Reflecting. . .

Recently, a couple of dear friends of mine have been diagnosed with cancer.  One has reached the halfway mark of the treatment plan and the other will soon be starting their treatment plan.  A couple of weeks ago, I was asked to write a Survivor Story for the local office of the American Cancer Society (ACS).  I was honored to be asked.  As I have been spending time in prayer for my friends, I felt like I should share what I wrote for the ACS.  I hope it is an encouragement to you such that you will want to get involved in the fight against cancer. Here is what I wrote for the ACS:

April 20^th, 2015 is a date that I will never forget.  It was a Monday.  The previous Friday I had experienced a sudden flash of pain that truly scared me.  It scared me enough to call my family doctor. Monday was as soon as I could get an appointment.  That Monday morning, I explained to my doctor that some time before I had found a lump on my testicle but wasn’t overly concerned about it until the pain the previous Friday.  My doctor examined me and said the words you never want to hear: “You have Cancer.”  I learned something that day, when a doctor says cancer, it’s always with a capitol C. 

What followed that appointment was a series of ultrasounds, CT scans, x-rays, blood work, and a flurry of doctors’ appointments.  By that Friday, I was being for prepped for surgery.  At this time, all I knew was that I had been diagnosed with a tumor that my surgeon and I decided needed to go.  A few weeks after my surgery, I had a follow up with my surgeon.  My tumor was biopsied, and it was diagnosed as a mixed germ cell tumor.  It was mixed with two cancers, one was very aggressive and very malignant. 

Shortly thereafter, I met my oncologist.  The very first appointment was and still is a bit of a blur.  All I can remember is her saying this “Mr. Otto, you are one of the lucky ones.”  I can also remember me thinking “I’m lucky?  I’m lucky?  I’ve got cancer!”  I was about to say something when she continued to say that I was one of the lucky ones because of research, they knew how to cure my cancer.  She said that with chemo, I’d have a 97% chance of complete remission, and without chemo, I had a 1 in 3 chance of the cancer reoccurring; and since my tumor was the aggressive, malignant sort, I could most likely make that a 2 in 3 chance.    

After my chemo was completed and my checkup scans continued to be clear of any signs of cancer, I decided that I wasn’t going to be the only “lucky one.”  I had been involved in Relay for Life a little before this, but I decided I was going to do two things:  raise money for research and raise awareness in my community.     That’s why I Relay—I want more survivors, I want a cure.

Thank you for what you do for Relay for Life.  Together, we can find a cure.  Until there is a cure, together we can raise money for research so that more and more cancer patients can be part of the “lucky ones.”  I beat my cancer because people like you donated time, effort and money to raise funds for research.  Without research dollars raised in our communities, my oncologist may not have had the knowledge to treat my cancer successfully, because of that knowledge, my wife and I are able to watch our three boys grow into fine young men.  Thank you for being part of my cure and for being part of the cure for countless others in our community.  Thank you for celebrating, remembering, and fighting back on the behalf of all Survivors. 

Tom Otto

Cancer Survivor

As you go about the rest of your day, would you mind saying a prayer or two for my dear friends?  I'm trusting that the Lord will bring them through this with victory over their cancer.  I've been in their shoes, and they aren't easy ones to wear.  For more information on Relay for Life and the American Cancer Society, please visit these websites: 

Relay for Life     American Cancer Society