The Comeback Kid

Hello, it is wonderful having the opportunity to speak to each of you. I do apologize for the significant delay between posts, but please know my absence is in large part due to my being able to enjoy life to its fullest. The past month or so has been full of good news, new challenges, and adventure. 

Medically, I have rebound from my bout with cancer with flying colors. I am no longer taking any medications, most of my doctor visits are merely check-ups, and there are no lingering concerns we should worry about. I have had recent appointments with my medical oncologist and my otolaryngologist (ETN). Both are extremely impressed with my progress and any concerns they had in the past are now behind us. I was referred to a swallow study with speech pathology, but passed that test. I've also had my hearing checked and passed it with minimal changes to my baseline.

The only medical issues I am left with are problems I must learn to deal with for the rest of my life. The radiation did a number to my neck. The scar tissue and fibrosis are significant, but with physical therapy and lymphatic message twice a week, we are seeing signs of improvement. Dry mouth is an issue I've learned to work around. I am cautious of the things I eat, and I've adapted my daily rituals to include what measures must take place to ease the annoyance.

With all things considered, I feel great. In fact, I continue to test my limits by accepting new challenges. I’m halfway through the fall semester at the University of Arizona. In August, I re-enrolled into the Eller College of Management MBA program, which I had previously withdrew from upon learning of my cancer diagnosis. Instead of doing the online program (like I had done before) I am now a member of the evening cohort, scheduled to graduating in 2019. The program requires me to attend classes every Tuesday from 4pm to 10pm. With work, the evening school schedule makes for some very long days. It is a bit of a sacrifice now, but this degree will surely boost my marketability upon exiting the US Air Force.

If you are not following me on Facebook or Instagram, you might be surprised to learn I recently hiked the Grand Canyon. After spending five days camping the Grand Canyon in our new pop-up camper with Jess and the kids, I decided I wanted to put my new backpacking gear to the test. So, the week following our camping trip, I returned to the canyon (by myself) and hiked town to the Colorado river and back up. I spend a total of two nights in the canyon, one at the bottom (next to the river), and the other half way up during my accent to the top. The hike was much more difficult than I anticipated, but in the end, the sense of accomplishment made the entire journey well worth the pain.

I must take a minute to thank all of you who supported my Go Fund Me fundraiser. Whether you donated, or shared the message with others, my hike would not have been feasible without your support. I have a planned hike in Zion this coming Spring and hopefully a few others before living out one of my dreams on the PCT. Thank you!

Many of you might be wondering about the status of my military career. As of now, we are still waiting on my medical physician to submit my Medical Evaluation Board (MEB) package. This package with explain, in detail, my past and current medical status – to include a description of all the interventions and results culminating from my bout with cancer. The package will be evaluated by a group of doctors who will then decide my fate in the military. Since I have rebounded as well as I have, things are looking much better than they did in the past. But, just in case things do get hairy, I have a team of Air Force leaders ready to swoop in to assist. My goal is to reach my twenty-year mark.

So, now that I’ve brought you back up to speed, please indulge me as I share with you some thoughts I’ve been having regarding cancer. When I began this journey, I sought out information online from the Cancer Survivor Network. This is a forum where people like myself can go to ask other cancer fighters questions regarding their disease. I found this forum extremely helpful. It prepared me for the worst, whether it was knowing what my future had in-store or simply providing me tips on what items I might need to help ease the suffering of chemo and radiation. Anyways, I was always amazed at the number of people who responded to the cries for help. For every new post published, there would be anywhere from ten to twenty replied within 24 hours. There truly is a committed community of supporters who dedicate personal time (everyday) to help others who are scared. Well, now that I’m one of the lucky that beat this bastard disease, it is my turn to be a source of compassion and understand for others.

In my opinion, winning a bout with cancer comes with a new role and set of responsibilities. You might say, those who have won the fight are awarded an ambassadorship of sorts. Since crawling my way out of hell, I have been approached by numerous people ether fighting cancer, who have fought cancer in the past, or know someone close who is fighting cancer. People require a support network to help secure their mental and physical wellness... this is a core concept of resiliency. Cancer fighters are experts, if you will, in living with cancer. The treatments might differ, but the phycological effect cancer has on people is comparable. A doctor can tell you what cancer is, how it effects the body, and what treatments will be most effective is dealing with the disease, but unless they have had cancer, they can describe the struggle between denial, confusion, anger, or acceptance. This is where other cancer fighters must step in. We have a perspective no one else can comprehend. We all deal with cancer slightly different, but much of that depends on how resilient the individual is. Resiliency is a learned skill, which is where I feel I have much to offer.

I’ve decided I will ALWAYS make time for someone dealing with cancer, patient or loved one. I accept my role as ambassador. Please forgive me if I come across as someone tooting my own horn, but I feel I dealt with cancer quit well. I had my moments of weakness, but all-in-all, I think I navigated through this journey quit well. In fact, I honestly believe the resiliency skills I used helped me through this, which in turn aided in my healing. This blog is an excellent example. It (the blog) served two purposed. First, I could keep all my family and friends informed of my condition throughout the journey. Secondly, and most importantly, I could face myself daily. By confronting my fears while blogging, I could confront and put to rest my emotions instead of bottling them up. In doing this, I could get past the frustrations so could focus more on the small victories. As I said before, small wins matter. So, if anyone needs to talk, just let me know!

Well, I think that is all I have for now. I appreciate your concerns and interest in my journey and wellbeing. I hope you all are doing well!

Until next time…

Chris