At least that is my experience on the subject.

I remember back when I was in the Navy, being a Combat Air Crewman on P2V7’s Neptune and the P3 Orion during the early to mid 60 & 70's I would have to get a Flight Physical each and every year. Once when we were on deployment in a combat zone there were several of us that the year was running out on our flight physical. So we were scheduled to fly a mission and land in Okinawa to be given our yearly physical at the base hospital. During my carrier in the Navy I flew 13 years as a Combat Air Crewman (Ordinance) never once did I go over a year without a physical.  I don’t remember much about the physicals other than the humor that the Flight Surgeon would seem to have when it came to the prostate exam. One time he came into the examination room with a large silver thing about 15” long strapped to his hip like a Colt .45 exclaiming are you ready! Talk about getting your blood pressure to rise.

I don’t care if you call it Cancer; The Big C, Colon Polyps or the Creeping Crud, cancer is as series as a heart attack. There are a number of types and causes of cancer. Some are treatable and curable, some are not.  But one thing is true; if your doctor tells you that you have IT a lump the size of Texas will stick in your throat and it will take days if not weeks to get over it. (If you ever do)

During the summer of 2005 my brother was having some health issues of his own and it was brought to my attention that I had not had a real physical sense my discharge from the service in 1983. So I made the appointment and was scheduled for a day of fun and recreation at the local clinic with people that I didn’t know. (Always a fun tine) Reaching the age of, let’s say over the age of 50 the doctor wanted to do a colonoscopy (KOH-lon-OSS-kuh-pee). The process of getting ready for this wonderful experience is another story that we can write about later, any way after the procedure the doctor told me that he had removed 7 polyps from my colon and that it would be sever days before they would know anything back from the biopsy. After a few days I was called back in the office and the first words out of the doctors mouth was “This is the reason that we do colonoscopy’s” of the seven polyps remove 4 were cancerous but he was sure that they were caught in time and that there would not need to remove any of my colon. Another colonoscopy in 6 month revealed 3 additional polyps all benign (bee-NYN) then another test in 1 year that revealed no additional growths. I was feeling pretty good about myself “Dodging the bullet with the Big C as a projectile".

2009 was a very exciting year for me and my family. At the age of 63 I fulfilled a lifelong dream of riding a motorcycle to the Article Circle. I took 23 days to ride 11,225 miles from Hermitage, Tennessee to Coldfoot, Alaska and back of course visiting places like Forks, Washington (Of TwiLight Fame) and Sturgis, South Dakota 2 days before bike week (to avoid the crowds). But it also brought some serious and dark days with it. After the ride I was feeling very itchy in the middle of my back, so to please my wife I went to the doctor to have it checked out. Well that is when I started with that feeling of being up the proverbial creek without a paddle.   Taking a tissue sample it came back positive as melanoma cancer. I was scheduled to have it along with three other growths removed. After the surgery they were sent in for biopsy to make sure all of the cancer was removed, while I recovered with a hole about the size of a hole about the size of a Chicken Egg in the middle of my back. I got a call from the doctor’s office that he wanted to see me the next day. (Strange it is a Saturday) Come to find out the Cancer was deeper than they had first through with 4 runners. My doctor wanted to refer me to a specialist that deals with this every day. In shock I agreed to which he replied “good” because he had taken the liberty of making an appointment for me on Monday. Is it me or does it seem that everyone is much nicer to you when you have excitement in your life, or what? Any way the cancer surgeon looked at my back and the big hole that was now pulled shut and stitched together and just shook his head.  He told me that they would have to wait till the insurance approved the procedure and then they would get me in to remove the rest of the cancer that the first surgery missed. In the mean time he would get a copy of the biopsy report and make some arrangements, this was on Monday. Wednesday, the Surgeon called and stated that he had read the report and called the insurance company and to come in tomorrow for pre admittance to University Medical Center the surgery was scheduled for Friday. The doctor said that the procedure would only take about an hour and the I could go home to recuperate. When I awaken in the recovery room the doctor said that it was a little more extensive that he had first though and he was going to keep me over night. My wife counted over 100 stitches in my back from the left shoulder blade to the right. The good news was that the biopsy showed that they had removed all of the cancer. Several years and checkups later I am still Cancer free.

I guess what is important here is; “it is OK to be scared of the unknown”. There will be days that you want to give up, and days that you have more strength than you know what to do with. Learn to balance the two, draw from your strength from within, from loved ones around you, from the heavens above, from the universe or anywhere else that you can. Remember never, never give up, and don’t ever give in. It is most important to fight your best fight at this time in your life.