When you find yourself staring down the barrel of a stage 4 cancer diagnosis, naturally, one of the first questions that pops into your mind is: How long am I going to live?
We all know that mortality is part of the deal. It’s just easier to accept that part and not think too much about it afterward. In my case, a typical survival time would usually be measured in months—and if you’re lucky, a few years.
By that measure, I’ve been very lucky. I was diagnosed on January 5, 2022, with Adenocarcinoma, Stage 3, which quickly progressed to Stage 4. Yet here I am, still kicking and checking off bucket lists on March 1, 2025.
So, What’s New?
I’ve had several complications lately, making life with this disease a bit more difficult. But my care team at Dartmouth Health is so positive and supportive that their spirit is truly infectious. I honestly forget that I have a terminal illness sometimes.
The pot helps with that. And with appetite. In case you were wondering.
Big News
Last night, Hank Prouty—my brother from a different mother—and I started Season 10 of making Bob & Lisa’s Small Batch Maple Syrup. We fired up the Stone Hill Farm Evaporator for the first boil of the season.
And in the coming weeks, we’re bringing the party John Garabedian-style. Call it the “Maple Sugar Shack Party!” That was the plan, at least… We’ll be doing lots of Facebook Live drop-ins, maybe even TikTok (which I barely know how to spell).
John’s House Party radio show ran for 30 years. A maple syrup podcast would be huge.
As a broadcaster, I know this would be a popular podcast. People are fascinated by maple syrup and how it’s made. But as a cancer patient, I have to face the fact that my time is running out.
I had no energy last night. Most of what I do now is more like being a foreman. We use eight security cameras to monitor every aspect of production—from tap vacuum integrity to sugar levels to correct syrup temperature based on daily barometric pressure. When I’m there, I mostly try to keep things from going sideways.
But now, Hank Prouty—my sugar partner since 2015—is the boss, with plenty of help from family, friends, and neighbors.
Some days will be better than others. Those are the days we record music or podcasts. But they’re getting fewer and farther between.
So, I offer the idea of a maple syrup show to anyone who’d like to take it on. Fair warning: When I searched “Maple Syrup Podcast,” there was already one big one—“Sweet Talk: All Things Maple.” It looks pretty good and legit (how to say “I haven’t listened to it yet” without saying exactly that).
The #2 result on Google?
“Vermont Maple Magic: Bob & Lisa’s Maple Syrup.”
So yes… there’s still plenty of room if Joe Rogan wants to jump in.
Health Update
The fight against the Big C continues to get more difficult, with daily procedures and medications—each with side effects printed in tiny font for a reason.
Next week, I’ll have a CT scan (with and without contrast) that will give us a lot more information on where things stand.
As for that lingering question, “How much time, Doc?”
I’m willing to bet the answer is the usual:
“We don’t know!”
To my friends who accuse me of being the happiest terminal patient they’ve ever seen… Guilty as charged.
But with one big caveat.
Getting sick made me almost instantly realize what truly matters in life. And those things usually aren’t things at all. They’re experiences. With people. People I love.
And that’s the sad part. Time is running out—sooner rather than later.
One More Thing…
If you purchase some of Bob & Lisa’s Maple Syrup in the next week, you’ll be entered in a drawing for a bottle labeled “First Boil 2025!”
Just go to BobRivers.Blog, and we’ll hook you up.
