Remission. That’s the magic word among cancer patients.

I am now in remission and I wanted Michigan Country Lines readers to be among the first to know it because you had a lot to do with my recovery.

After I wrote in this column last March about my bout with cancer and after John Schneider, Lansing State Journal columnist, wrote about me, I received about 300 letters.

All those thoughtful folks who took the time to write put my wife, Darl, and me in tears after our daily trips to the mailbox.

All the letters offered prayers and get well wishes, but they also told of their successes in fighting cancer. Many told of being in remission for many years.

Oncologists everywhere agree that patients with an attitude of hope, optimism and a sense of humor are far more likely for recovery than others. They say they can’t understand it or explain it in any medical terms. They just know it is true.

Thus, you can see why I blame so much of my treatment success on you, the readers. You sure came out big-time in a period of worry and crisis in my life. How can I ever thank you enough? My writing skills don’t let me describe the impact of your actions toward me.

You always expect help and encouragement from relatives and close friends, but at least 80 percent of the letters came from strangers who had somewhere along the line read my byline in Country Lines or the Lansing State Journal.

With all those great people floating around out there, one has to realize the world is in much better shape than we sometimes think.

Letters also came from other states. Howard Lemke, of Iowa, an old-timer and World War II pilot, sent me a hat with an inscription on the front that says, “Got ‘R Did.” Howard’s letter urged me to put the hat on after my last chemotherapy. I sure did, Howard, and it will be kept as my most special hat.

I survived the chemo better than most, but it was still not like going to a World Series. Side effects kept piling up over several months of six-hour treatments every three weeks. About the time you start feeling better, it is time for another infusion of all those poisons. Because chemo is so destructive to the body’s immune system, you dare not catch any cold or flu.

When winter came and all my friends and neighbors were sick with the flu, my oncologist warned me this way: “Jim, isolate yourself because your immune system is destroyed and the flu will probably put you in the hospital with little chance to come out alive.”

So, we hunkered down for several months and that was harder than the chemo. For a guy who likes people and social interaction, I got darned tired of my talking books and satellite dish among long days of 14-below weather and daily snowfalls.

So what. Life and a promise of more life and a chance to be with the grandkids makes all those factors seem unimportant to me now.

Some people like to say they have been cured of cancer, but the reality is something less than that. Remission can mean three months or 20 years. At age 75, I am shooting for 20 years; thanks to the attitude you readers gave me.

Simply put: I love you.

Because earlier columns told of my son Steve’s call during my cancer treatment, a number of readers have asked for results of it all. Way back in the winter, Steve said, “Dad, you have life threatening cancer and I have had two open heart surgeries. Let’s plan a Canada fishing trip next August.”

August came and we thought we were a little selfish, so we invited my wife, Darl, and Steve’s fiancé, Brenda, and Steve’s daughter, Ellen.

We made the 400-mile trip to a Canadian lake near Hearst. For Steve and I, the best part was Ellen. On our first day fishing, Ellen’s 11th birthday, she caught the first fish, the biggest fish and the most fish. It was a blast to see her fight and pull in a 32-inch northern pike. We all caught lots of fish and enjoyed lots of family fun. Loons were swimming often near our boats and Ellen got a great recording of their calls.

A special treat for Ellen was meeting Emillie Begin, a girl her age from Hearst, where most people speak French. They played and bicycled together for a week and communicated very well. Now, they are fast and forever friends, writing and calling each other to plan another time together next year.

Now, for me, there is more to life than just cancer remission.