HOLY CRAP! CANCER!

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On January 15, 2009, while Capt. Sully was performing his “Miracle on the Hudson”, I was on the phone with my doctor getting the news. He said I had Lymphoma and I needed to go for a CT scan and a biopsy. A needle biopsy of my neck did not get enough tissue for a diagnosis, so I had to back for an operation. They took a whole lymph node to test. The CT Scan confirmed enlarged lymph nodes and the biopsy refined the diagnosis. Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, a rare cancer which my wife and I knew little about. As time went by, we learned much more about it and other cancers.
About 5.000 cases of Hodgkins Lymphoma are diagnosed every year and at this point in time 95% of those are cured. 1 out of 20 Hodgkins patients die from the cancer.
It’s been 5 years as of this posting and good news has been reported for the past 2 years. We’ve been given the “ALL CLEAR”. We’ve beaten the cancer and I am “cured”. No more Hodgkins, just a test periodically to see if it stays away. So what did it take to get from January 15, 2009 to today? A list in no particular order is as follows: blood tests, x-rays, examinations, a visit to the emergency room, CT scans, PET scans, a needle biopsy, a surgical biopsy, a bone marrow biopsy, pulmonary volume tests, MUGA scans, a PICC line insertion, nurses visits, a blood transfusion, pneumonia, congestive heart failure, neuropathy, pills and more pills, chemotherapy drugs, neupogen injections, radiation therapy and now follow-ups.
That’s my story, so far, in a nutshell. Now begins a new story. I have begun the fight to help as many people as will listen, and heed the word to avoid having a similar or more deadly outcome. To do this I will need to enlist the help of my family, friends and the worldwide community of chefs and others associated with the business of food. They will make available, for all, foods, high in cancer fighting ingredients by creating recipes and menu items for them.
I would like to ask for support from all who visit this website. Tell your friends about it and follow the guidelines found at thecancerfightingchef.com.