cancer suvivors

[Chaplain Harris]

My wife was diagnosed with cervical cancer after our second child. She had her entire cervix removed. We thank God everyday that it has not come back. MAKE SURE ALL GIRLS YOU KNOW GET TO THEIR OBGYN to have a yearly screening for cervical cancer. It is one of the most easily treated cancers if they get it early.

God bless and good health to all.

Brian Harris

[possingk]

I was diagnosed with Testicular cancer almost 8 years ago, I had my surgery May 6, 1999. I was lucky to catch it early, I educated my doctor at the time about a monitoring regiment. Since my cancer was the 'good kind' as the doctor put it and a slow moving cancers, and I caught it early (most likely in less than a year) after it was removed I went through MRI's every month for two years, every six months for two years and every year for three years. I am technically out of remission and cured according to doctors, according to the rest of the world (insurance wise) I am still just in remission. I tell this story not to downplay all the people who have spoken up before me and the chemo treatments, and radiation, but simply to remind people that if something doesn't feel right get to a doctor immediatly.

I am a hockey player to this day, and I have a rule that if something hurts for more than three days, I go to a doctor, at least that is what I tell my wife. In reality I don't go to doctors at all, I broke the bone between the bottom knuckle of my pinky and my wrist while playing a few years ago and never went to the doctor I just let it heal on it's own. I hate doctors, but I am glad that faithful day in April of 1999, when something didn't feel right in that area, I didn't wait for it to heal itself, I remembered my health class and knew what it was, I sought help.

A side note, do some research on your own, my doctor recommended radiation treatment for me and I talked him out of it because I had done research on the net, and showed him sights from patients and doctors. On one of my last check ups in Buffalo, the same doctor thanked me and said that he had more patients now just being monitored instead of going right into radation.

Please everyone stay healthy, and good luck with the fights we all have in life. My cancer tattoo on my arm is a constant reminder not only of my struggles but now of all of you.

[mang1974]

Great advice Keith! My father-in-law has survived colon cancer, and recurring skin cancer. Now he's battling type-2 diabetes. He just keeps rolling along.