Happy News

Jeanette and I have just returned from my follow-up appointment with Dr. Irish and the news is great: all signs indicate that I am now cancer free!

A microscopic trace of cancer was found in 1 mm of the several centimeters of tissue he removed from my tongue. It's very good, then, that that 1 mm of tissue was removed, and it is better still that the rest of the excised tissue was more than enough of a buffer to safely ensure the cancer hadn't spread any further. Dr. Irish reports a less than 5% chance that the cancer will reappear.

To help ensure early detection of any such reocurrence, the good surgeon and I will be entering into a long-term relationship: I'll see him every two months for the next year, every three months in year two, every four months in year three, every five months in year four, and every six months in year five. After five cancer-free years, Dr. Irish typically breaks up with patients over 40, but because of my youth, charm, and good looks, he'd like us to keep seeing each other biannually beyond year five. Given all that he's done for me, it's the very least I can do for him... especially so close to Valentine's Day.