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Choosing to take control, to live and to love
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Posted by admin Wed Aug 30, 2006 14:55:58 PDT
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1 response 0 comments I had no idea why I would never forget March 24. On that day at exactly 2:30 p.m., I was told I had stage three cancer of the neck and throat.

Nothing else was said, except “I’m sorry,” by the doctor, who made multiple blunders by ignoring recommendations from radiologists. I was left on my own to find a doctor in a medical field I knew nothing about, except that cancer equaled death. My hopes were not too high.

It was like waking up one morning in China. I could not communicate intelligently. I did not know where to even begin looking for help, which was of dire importance and I was simply lost, mad, angry, upset and emotional. What was I to do?

My sister has a friend who had neck and throat cancer and had seen Dr. Dean Davis, a medical director at Florence Wheeler Cancer Center next to Mercy Hospital. Dr. Davis, a bright and intelligent oncologist, just so happened to have an expertise in cancers of the neck and throat. If ever I walked through the right door, this one was it. Dr. Davis, an assistant director for 10 years at the Mayo Clinic, an assistant director of radiology at Cornell University, a graduate of Northwestern University and published oncologist who is highly respected nationwide, took me under his wing for treatment.

He gave me all my options and I chose radiation and chemotherapy. I established rules at the start. Brutal honesty was a must and Dr. Davis kept his promise. I was given a 35 percent chance of mortality. That is better than 50-50 chances and I’ll take those odds in Las Vegas any day. Still, a 35 percent chance of not winning is frightening.

Seven weeks of grueling radiation and chemotherapy ensued. I was tough until week five, then I fell apart. Dehydration landed me in the hospital twice, 60 pounds were lost and I simply felt like dying. Too sick to get out of bed, too sick to play with my children and too sick to continue to live. I was ready for the end, prayed for it to happen and prayed for strength to fight another day. I had no idea who I was, where I was and what I was even doing — and all compliments of chemotherapy, not cancer!

Treatments ended on June 16 and I had expected overnight recovery, but this was not the case. I did not get ill overnight and it was not going to heal overnight. So much damage from radiation and chemotherapy had my immune system on red alert. I knew I had to be nourished in order to win and I knew that 40 percent of people with cancer do not die from cancer but from malnutrition. I had a little angry guy with a flame thrower in my throat for seven weeks, five days a week so I lost any desire to eat. It hurt just to breath through my mouth. Liquids hurt to swallow, vitamins were like trying to swallow boulders. It was tough.

Radiation killed my saliva glands and taste buds. Hopefully, within the next year, they will come back. Worse news is that the fatigue, illness and the depression that follows can last for years. Chemotherapy and radiation will kill you and I was at the very maximum dose my body could handle without big troubles.

I knew there had to be more than deadly poisons to cure the cancer, which is when I discovered that diet is CRITICAL. Never throw out conventional medicine, but build a bag of arsenals to help the whole package work in your favor. Vegetables, fruits, beans and proteins are excellent. Sugar feeds cancer, as does fat and your emotions. Get yourself in check. Talk to a counselor. This is a life and death situation that you may face as I did and one that I want to win at any cost. I learned that I can be just as ruthless as the disease!

When I accepted my illness, I decided that everything would happen on my terms, not the cancer’s terms. By doing this, I turned defeats into victories and did not dwell on loss. Remember, cancer actually feeds off of your emotions, so I had to knock that to a minimum. I decided that one term would include surgery not being an option. If I cheat cancer from death even though I die, it will be on my terms, not cancer’s. I was in control and made the decision, cancer didn’t.

Today, I have more wins than losses thanks to an appropriate mindset and establishing terms.

I can truly say that I am ready when the Lord calls me. I am not out of the woods by any means. I still have yet to know progress made and will not know for six months post treatment. Why so long? My body has been nearly killed from radiation and chemotherapy. My tissues are severely damaged, cells have been damaged and my body is in a state of emergency. My system needs six months to repair and then have a test of value when a benchmark can be established and progress noted, or a lack thereof will then become valuable knowledge.

Preliminary tests show that my two tumors are gone and no new tumors have been found. There are no markers indicating cancer in blood work.  All in all, I am happy and take each day as a gift from God. I know my treatments are sources for secondary cancers and who knows when the next round will jump out at me.  Am I ready? Honestly, after what cancer and treatments have done to me, I am not sure if I care to go through the misery again. My chapter in the “Lamb’s Book of Life” may be short, but I have had a good, blessed life and I am thankful for every person who impacted my life no matter how slight.

I have no regrets, except for a few which shall remain private, but it has been a good run and I expect a long life in front of me.

Please read books on cancer, make changes in your lifestyle and diet. Teach your children to eat right and take care of themselves. Get exercise. Live a clean life. It is a hell of a lot easier than the alternative I just went through though I never smoked a day in my life, yet throat cancer found me. To add to the puzzle, a month before diagnosis, I had a physical and was given a clean bill of health. Nothing is certain and question your doctors. It is your life, not the doctor’s so be serious and get answers and take command.

I now shop the perimeter of the grocery store where the healthy foods are kept, tell my family, wife and children I love them every chance I get and take time to smell the flowers.

Life is good. People, for the most part, are good and can see the good in others. Find it in them and tell them about it. Be a good citizen, be productive part of the solution not part of the problem and you will see how easy life treats you. Be nice, not naïve.  A good citizen is a key to happiness.

Get physicals at least once a year. I will now get two physicals a year just for general purposes. It sneaked up on me once and shame on cancer. If it sneaks up on me again, then shame on me. I know better and will not let that happen ever again.
Please take cancer awareness and prevention serious. Do your homework and you will learn what to do to help your chances in avoiding the illness.

This road has taught me more about myself than anything else. I hope to survive and as a fellow human, it is my duty to inform you how brutal cancer is and how you can defeat it.

If you have any questions to ask me, I will answer all. Simply email me at klegg@bak.rr.com and I will talk to you about the disease, what I did to win victories, how I battled uncertainty, the end of life and how I made a commitment to live. No idea is as strong as an idea whose time has come. The time is now and time is of the essence.

I never dreamed of cancer at age 43, but here it is and it is mine to deal with. I will be smart, do the proper things to be a survivor and write a book on the ignorant man’s guide to beating cancer, when I have been cancer free for 10 years. I will blister those who say a diet is nothing as I will have stacks upon stacks of evidence. That will be a good day!

Take care of your loved ones, believe you may be next and take appropriate actions to make sure you are not next. Do it now. Never wait. You can wait until it is too late and this is sad because you now know better.

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