Friday, March 28, 2014

One year survivor

March 20, 2013 the ENT doctor from Fort Bragg called and gave me the results of the fine needle biopsy. “You have cancer, blah, blah, blah.” I had prepared mentally for the diagnosis but it still hammered me emotionally. I did not process many of the words after “you have cancer.”
I went to work and let the client know I would be unable to fly with him. It was a teachable moment. The IMSAFE checklist is an acronym to assess the pilot’s fitness for flight. Illness, well that sucks, possibly legal to still fly. Medication: not at the moment. Stress: just a bit, and the show stopper for me. Alcohol: not yet, but sounds tempting. Fatigue: it explained a lot. Emotion/Eating: not sure how to handle the emotions, and I am not hungry.
My experience in the service helped me appreciate the fragility of life. Too many of my brothers died too early. Everyday that I wake up is a gift and is not taken for granted. I understood that the cancer diagnosis is not a death sentence unless left untreated.
Watching how it affected my loved ones was the toughest. My wife, my mother and my children did great. The fact that they can not do much to “make it all better” is hard to deal with.
Some people treat you with kid gloves and avoid talking about the realities of the situation. Other people only want to talk about it. My advice to the friends and family of someone affected by cancer is to let them know you love them and remember “they ain’t dead yet,” in other words all hope is not lost. Keeping a sense of humor is very important. Laughing and crying are fine responses and trying to keep up any façade falls apart under stress anyway.
The treatment was tough. My faith and my marriage became stronger. The bonds of friendship were essential to our success. Thank God for my many blessings. My wife is an awesome caregiver. My friends and family provided a support network that filled in the gaps when we were cracking under the pressure. I would name names but I know I would forget someone. Thank all of you.
I am so grateful that I am alive. The second year of cancer survival is going to have its challenges. The pain makes sleep difficult which adds to the challenge of establishing a good rest cycle. Weakness and fatigue are still issues. Lymphodema and peripheral neuropathy are lingering side effects. The stiffening of the scar tissues and possibly radiation fibrosis are additional side effects. Sticking to the physical therapy routine will help my recovery no matter the technical causes.
Diet and exercise are the foundations of any recovery program. Maintaining discipline is the challenge. Prayer helps. Thank God for all my blessings. I am getting stronger; I am teaching and flying again. Food is a source of pleasure again. This weekend we celebrate our 28th wedding anniversary. I am indeed one of the luckiest people ever.

1 comment:

  1. Happy anniversary Ronney! Here's to many more.
    Ian

    ReplyDelete