I want to live each and every day of my life as though it’s my very last. Easier said than done, I know, but it’s what I am most looking forward to with each new day of treatment.

Read the entire article here: MY CHOICE TO LIVE: PART II.  The photos may be a shock to anyone who has known Jay in the past or who hasn't experienced a loved one being treated for cancer.  The article says, "Images in this post: Melissa Salvatore, a Fulbright Scholar and photographer, documents the intimate experience of Jay Michael’s stage 4 cancer. It is important to her to keep the documentation as raw as possible by avoiding any retouching and keeping each session throughout the series extremely quick, without much direction. By working within the same environment, the focus will be on the breakdown of the cancer and the rebuilding of Jay Michael as he fights this disease."

Jay is in our thoughts and prayers as he continues this phase of his life as "a newly appointed Warrior against stage IV cancer."