I Crushed Cancer

Hi Friends - 

As I write this, I am in the last month of my 14th year being cancer-free...that's right, on May 30, 2021, I will be FIFTEEN years cancer-free.  It has been quite the bumpy ride but I have gratitude for where I came from (the picture above was taken when this started in 2006) and who I have become as a result of that journey.  Let me recap how I crushed cancer and what the journey means to me.

It all started on a January night in 2006 - I was watching the College Football national championship game and felt pain 'down there.'  Thinking nothing of it, I went to work the next two days, albeit in a lot of pain.  I remember calling my friend Morgan, who himself had beaten Hodgkin's a few years earlier who convinced me to just go to the doc 'for him,' so I obliged and made the appointment for early the following week.  While my doc told me that he suspected a viral infection, he asked me to go for a STAT ultrasound the following day.  This was the first I suspected that the train may be coming off the track.

January 10, 2006: I went to the 11 AM ultrasound after working from home in the AM.  I remember the ultrasound technician saying "Hmmm" and I interrogated him relentlessly until he divulged that I had a testicular tumor.  Before I even put my pants back on, my primary doc and my urologist both called me in that exam room on the wall phone (yes, those still existed at the time).  The urologist told me that he needed to see me at 2 PM.  I went to see him and he told me that I had testicular cancer.  When I asked when the surgery was going to be, he said, "At 5 PM.  You are booked for surgery in a few hours."  

So, at 5 PM, I had my right orchiectomy and an hour later I was out of surgery and had my first CT scan of 1,502 in the next 15 years [exaggeration, but you get the idea - haha].  Two days later, I was in an oncologist's office for the first time where I found out that the future path was unclear until they biopsied the tumor.  A week later, I was back in Dr. Fogarasi's office and found that the next path was indeed more surgery to reduce odds to 20% recurrence and it was a very complex operation, a retroperitoneal lymph node dissection that was generally done in either Sloan-Kettering Memorial Hospital in NYC or Indiana University by two leading expert docs.  Naturally, just coming off of surgery, I was resistant, but eventually decided to play the odds.

Fast forward a month and a half and I was in Sloan-Kettering for a 5 hour surgery and due to complications, I was in the hospital for 18 days rather than five with six different roommates in our hospital room double.  It was a good thing that I had the surgery because the doc found that 7 out of the 30 lymph nodes pulled out tested positive for cancer, meaning that I helped prevent future spread; however, it also meant I was headed for a mop-up job of 2 full weeks of chemo with a couple of weeks off to recuperate in between.  I remember walking out of the hospital and being excited to smell the 'fresh Manhattan air coming from the exhaust of vehicles.'

After recovering from surgery with a no fat then a lowfat diet and after losing a ton of weight from literally not eating for much of 18 days, I was back in a treatment room in early April for 8 AM-5 PM chemo for a full week.  I then had two weeks off [one of which I worked from home because I wanted to return as soon as possible to everyday life!] before doing a final full week of chemo which ended in late April.  On May 30, 2006, I was deemed 'all clear' of cancer with a 1% chance of testicular cancer recurrence as a result of me going on full offense with the treatment plan.

When one crushes cancer and wins, it seems the story is done, but it is not.  Life after cancer is just as tough, if not tougher, than the cancer battle itself.  There are MANY bumps in the road like January 2007 when I had a recurrence of the same bowel obstruction that I had during my surgery in Sloan-Kettering, which resulted in a 5 day hospitalization.  There were 5 days in the hospital in 2013 and ultimately in 2015, one that resulted in a 2 week hospitalization and surgery due to 'piano string adhesions' from my 2006 surgery.  There's also degenerative hips from the effects of steroids during chemo, which resulted in a double hip surgery in 2007.  There's the early financial problems for the medical bills and then after cancer racking up trips, technology, new housing, etc., because you don't give a shit and feel like you deserve everything for the struggles (I don't recommend this method of coping!ha].  There's the scanxiety: the anxiety that comes suddenly when you are headed for routine or unforeseen diagnostic tests.  There's the mental health issues, scarring of lungs, pneumonia, unhealthy coping mechanisms, insecurities, and PTSD you deal with when you reflect on your journey or have events that remind you of the past.  This is what you are not prepared for when you are reacclimating to everyday life after cancer.

But, to me, all those struggles were worth it:  How I physically battled and defeated the demon of cancer: 2 surgeries, and chemo without throwing up once the year of treatment (who can say that?!?).  How I only lost the hair on my head and gained a zipper scar on my chest/abdomen (TOUGH!).  How I found the chemo room as one of the most surprisingly positive rooms that I have ever been in.  How I systematically paid off all $34,000 in the credit card debt I racked up in post-cancer "amenities."  How I overcame mental health struggles, started new healthy habits, and took ownership of my life and choices again post-cancer.  How I've been a guest speaker annually for 5 years for my former oncologist turned professor's survivorship class at Quinnipiac University.  How I've always wanted to help fellow cancer survivors and those battling.

This is why I'm so committed to cancer research and cancer survival (I am always willing to chat with a current or past fighter).  I do not want others to battle like I did and I want science to allow others to mitigate these struggles, especially adolescents and young adults.  I am excited to once again support the V Foundation for Cancer Research, whose mission is to achieve Victory Over Cancer®.  While I've raised about $40,000 in my lifetime for cancer research, I am definitely not stopping this mission anytime soon (more to come on this), and in honor of being 15 years cancer free, I'm reaching out to ask you to further my cause and raise $15,001 for cancer research for the V Foundation in the next 30 days.  The V Foundation is dedicated to funding life-saving cancer research that will lead the way to more effective treatments and....this is the important part...help cancer patients live healthier, longer lives.  I'm proud to tell you 100% of your donation will fund cancer research.

If everyone spent their hard-earned money and put it towards cancer research instead of donating to politicians, cancer would have already been defeated!!!  This donation is an investment that matters - cancer will touch the lives of 1 in 2 men and 1 in 3 women in our lifetimes.  Helping the V Foundation defeat this disease will save lives. That will be another day worth celebrating.

Join me in making a difference. Donate now. 

About the V Foundation for Cancer Research

The V Foundation for Cancer Research is dedicated to declaring Victory Over Cancer®. It was founded in 1993 by ESPN and the late Jim Valvano, legendary North Carolina State basketball coach and ESPN commentator.  Since 1993, the Foundation has funded more than $353 million in cancer research grants nationwide. It awards 100% of all direct donations to cancer research and programs. The V Foundation’s endowment covers administrative expenses. The Foundation awards peer-reviewed grants through a competitive awards process vetted by an all-volunteer Scientific Advisory Committee.

By donating, you support cutting-edge research nationwide for all cancer types. You will be saving lives. Make a difference today. Join us!

For more information on the V Foundation, please visit v.org.