A Journey to a New Lifestyle

“Nowhere on Earth are there so many reminders of the preciousness of life, the intensity of life, the beauty and diversity of life as in the ocean.“ – Captain Jacques Cousteau

It seemed like an eternity since I wrote anything. I guess I had my mind on hold, waiting. First I waited to take the first GLP injection to magically shred many years of over indulgence on food. Then waiting on going back to swimming regularly and building strength through painful exercise equipment called eGym. In mid-January, the waits were over and I immersed myself in living the life I saw myself transformed into. To kick off this quest for the island mindset, I turned to reading. Two fictional novels brought my head back to the compass point that would lead me to this destiny. Now I would begin to plan my long sought after journey to the Florida Keys. Additionally, I still had to deal with my entry into the world of discovering life beneath the surface of the sea. In short, how would I deal with scuba diving? Do I complete the Open Water Diving certification that I had started? Do I dive or just snorkel in the Keys? And what do I do about participating in the Menorca Shipwreck Project (MSP) expedition?

A little background here is in order as this exploration (the MSP Project) would take me into unknown worlds. I had been accepted to participate in this Explorers Club (Flag N⁰ 69) expedition project in September. Where I to participate in the project, I would expand my knowledge of Indigenous Cultures far beyond North America while at the same time studying and getting PADI certified as an underwater archeologist.  The objective of this expedition was to continue the exploration and documentation of a shipwreck at the mouth of Cala en Busquets, a harbor in the town of  Ciutadella, Menorca, Spain.  The wreck is thought to be that of La Purisima Concepcion de Nuestra Señora, a merchant ship bound for Genoa. It  was a Spanish treasure galleon that sank in 1702 during the War of the Spanish Succession. Part of a fleet carrying valuable cargo from the Americas back to Spain, the ship was first to believe that it went down off the coast of present-day Colombia after encountering disaster at sea, taking with it a fortune in silver, gold, and trade goods. Its loss became one of the most famous shipwreck stories of the era, later fueling centuries of legend, exploration, and debate over where the wreck—and its treasure—might still lie, but it is now confirmed to be in Menorca Spain. Confusion comes from the naming conventions of Spanish ships. Many names like this were repeated between the 14th-19th centuries. If you look up ‘Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes’ for example you will find several ships over the decades with the same name. While other ships certainly shared the name ‘Nuestra Señora de la Purisima Concepción,’ you won’t find any of the tram’s original documents online. One of the codirectors of this project sourced the ship’s name and account from the salvage tomes in the Mahon archive. These tomes are not digitized and wouldn’t appear in online searches (aside from direct references to this project). Trevor Wallace, the expedition team leader, sent me a photo of one of the tomes—it must be very cool to see in person!

However, in 2024, the C14 analysis revealed that although La Purisima Concepcion was a possibility for the wreck the team was excavating (since it was present in the archives), the ships they were uncovering were much older. The account of La Purisima Concepcion described that it was partially salvaged for its lumber and could have been entirely dismantled. In any case, nearly all of the records before the 1500s were burned by Ottoman pirates so likely we will never know the exact names of the vessels we would be uncovering. In a way all the more mysterious and exciting! One former member of the 2025 expedition offered his impressions. ” Looking for lost shipwrecks is a romance with the bottom of the sea that lures obsessive vagabonds from the far edges of the map.” Lot’s for me to figure out!

On the first day of 2026, I weighed in at 180 pounds. My goal was to get to 160 pounds and possibly get to 150. I started the GLP injections and each month, I upped the dosage. Breaking the 170 barrier was a thrill I had not experienced in years. Soon I was sitting at 162 only 2 pounds to reach my interim goal. I would soon be ready to tackle the open water dives and get certified, a credential needed to participate in the MSP expedition. Meanwhile, my conditioning program was providing excellent results as my strength has increased dramatically.

The euphoria was tempered because early April saw me dealing with another possible health setback. My PSA readings were elevated enough to cause concern and further investigation. Blood work, probes, an MRI, and a fusion biopsy aimed to get at the degree of seriousness. With a fusion biopsy, the readings from the MRI are fed into a computer which navigates a robotic probe to precise spots to take sample tissues. These samples are sent to a lab for cancer evaluation. Cancer of the prostate was the diagnosis. Next they had to determine if the cancer had spread. To make this determination. I had a PET/CT Scan, and the results were not good. I was diagnosed with Stage 3 cancer, and it had spread to my lymph nodes. After meeting with the radiologist, I learned that while I have a very aggressive cancer and it did spread to the lymph nodes, it is considered a low grade cancer. That means that for the first 6 months anyway, there will not be a need for radiation. I started taking two powerful cancer fighting drugs which I was told I will have to take for the rest of my life. If after the 6 months the cancer is still there, then I will need to start radiation. Even then, the plan is for 20 sessions of radiation as opposed to the normal 30 sessions. Great news for sure.

It’s strange to think that (not considering the cancer diagnosis) I was getting stronger each day by exercising 5 days per week. I continued to lose weight, and I was in better shape physically than I have been in years. My bio age (the age that compares me to similar men within the following measurements: strength, metabolism, cardio, and flexibility) was that of a 63 year old and to think I was 81! My BMI had dropped tremendously and my A1C likewise had taken me out of the diabetic range. I wondered how much the treatments would negate all the hard work I had done and weaken me and to what extent?

Regardless due to the side effects of the medications and the unknown condition I would be in by the start of the expedition, I had to withdraw from the MSP project.  I also had to postpone the certification dives and postpone my Florida Keys exploration. The effects of the medications had yet to be determined. In the interim, my training and weight loss programs will go on. It is now a day-to-day discovery as to what impact on my endurance it will have, but I will continue to fight the cancer and get on with my life. As Willie Nelson said, “I woke up still not dead again today.”