How I Knew -

Many people have asked how I found out I had cancer or how I knew.

You know. Listen to your body, pay attention to your temple from God, be in touch with your intuitive self, and you will know. And if that doesn't work, go the the doctor immediately when something isn't right.

It was Good Friday, and my son-in-law, Chad, and I were in a golf tournament in Mesquite. We had an early tee time and while shaving, nothing was unusual. By Friday afternoon I had a racquet ball size lump on my neck. I didn't know what it was......but I did. I knew because I was scared. I called Faith because I was scared. I hoped for the best but my gut had the inside track.

What followed is pretty routine, assuming you don't ignore the obvious. I got an appointment on Monday at Castle Rock with Mr. Bryce Wylie, a PA at the hospital district. He put me on antibiotics to determine if it was an infection. He was good. In ten days, and no change, he sent me to an Ear, Nose, and Throat specialist. That's when I met Dr. Haack of Evanston. He looked, probed, set up an MRI and a biopsy. The visual exam revealed nothing, the MRI was clean, and the biopsy came back inconclusive. I was starting to hope for the best; Dr. Haack was convinced to move forward.

Next was a PET scan in Salt Lake City. Now every step takes time. It takes time to get the appointment, to do the test,l to get the results, to plan the next step, to get the next results. It had been over six weeks of ups and downs and I no longer cared whether I had cancer or not. I just wanted to know! I wanted an answer so we could move on, one way or the other.

When you get the answer you don't want.....well it becomes one of those dates. You never forget it, you forever remember where you were, who you were with, and what you were doing.

It was June 10th. Faith and I were shopping for bedding in Las Vegas for a house which we had just taken possession. We were in the parking lot when Dr. Haack called. He said they had found the primary source of the cancer......a small spot on my tonsil. I had a full body scan and he encouraged me by saying here were no indications of any other cancer but that one. Somehow that was little consolation to hearing.....you have cancer. Then you ask stupid questions. The doctor said the cancer was very small. I asked what if we did nothing. He calmly and matter of factly told me it would kill me. Well that certainly refocuses your thinking.

It was time for some heavy artillery, and before we got back toGreen River, we had a head and neck cancer specialist at the Huntsman Center and a surgery date set for the next week. We had found the enemy, and we were preparing to declare all out war. Some serious strategy planning was next.