This Is a Brutal Disease

Back in March I did a post entitled “I’m One Of The Lucky Ones”. I discussed how difficult the fight against esophageal cancer is for some patients. Much more so than mine. I didn’t know it at the time but that same month, a man named John Hawker underwent surgery of the type I described. Remember, this is a very invasive, life changing surgery. It’s usually not an option for stage IV patients like myself. John suffered through it and the difficult recovery that follows. He had already been through a couple of months of chemo and radiation with difficult side effects. He was learning to adjust his eating and his lifestyle. By April he was easing his way back to work. I’m familiar with John’s story because last week his wife Tracy contacted me to talk about nutritional needs for patients. Two days later they learned that John’s cancer has returned and in a nasty way. He has a tumor in his neck causing pressure on major arteries. He has to begin radiation again immediately or he will lose the use of his arm. All of this has happened within less than a year since John’s diagnosis. And John’s prognosis when diagnosed was better than mine. He was a candidate for surgery. So you see how lucky I’ve been. I’m now more than a year without the disease advancing and tolerating treatments fairly well. One other thing. John is only 36 years old. John’s wife maintains a journal. You can read about their battle here: John’s Story As I’m about to post this I checked Tracy’s journal for the most recent update. They were told today that there is a small chance the neck tumor is a new lymphoma rather than metastasis of the esophageal cancer. That would be good because lymphoma can be cured. Esophageal cancer can not be. So treatment will be delayed briefly pending a biopsy and PET scan. Please pray for John and for all the patients who have a tougher battle than me. ___________________________________________