"It's almost certainly nothing, but we might as well check." 

That's how it started.  I felt my hope slide as "nothing" led to surgery. The lab results revealed that the lump on my side was diffuse large b-cell lymphoma -- specifically, a rare and aggressive form caused by the MYC and BCL2 genetic mutations.

My wife and I held each other when we got the news. But she immediately set the tone...