Rules for Survival
by Sandra Z. Bruney

     He was thin and wan, but his smiling face radiated good humor as he walked to the podium. "In June 2003, I hit a little bump in the road," he said, eyes twinkling as he surveyed the audience. It was typically self-deprecating; all of us knew that Lewis had barely survived his cancer.

     "If I were a betting man, I'd bet your problem is a hiatal hernia," his doctor told him after he complained of difficulty swallowing. "But I'm not a betting man, so I'd rather check it out."

     A cancerous tumor was discovered about an inch above the opening to his stomach. Lewis was told he had a one-in-five chance of living five more years.

     "I told him I felt sorry for the other four guys diagnosed that week," Lewis recalled. "I never had a doubt in my mind that I was going to be okay."

     Lewis said he found that it was important to have goals and targets, and to look ahead. He was determined to go to Seattle -- across the continent from his North Carolina home -- to see his son before he was sent to Iraq. Doctors told him he was in no condition to make the trip.

     He made it anyway.

     Unable to speak beause of damage done to his vocal cords during surgery, he told his wife -- via pencil and paper-- to buy a dry-erase board. She did, and he wrote his first message on it.

     His wife read it, then took the pen and wrote her reply.

     Lewis read her answer, then wrote, "I can't talk, but I can hear."

     Not only unable to speak, he could not swallow food or drink for fear of getting it into his lungs and causing pneumonia. He used a feeding tube for four months. When he learned he had been awarded a trip to London for his superior sales record at work, he determined to go. His wife began looking for a portable feeding tube, knowing that there was no use in trying to dissuade him from his plans.

     Just days before the scheduled departure, he was told that an implant might restore his speech. He calculated that he would be recovered by departure time, and went ahead. "I talked the nurses to death on the way back to the recovery room," he said. Nine days later, the couple left for London -- minus the feeding tube.

     Lewis concluded his testimony with five "rules" for survival:

• A strong faith in and love for God. "I had prayers from all over the world."
• Strong love and dedication from family and friends.On the day of his 12-hour surgery to remove his tumor, Lewis walked into the hospital in the early hours of the morning to be met by his father, two sisters, three brothers and son.
• A strong team of doctors and nurses.
• Early detection through self-examination and routine tests, and most of all, "paying attention the changes in your body."
• Have, keep and share a positive attitude through listening and prayer.

The opinions expressed above are my own. Write me at sandy@cancercant.com if you have a different view or something to add.

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I'm Just Fine, Thank You
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What Cancer did for Me