10 Year Anniversary - Final Post

October 5 2016 - Today marks the 10 year anniversary since my last cancer treatment.  I didn't necessarily plan to post any more and truthfully I had forgotten how to even log in to this site (chemo brain! :-)) but I got a message recently from a stranger who was just diagnosed with head and neck SCC and who managed to find this blog so I guess it's still serving some purpose.  So if you stumble across this blog in your search for information, I hope you can take some comfort in knowing that there is life after cancer and despite what you may be feeling right now, the day will come when this will all be a distant memory.

I'm not sure precisely when cancer was no longer a daily part of my life but I can tell you that now, 10 years later, my life is my own again.  Sure there are lingering effects from surgery, radiation, and chemo and I suspect they might become more pronounced over time.  But it's all pretty normalized which is to say I don't really think about them very often, if at all.  Even the scar on my neck which was once so prominent has faded to the point where I don't think people notice unless they are really up close.  Cancer and the fear it instills was a burden that was with me every day for a long time... until it wasn't.

Life has changed tremendously over these 10 years.  My son, who was four when this all started, is now 15 and just entering his sophomore year of HS.  I have a new wife and family and have experienced so much, good and bad, that at one time I didn't think I would get to experience.  I remember as part of my ''bargaining' phase asking God to just let me see my son graduate from HS because at the time that seemed so far away.  Now that it's right around the corner, I guess it's time to start making new goals.

This will be my last post in this blog.  I don't really have any profound words of wisdom other than to say that if you're reading this right now because either you or a loved one are just starting this journey, keep the faith because the day will come when you too will reach this milestone.  Go back to the beginning by clicking the links on the right so you can see how it all started and what to expect throughout treatment and beyond.  Of course if you do have any questions, please feel free to email me and I will respond as soon as possible.  I hope that my story will give you knowledge, strength, hope, and peace.