6 Years Out!

Six years ago I left New York Hospital after a 5 day stay for resection related to my stage 3 rectal cancer. I had already undergone preoperative chemoradiation that had wiped out the tumor...but they took some colon to be safe. I then had to go through 6 months of chemotherapy. I remember thinking, as I rode home in the minvan, wincing at every pothole on the westside highway, that life would never be the same. Here I am 6 years later, running every morning and living a good life with my wife and kids. I still have all the same fears that we survivors share, but I can put them aside for a little longer each time they recur. For those of you in the midst of treatemnt or waiting for test results, just know that there is a light at then end of the tunnel. My oncologist once told me that many, many people are cured of this disease, but you don't know it because they just return to normal life. I visit here and post when I can to remind all of us of the hope that we all deserve to have. I, too had rising CEA scares (nothing) spots on CT scans (nothing) and a sore back (old mattress). Finally, my oncologist told me that I was smart, and would just know if something was not right. That was 3 years ago and I have been great since then. Keep up the battle survivors, it's worth it!