LAUNCH OF MILITARY CANCER SURVIVORS' DISCUSSION

spongebob
spongebob Member Posts: 2,565 Member
edited November 2022 in Testicular Cancer #1
After a little cajolling, I have convinced the CSN that there is a need for a discussion for military cancer survivors. The purpose of this discussion is to give military folks a safe place to go and ask questions about treatment, administrative issues, performance evaluations, etc. that are unique to military cancer survivors. If you or someone you care about are military cancer survivors, stop on over and say "Attention!". I have recruited Kat - a military attorney with 11 years of trial experience and Mike, an oncology nurse (NOT a doctor) to help out with technical stuff. As you may have gathered, I am an old dinosaur myself (23 years E-1 to O-4) with lots of experience at "working the system". We're here to listen, advise, let you vent or kick you in the butt if necessary.

Hoping to hear from you soon - active duty or retirees.

- LCDR SpongeBob

Comments

  • srvivr95
    srvivr95 Member Posts: 2
    Hello Sponge Bob,
    I am very impressed with what you are doing and would like to let you know if you need any people to help count me in. You can email me direct at [email protected] I am a Cancer survivor now for a little over 8 yrs now and am very happy to be alive.
    One another note I want to thank you and all the men and women under your command for the job you all do to keep us safe.

    Peter
  • srvivr95 said:

    Hello Sponge Bob,
    I am very impressed with what you are doing and would like to let you know if you need any people to help count me in. You can email me direct at [email protected] I am a Cancer survivor now for a little over 8 yrs now and am very happy to be alive.
    One another note I want to thank you and all the men and women under your command for the job you all do to keep us safe.

    Peter

    This comment has been removed by the Moderator
  • spongebob
    spongebob Member Posts: 2,565 Member
    srvivr95 said:

    Hello Sponge Bob,
    I am very impressed with what you are doing and would like to let you know if you need any people to help count me in. You can email me direct at [email protected] I am a Cancer survivor now for a little over 8 yrs now and am very happy to be alive.
    One another note I want to thank you and all the men and women under your command for the job you all do to keep us safe.

    Peter

    Thanks very much, Pete!

    I appreciate your words of encouragement and support. Congrats on your 8 year success story - stories like yours are an inspiration to all of us!

    I am curious, are you former military? As I mentioned in a recent post to petenice at the MCS discussion, there seems to be a higher per capita incidence of testicular cx among people who are either military pilots/navigators like petenice (with a radar between their legs) or military shipdrivers like me (leaning over a radar for 8-12 hours a day. It really has to make you wonder.

    Thanks again for your post. I hope you don't mind that I copied it over to the MCS discussion.

    Happy holidays!

    - SpongeBob
  • Orlie
    Orlie Member Posts: 1
    I have just joined the CSN network and very intrested in the military cancer survivors. I am currently in the military. The information would be very good for everybody in the military.
  • jpark0908
    jpark0908 Member Posts: 2 *

    Hello LCDR SpongeBob,

    I am a senior in high school and I am hoping to get into one of the Service Academies (Air Force Academy, Naval Academy, Coast Guard Academy, West Point) or a ROTC program. The last step to my applications are to complete the Department of Defense Medical Exam. I think I heard somewhere that the military has a 5 year cancer free policy but does anyone know if I will pass the DOD medical exam with a history of cancer?

    Just 3 months ago, I had stage 1 testicular cancer. (mixed germ cell tumor) I had one testicle removed and had an implant placed. I am now completely cancer free and after several CT scans and blood tests, there is no recurrence. My doctor said I should have no problem serving in the military. My candidate fitness test scores are exceptional and I am back to competing in several varsity sports for my school.

    Do you know if I will be able to be medically qualified or maybe get a medical waiver? Thank you!

  • LuvnTN
    LuvnTN Member Posts: 49 Member

    Any experience with the new PACT Act passed 2022? It covers a lot of different types of cancer... some specified "of any kind". This post is pretty old... not sure if I should expect a reply. So, I posted links on most of the different types of cancer covered on each specific board. Hopefully, we can get some discussion going with someone who has experience with this specifically:


    https://news.va.gov/112016/what-the-pact-act-and-cancer-moonshot-mean-for-you/