Glory

When I was first diagnosed with this salivary gland cancer, my doctor did not paint a rosy picture for a prognosis. The first needle biopsy report revealed highly differentiated carcinoma. You know when you start reading on the web you can find most any answer you might be searching for. Most things that I read about any kind of highly differentiated cancer were not good. 

At that point I had little information, but I had enough to know that I needed to recognize that this may be the end of my last season in this earthly body. I was fine with that. Don’t get me wrong here—I love living, but I am ready to meet Jesus face-to-face any time. I want to be with my family and friends, but the other option is to be at the feet of the Lord Jesus. Oh that would be glory for me!

I don’t completely understand my prognosis now after three biopsies, two surgeries and 21 days of proton therapy. My cancer is called a high grade one because the original cancer in the salivary gland was outside its margins, so they don’t really know if it is in other places in my neck or head. I am told that it is an aggressive cancer that usually moves to the lungs. My cat scans show no metastasis in my chest.

All in all, I am blessed to have had it diagnosed early and to have it contained in a small area. Each day I am in the men’s waiting room at Emory Proton Therapy Center, and I have become friends with a couple dozen fellows who are all having proton treatments for various kinds of cancer. 

Other than looking like I have a severe sunburn on the left side of my neck and swelling and scar tissue, I don’t look sick, and frankly, I am feeling well—with the exception of the slight discomfort of mouth sores, dry mouth, thick mucous and a little difficulty swallowing. When I see some of these other guys and hear their stories, I realize how blessed I am.  There’s a forty year old with a similar cancer to mine who has lost his eye. There is another man with cancer of the eyebrow (ever heard of that one??) and he has only a sunken in skin graft over the place where his left eye used to be. Another friend has cancer of the optic nerve and he only has a small opening where his mouth used to be and has open sores where his nose was. He eats though a stomach peg and has lost 100 pounds. I could tell you more, but you will easily  get my point here: I am so blessed to have had an early diagnosis, quality head and neck surgeons and the best radiation oncologist at Emory.

Lord, may we continually praise you for the way you take care of us. May we never take our health for granted. May we always have compassion for our fellow travelers in this world. Help me not to whine, but help me to give glory and honor to you all the days of my life. Amen.