The ironic thing about my journey is that I really had no symptoms. I felt fine my whole life changed
when I was simply shaving one morning and I felt a little tiny knot in the left side of my throat here in my lymph node area.
First visit we had to work up this neck mass which included biopsy
and to to his surprise the biopsy came back cancer.
I still haven't found the appropriate words to describe what you feel like when you hear the three dreaded words that you have cancer.
Time stops, everything stops, and honestly the first thing that you think is am I going to die?
So Mr. West developed a cancer that was related to a human papilloma virus (HPV). This virus infects the
vast majority of people as adults and we haven't figured out why but a certain minority of people
develop cancers. These cancers are often tonsil and base of tongue and often the exact location
can't be found and in those instances you have to treat the entire head and neck region with
often radiation, supplemented with chemotherapy. Stage four squamous cell cancer of the throat
HPV type 16, primary source unknown. Which is quite a mouthful but it's that end of it that
made my particular journey a little more difficult because when you have a primary source unknown
cancer for the head and neck what they do is they basically don't spare any of the tissue
when you're going through the radiation and so you get a broad blast of that high intensity radiation
all across your face down through your throat and your neck. He rallied, focused on treatment going to
each of his appointments following the treatment recommendations and his due diligence paid off.
Head and neck cancer treatment is incredibly difficult as I went through that treatment
everything is a progressive worsening. It becomes more and more painful and you start to lose things.
I completely lost my taste. I developed dry mouth because many of my salivary glands were
obliterated by the radiation during that treatment. you develop a lot of pain, fatigue and even though
you're on the heaviest of the pain medications to try to get you through it it still hurts.
It's an example of facing your fears, focusing and overcoming. What I like
to say is fight for everything that you can potentially give back because it is possible.
My taste did come back. It's probably about 85 percent. I was off the pain meds within one month
after finishing my treatment. I've never felt any pain since then.
I'm stronger in so many ways - mentally, physically and spiritually than I ever was.
I don't think i'll ever get to a point in my mind where I will utter the words that I'm thankful I
had cancer but what I am thankful for is I had the opportunity to improve myself as a result of
a very difficult circumstance in my life. And to be able to have a second chance to live your life in
a better way as a better person is a gift that I'm so incredibly thankful for every single day.
Human papillomavirus related cancers are increasing year to year and thankfully
through medical science we've developed vaccines to help prevent these chronic infections with
these viruses. Typically we're giving them to young boys and young girls as they enter puberty
and studies are showing that it's helping helping prevent these cancers.
Mr. West keeps me coming back to work. Beautiful people, getting a beautiful
outcome. There is nothing greater. Never, ever, ever give up. Keep fighting
and do everything that you can to get through it
because there's a beautiful life waiting for you on the other side of that challenge.