Thursday, July 30, 2015

a new protocol

"Could be cancer" is a curious thing to hear from your Doctor... especially since I didn't even have a Doctor two days prior.  I don't get sick.

In the past three weeks I have seen three Doctors who have poked, prodded, and plumbed the depths of my inner being. Tests confirmed their suspicions- a malignant neoplasm in my lower GI region... a fancy description of something that shouldn't be there.

It is said that people think of time in one of two ways:

   Those who see time in a linear direction, from left to right, with the past to their left and the future to their right, 

                    and

   Those who see time as spatial; the past is behind, the future is ahead, with distractions to the periphery. The former are observants, biding their time as life passes; the latter are participants, taking steps toward the mystery of a journey. I choose the latter. 

A diagnosis is not a distraction; it is a signpost, indicating a necessary change of course, a new protocol.

I visited Ed Currie yesterday. Ed is the founder of PuckerButt Pepper Company and breeder of the world's hottest chili pepper- the Carolina Reaper. Last year I interviewed Ed (you can read the interview here), shortly after receiving official status from Guinness World Records and receiving a House Resolution from the South Carolina House of Representatives for his contribution to South Carolina and medical research. I told him my diagnosis and that I wanted to include his pepper as part of my protocol.

He gave me a bottle of his latest test batch- HP63T, Test Batch No. 1.

It is the hottest Ed has developed to date... in the vicinity of 2,000,000 Scoville Units.






Carolina Reaper





Ed and I will have more conversations in the days to come.


Ed Currie and me in the sorting room at PuckerButt

4 comments:

  1. You're brave in many ways Michael. Glad to hear that you're changing your protocol. Good read.

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  2. Ok, I know this is a serious subject. But, I can't but to see some sort of a funny ad for Pucker Butt coming out of this. Something along the line of your holding a bottle with the caption. "My Butt was saved by Pucker Butts 63."

    Be Blessed - Psalm 63

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  3. I can't even imagine how hot that is!! 2,000,000 Scoville units! Wow-- you and Teri are some of the bravest people I know. I know that our Lord is leading you and speaking to your hearts in this time. Cant wait to share some time with you guys and (maybe) try some of this HP63T??? LOL

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  4. Mike and Teri,
    You are in my prayers. Seeing a complete recovery for you.

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