AMESBURY — Shawn Bush admits there aren't a lot of positives to being diagnosed with cancer.
But the 40-year-old Amesbury father of three said it has taught him the value of seizing opportunities when they come his way.
Super Bowl XLVI is exactly one of those opportunities.
So with tickets in hand and the support of his wife, Bush and a friend hopped in the car at 3 a.m. yesterday and pointed it in the direction of Indianapolis to watch the New England Patriots in tomorrow's revenge matchup with the New York Giants.
"It's always been my lifelong dream to see the Patriots in the Super Bowl in person, and now that dream will be coming true," Bush said. "I felt like life is too short to let this particular opportunity go by."
Bush said once-in-a-lifetime experiences have become more important to him since he learned last June that he has stage 4 rectal cancer. Since then, the independent Web developer and computer programmer has endured chemotherapy treatments every other week, which will continue indefinitely.
But he hasn't let the cancer stand in the way of his lifelong love for the Patriots. A season ticket holder for the past 18 years, Bush made it to every home game this season, accompanied by friend Gary Waters of Merrimack, N.H. In fact, Bush has missed only three home games in the 18 years he's had Patriots season tickets.
Seconds after watching the Patriots narrowly beat the Baltimore Ravens in Gillette Stadium Jan. 22 and win the right to advance to the Super Bowl, Bush said he and Waters declared they would be in Indianapolis for the big game.
Getting tickets proved a little tricky. After losing out in the lottery held for season ticket holders, Bush and Waters thought they would simply drive out to Indianapolis and hope to score seats there. Then reality hit and they decided not to leave anything to chance. They ultimately secured tickets through the NFL ticket exchange. To keep expenses from skyrocketing, they opted to drive to Indianapolis and stay 30 miles outside the city.
Battling cancer has added another layer of meaning to the Super Bowl adventure. He said the diagnosis, which came as a complete surprise, helped him put some things in perspective. While he has good days and bad with the illness, he said the results of his open-ended treatment plan "have been looking good."
"My wife and I are very strong in our faith," he said. "When we found out about things, we didn't know why God put this before us. But we decided to make the best of the situation. We thought we can spread the good news about God and make the most positives out of it that we can."
Bush credits his wife Wendy and her encouragement for allowing him to live out his Super Bowl dream.
"She's very patient and tolerant with my obsessions," he said.
Bush has been a Patriots fan for as long as he can remember. His dad introduced him to the team and they started getting season tickets together when Bill Parcells was a coach in the early- to mid-1990s.
He's gone on to incorporate a Patriots reference into the names of his three sons — 12-year-old Andrew (a play on former quarterback Drew Bledsoe and linebacker Tedy Bruschi), 8-year-old Adam (a nod to former kicker Adam Vinatieri) and 2-year-old Stephen (which references former quarterback Steve Grogan, former linebacker Steve Nelson and, if he has a good game tomorrow, current place-kicker Stephen Gostkowski).
He's also got game recordings, complete with pre- and postgame shows, dating to the 1990s and even into the '80s, including complete seasons for every Super Bowl year.
"I collect the games so I can relive all the great memories at any time, and also so I can share them with my kids as they get older," he said.
In the days leading up to his departure for Indianapolis, Bush was like a kid waiting for Christmas.
"I've been walking on air the past few days," he said. "I've just been looking at the clock."
He's predicting a tight game tomorrow, with the Patriots ultimately winning the championship by at least a touchdown. But if things don't go New England's way, he promises he won't be disappointed.
"It's a trip of a lifetime," he said. "I'll always have a story to tell."
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