well 2+ years of fighting, and it interupting my overall ROI a good bit, HOPEFULLY today will be a "new start" to my life. I havnt posted much here the past couple years(cause my posts were warped on chemo half the time) but i know there were quite a few who have been praying. To those I say thank you from my heart. I was doing well in my journey in poker from 2003-2007 and just as I was starting to pwn life I was hit with this stage 4 cancer bug and never been the same since. Today life had a river chance of busting me during the actual transplant but I seem to have made it through and now theres only a 4% chance of anything going wrong in the next week. My faith is stronger, and I believe I have become a stronger man, husband, young father, and person throughout my experience. I am thankful to all the friends who helped me through the last 2 years. Cancer isnt fun, but I was able to find ways to still improve my game the past 2 years, by learning a ton of patience with the illness that was presented me. I had to experience complete blindness, deafness, and at some points not able to move for months on end. Through this I learned to grind even harder than I had than before.

So, I hope to get back into full swing of things and make my perm. move to live poker as sched. as soon as this summer, as long as my body completely heals, and get back to enjoying life. This transplant turns me from a 24% chance to a near 70% chance to not relapse, so the fight might not still be over, but somehow even dealing with this disease and all the horrible things that came with it the past 30 months, I feel that my Faith grew tenfold, and Id never exchange the experience for anything in the world.

To those who i treated poorly the past couple years, through the extreme mental distortion of the hundreds of hours of chemo and radiation, I am sorry, and I ask for your forgiveness. I hope that "my new birthday" (as the people call getting a transplant) will help me remember that life is a day by day joy, and that ill live each day from here til my death giving it everything I got.

I still got a good 2-4 weeks in this hospital in good ol gainesville Florida, but should be able to make it back for June-July wsop and hope to again meet many of you that I have been meaning to. My goal is to finally get out of online poker, as even though I have done fairly well, I find that live is where I need to be, and where I do best. I was able to get in one final mtt session right before my week of chemo + transplant, on a full months rest, and pulled off a solid performance, knowing that it would be my last session in at least 2 months. So I went out John Elway style, even top 3'd a couple $300's which gave me a lot of mental strentgh to know that once Im out of this crappy situation, and get my full brain back to the place it was before all the chemo had it warped, I can and will achieve my goals in this game. I grinded originally from $0, and ended up jumpstarting a semi nice career that just had a small snag, and cant wait to prove to myself that I have much to still gain in this game.

My goal is to get back my brain, take care of my family, get healthy, and be a good testimony to my peers. I used to be a lot better at that, and lost track of it off and on during my struggle. Again, if I have wronged some from the past couple years, I hope you can forgive me, and allow me to show you and this community that I have a lot to offer in friendship and advice.

Live is good, and great when tested. gl my friends, and thanks for all the prayers Ive had recently as I had to wait a loooong time to get this needed transplant. Hope to be crushing some FT's live and online very shortly again.

Paul Buchsbaum (paulgb/buchsbaumy)

You got this bro. Ship the remission, never stop believin, your good!!!!!

edit: about getting back your brain, it may take awhile. Doc's weren't so convinced chemo changes brain chemistry in 2002. Research is proving otherwise. Be sure to be mindful of your mind. It is going to go through changes. My problems <mentally> didn't even show up till 2 years AFTER I was finished with chemo. I was Stage IV B Lymphoma in 2002. Feel free to PM me if you ever need to chat. GLGLGL!! You got this!

good luck good luck good luck

Congratulations Paul!

May your new journey inspire even more hearts than you've already touched.

Keep us posted on your progress, please.

May all your family's dreams come true.

God bless man, hoping for the best for you and your family!

 

Originally Posted by Superleggera

God bless man, hoping for the best for you and your family!

And for anyone who donates blood,organs,marrow, etc. You guys are the best.

Glad youre on the positive path hope everything goes well for you and your family. Order in some Leonardos pizza on Univeristy and 13th and get the garlic rolls with double garlic butter.

GL sir.

nh

Great write up..great photo..great life xir...

Ironically it was this day 1 year ago that I had my second chance at life...

I had a heart operation that changed everything around for me.

Keep going strong bro..and glgl.

GL Man played a bunch of mtts with u on ap and always respected ur game. judging by the picture looks like u got an awesome support group

For a man to make a profound post like yours on the day of such an operation is an inspiring display of human character.

I pray to God that you beat this disease, because the world needs a man like you to help the rest of us figure out how to act.

Bravo!

Best of luck and health with your recovery!