I used to do a lot of stories on cancer benefit games like the one that took place at Armada High School Friday night.

Also on cancer survivors and victims, too.

While most were heart-wrenching, I found them courageous and inspiring.

While they still offer inspiration, I find the stories more difficult to do.

That’s because I have cancer.

Irony sometimes carries a reporter’s notebook and a couple of pens.

Armada took on Richmond in a football game Friday.

Special T-shirts were available for $15. Both teams wore pink jerseys. There was a bake sale, a raffle and a photo booth. Proceeds went to the Karmanos Cancer Institute.

I have been proceeding to Karmanos for a couple of years now after a very routine checkup turned into renal call (kidney) cancer.

The cancer was not content to just loiter in my left kidney, either.

It had gotten bored and decided to wander around. It visited a few places in my bones, a lung and even my oft-idle brain.

The docs at Karmanos have been outstanding. They fired off the line of scrimmage right away and proceeded to give the cancer a good licking.

So far, so good. Most of the tumors have disappeared. The holdouts have gotten downright anorexic. They are shrinking and I feel great.

Still, stories about benefit games are much more difficult to tackle.

I read the information we received from the Student Senate at Armada High School and honest to John Boehner, started to tear up.

So much for being an objective journalist. Cancer has gotten a whole lot more subjective.

There was another cancer benefit game Friday at Warren Woods-Tower. The Titans welcoming St. Clair Shores Lakeview. There sold T-shirts there, too. A luminary celebration followed the game.

Life needs illumination sometimes. Appreciate what you have. Take time to hug someone or tell them thanks.

Playing high school sports is something to celebrate.

I was in the office Friday night.

I took phone calls from high school football coaches and we talked mostly about triumphs.

About the quarterback who threw for 180 yards and three touchdowns. And the running back who accumulated 170 yards and scored twice. Or the linebacker who made 10 thumping tackles including three for losses.

The team that won its first game of the season.

The team that lost in overtime and that is fine, too.

Don’t dwell on the fumbles. Don’t fret about the missed blocks. Don’t get down about the C you got on your biology exam.

There will be other tests. There will be other chances to carry the ball and stick the block on that trap play.

Not everyone gets a chance to hit rewind.

It’s great what they are did at Armada High School. It’s great what they did at Warren Woods-Tower High School.

Anything that helps kicking the stuffing out of this insidious disease that impacts so many would be tremendous.

I was on the phone Friday night.

High school should be all about triumphs.

There are so many victories in life.

Two years later and I’m still feeling great.

I’m dancing in the end zone right now.