Nathan’s Cancer Journey
Read Nathan’s inspiring journey battling squamous cell carcinoma amid COVID-19—his struggles, treatments, and road to recovery. Stay positive & never give up.
30 Stories in 30 Days™ // April 2023
My journey began in April of 2020. I suddenly felt a lump on the side of my neck, and I knew something was wrong. We were in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, so nobody wanted to see me. Fortunately, my wife’s friend worked with an ear, nose & throat (ENT) specialist at the time, and she was able to get me an appointment. The ENT performed an exam using a scope, and told me to follow up with another specialist.
The doctor told me I had a problem. He ran some tests, including a PET scan, and everything showed up positive. I had been diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma.
A few months later, I started a treatment regimen of 33 rounds of radiation and 3 rounds of chemotherapy. 2 weeks into the treatment, I was feeling pretty good. However, things started to get bad quickly. I developed blisters in my mouth, and started to feel sick from the radiation.
I also go to physical therapy twice a week… I’ve found that exercise definitely helps to relieve my symptoms.
At times, the pain was so bad that I needed fentanyl and oxycodone to get through it. I had to take all my medications in liquid form because I couldn’t swallow. I lost over 40 lbs because I wasn’t able to eat, but I refused to have a feeding tube placed. I managed to put on a bit of weight despite how painful it was to swallow.
The treatment process was a long one, but I eventually reached my final radiation and chemotherapy treatments over a year later. I am still bothered today by lymphoedema, trouble swallowing, fatigue, and pain and dryness in my throat, but it’s nothing I can’t handle compared to what I went through before.
I continue to try to gain back all of the weight I lost over the past year. I also go to physical therapy twice a week to help my lymphoedema. I’ve found that exercise definitely helps to relieve my symptoms. It might take a few years for me to feel totally normal again, but I’m currently able to live my life cancer-free, and that’s the most important thing
You can’t give up. You might be hurting now, but it’ll get better…
I am immensely grateful to be alive today. I have two grandchildren, and I love spending my time watching them enjoy life and play baseball. I don’t know how I could have gotten through my cancer diagnosis without my wife and my family, as well as the excellent care from my medical staff, who treated me like one of their own.
If I could give one piece of advice to cancer patients currently fighting a similar battle, I would tell them to stay positive. You can’t give up. You might be hurting now, but it’ll get better—you just have to take it one day at a time.
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For someone recently diagnosed with cancer, reading the stories of other caregivers and survivors can inspire.
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