I found out the lump in my neck was Squamous cell cancer April 5.
My life became a BLURRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Friday April 13 and I started the day at the YMCA. This is a place that is all about love and caring.
I have been a member of the Y for years and have made friends with most of the trainers. Trainer John is one of my best friends and I helped him find his house. When I shared about my cancer he looked me straight in the eye, gave me a big hug and said “my brother had that same cancer and is doing fine”.
Patti and I drove in to town to find our accountant Tom P. Tom has done our taxes and been friends for all most twenty years. He was not answering his phone. He now works out of his house and didn’t look to good when I dropped them off a week or so ago. We get to his house and he finally answers the door. He looked almost dead and had mucus all over his sweatshirt his belt was not buckled and his fly was open. He had not shaven in a week and had the worst case of bed head I had ever seen. Are you ok Tom? “No not to good” he said. I said Tom I am a recovering alcoholic and go to AA. He looked at me and said, “I admit I’m an alcoholic and I have been to AA too. When is the last time you ate anything Tom? It’s been a week. Tom I need my taxes back right now. I followed him into his house and climbed the stairs to his office. His bed is on the other side of the room with the TV on. A smell of stale booze fills the air and then I realize it was him. Tom I love you, tomorrow I am taking you to the hospital. You need help! I will see you in about an hour with some food and off we went. I drove down state line road to his old office and talked with them to see if they might do our taxes. I told them what I found at Tom’s house. “He won’t let you help him” they said. I looked at them and said, “he has no choice because we don’t give up on one another”. I told them I have squamous cell neck cancer I found out a week ago and God is not going to give up on me. One of the men looked at me and said, “my brother had that same kind of cancer and is fine”. Then he gave me a number of one of Tom’s friends and said “he might help you with Tom’s intervention”. Patti took the number and when we got in the car I called. His name was John and I asked him if he could be at Tom’s house at 10:00 the next morning. He agreed and in my conversation I told him that I felt like God wants me to help Tom to get my mind off my neck cancer. John said “do you have squamous cell?” I said,“Yes I do”. Well “I had that five years ago”. I started to laugh and said, "now I know God has his hand in this". I took food back to Tom’s house after dropping Patti at home. He would not come to the door and then I saw all the notes from other clients on his door pleading for him to call them back. I called 911 and said I think Tom is a danger to himself. They took Tom away to the VA hospital. Tom wanted to go home but agreed to stay the night. He also agreed to give all his clients to another accountant. Tom agreed to go with me to AA every day for the rest of the month. I called John to tell him what Tom said and that he would not need to be at the house at ten for the intervention. Then John shared with me that he was a recovering alcoholic and a member of AA too. Then he asked me what hospital I would be going to for treatment and the name of my doctor? When I told him he started to laugh and said “I was treated at the same hospital and by the same doctor”.
What are the odds? To find two men with brothers that are both survivors with the same cancer as mine? Or John, having the same cancer being treated at the same hospital with the same doctor and both of us being recovering alcoholics in AA? I think God has a sense of humor.
I walked into the YMCA yesterday and Mark a friend at the front desk that keeps his bible on the counter said, “hey Mike I have a something for you. That is when he gave me a book. Fighting cancer with faith.
It's about a man with the same cancer and his testimony.
Tom died on 9/21/13.
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