Cancer (disease)Add TopicMy journey with cancer: I don't want to die. I've had a great life.USA TODAYA picture from before I got sick: This was the beer I drank when I was a kid in Kenya. I hadn't had one in 46 years, but I had a hankering for one and finally found it next to a camera store I’ve spent a lot of money in through the years.Cathy KurtzJack and Cathy Kurtz have been married for 40 years. "I’ve been with Cathy twice as long as I was with my parents," Jack says. "Despite that, stoicism is still my go to emotion. Stoicism sucks. It’s bad for me, but it’s really bad for Cathy."Jack KurtzJack and Cathy Kurtz have moved from northern Minnesota to central Florida, to upstate New York, to the southwest desert of El Paso and Phoenix. They lived in Bangkok for seven years and traveled through Southeast Asia, with Jack taking pictures all along the way.Jack KurtzJack Kurtz was diagnosed with stage IV prostate cancer in September 2019. In February 2021, during the pandemic, he started chemotherapy.Jack KurtzFeb. 4, 2021: I was supposed to start (chemo) today, but it didn't exactly go according to plan. I was hit with a wave of pain that started in my stomach and exploded out of my head. They kept me in the room for observation for a couple of hours and I got better nearly as quickly as I had the negative reaction. The picture is from before. There is no after picture.Jack KurtzApril 30: That’s an X-ray of my left leg filled with titanium rods and pins. The surgery didn't attack the cancer. It was meant to strengthen bones weakened by the cancer. It’s not that I wanted to undergo this but I desperately wanted to get back on the street and resume my photography.Jack KurtzMay 2, 2021: After surgery, I eventually got to the point where I could function with one camera body (I always used to use two) and a couple of lenses, which is what I'm using here. I’m steady enough now that I can stand without holding onto the walker but I still need it when I walk.Cathy KurtzJune 2, 2021: My oncologist loaded up my prep bags with anti-depressants, steroids and anti-nausea drugs. The drugs, combined with pain meds, put me to sleep and I slept through the entire treatment.Cathy KurtzJune 5, 2021: I’ve started wearing a straw fedora because I have a cancer buzz cut and I don’t want to sun burn my head.Cathy KurtzAug. 7, 2021: I don’t see things improving. During our regular appointment, my oncologists moved up the appointment we had for Aug. 18 to Aug. 9. It’s been my experience that doctors seldom move up an appointment for good news. He also scheduled a blood transfusion because my hemoglobin was low.Jack KurtzAug. 10, 2021: Hospice. This is a decision Cathy and I have have been discussing since my diagnosis in September 2019. Cathy has gone so far as to contact cremation services. Don’t get me wrong. It’s not that either of us wants me to die. We’ve had a great life. We both agree that quality of life is more important than quantity.Jack KurtzFeatured Weekly Ad