Cancer Round 3

After experiencing some strange symptoms such as facial paralysis and pain over a few months, in July a friend helped me get connected to a specialist at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center. At my appointment this past week, the doctor diagnosed the problem and the radiologist confirmed it—cancer. The submandibular salivary gland cancer has manifested itself attached to the trigeminal nerve in the left side of my face.

In 2012 I had proton therapy to treat prostate cancer, and I have had no problem related to this cancer. In December 2019 I had two surgeries: one to remove the submandibular salivary gland and another to remove 19 lymph nodes. I had follow up proton therapy at Emory for six weeks. All has been well since I finished my treatments until the news this past week that the cancer had raised its ugly head once again.

This time around my Wake Forest doctor says that there is not a chemotherapy formula for this cancer since it is so rare. He will consult with my radiation oncologist at Emory to determine if my proton therapy treatment covered the area immediately above my mandibular. This doctor told us that once an area is radiated it cannot be radiated again. I have read some research that with newer and newer technologies, some medical experts have re-radiated certain areas such as the pelvic area and the head and neck. And, who knows? A chemo cocktail may have been used effectively in another medical facility.

The Lord knows me well. He knows that some lessons from Him must be repeated or given to me in bite-sized pieces.

In 2012, I had  first proton therapy treatment at the University of Florida’s Proton Therapy Center in Jacksonville at Shands Hospital. A friend let us use their beach house and we actually had a “radiation vacation” for those six weeks of treatments. We had the most relaxing and fun time during those six weeks.

In 2020, we chose to have proton therapy for submandibular salivary gland cancer at Emory’s new treatment center. The American Cancer Society provided a motel room for me to stay in Monday-Thursday nights while getting my daily treatments in downtown Atlanta.

Receiving a cancer diagnosis can be a profoundly life-altering experience, often bringing a sudden and intense awareness of one’s vulnerability. My first two cancer diagnoses each launched a long, emotional journey involving traumatic medical procedures, cycles of hospitalization and recovery, and then the fear of possible relapses and thinking about end-of-life care. 

The first proton therapy treatment was so easy that I did not think as much about my vulnerability. But, before I finished the treatments, one of my colleagues undergoing treatment passed away, and I began to realize that the treatments were not 100% guaranteed. In addition to the proton therapy the second treatment involved two surgeries including a neck dissection where they started the incision behind my left ear and cut along the line where the neck meets the shoulders. The incision continued to the right side of my trachea as the surgeons had to cut out the right side of my thyroid gland. After the surgery one of my family gave me a mirror to look at the incision. It looked like my head was attached to my body by a plethora of staples and those nasty-looking drains that were among the staples and stitches. The first look at that ugly incision made me realize that this was serious business.

The initial shock and fear can be overwhelming, as the reality of the diagnosis sets in and the future becomes uncertain. This moment often strips away the illusion of invincibility, revealing the fragility of life. It can lead to a deep introspection, where one grapples with feelings of fear, helplessness, and the need for support.

My family has walked alongside me during the first two bouts dealing with cancer, and they will be right beside me through this third challenge. But in the end the first two experiences drew me closer to God, and I expect this third journey to bring me even nearer to my Lord.

During the first two experiences I claimed Joshua 1:9 as my treatment verse, and I will claim it again for Cancer 3. But I will add another verse for this go round. Jeremiah 32:27 says, “Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is anything too hard for me?”