What a Difference a "C" Makes

A man walks into an otolaryngologist's office and says, "Doc, I've got a sore on my tongue that I've had since February." The doctor says, "The lesion looks superficial but it'll have to come out and get a biopsy." Two weeks later the doctor cuts it out. Two weeks after that, the biopsy results are in: the growth was malignant. The punchline: from canker to cancer in nine months.

Yes, today I got the news that nobody wants to get. Cancer. The good news is that my tongue has healed very well from the surgery and that the malignancy is at an early stage (T1, N0M0). The bad news is, well, hey -- cancer. A couple of weeks from now I'll report for duty at the Princess Margaret Hospital for radiation therapy.

The news is still sinking in. There was debilitating pain after the tongue procedure, but it healed quickly and I'm in otherwise excellent health. With no other physical symptoms, it's hard to process this as real. Jeanette was with me at the doctor's office. I'm very lucky to have her for support.

Stay tuned.