Greetings everyone, long time no talk. I'm back to make good on a promise I made six years ago to a 29 year old scared out of his mind having recently heard those fateful words. This was one of the first places I came on the old interwebs sitting in the hospital, waiting alone with my trusty laptop six years ago. I work in medical research, so I knew from the start, colon cancer is not something to be messed with. Sitting there in the hospital, I needed to find someone else like me. I scoured this forum for days, lurking and gobbling up as much knowledge and experience as I could. Here I found other young folks diagnosed with CRC just like me, and here I also found some hope. Because some of them were still alive and well. Not long after seeing those success stories and realizing how good they made me feel, I made a promise to myself. If by the wonders of Medicine, God, and help from friends and family I became one of those success stories, I would make sure to return that glimmer of hope back to this community.
Six years later, I'm still cancer free. My doctors, family, and I threw the book at this thing, doing everything we could to try and secure my future. Nobody really knows what put it over the edge, but we do know that I'm still cancer free. It's an enormous blessing to still be here. Back when I was diagnosed, less than 10% of folks like me made it to 5 years, and a majority of those who did, still had cancer. Only time will tell if I really am Cured, but we keep getting closer and closer to that true reality. As I go along here, I'm shedding all sorts of doctors, which is a wonderful thing. My surgeons both kicked me to the curb, and my oncologist only brings me in once every 6 months now (we do CEA's every 3, but I just go to a labs place for them). Come March, I'll have my last CT scan, and drop to yearly appointments with my oncologist. Scope intervals keep getting longer too.
Most days, I don't even know that I had cancer, and have settled into daily life and the concerns of a young father. God has decided that I need to stick around for a bit, cause I have to take care of my two wonderful girls.
So if you're that scared kid like I was, I hope this can serve as some hope for you, or even offer some comfort. Few of us make it this far, but some do. I'm blessed every day to be one of those and hope others can do the same.
With thoughts, prayers and swinging chickens,
Fletch
11/13/09 5cm Stage IV 9/25 lymph nodes w/2cm peritoneal met at 29 YoA
12/15/09 LA right hemi-colectomy
6/16/10 Folfox
FINISHED8/10/10 Prophylactic HIPEC
10/9/10 got Married
Still NED and living life to the fullest
"Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life."