The story of Todd
On the night of September 9th 2016, I honestly felt as if I had a stomach virus or had eaten some type of bad food product. Within the early hours of Monday morning, the 12th, I knew something was wrong, That day I went to Harbin Clinic Immediate Care and was quickly told to go straight to the Emergency Room at nearest hospital, which was Redmond, FAST –FORWARD I was lucky enough to have Dr. Ryland Scott as the Dr. on call this particular evening Dr. Scott performed my emergency appendectomy. Dr Scott was attentive enough to see something wasn’t right with my appendix so he sent a biopsy to the lab to be tested. My profession of work consists of sales and customer service that requires me to travel an extensive amount each week. Which caused this to happen next when my lab test report came back to Dr. Scott, He tried to contact me via telephone, but due to my weekly travels it was impossible, So Dr. Scott took it upon himself to care for his fellow man on his personal time off work and he stopped me at my sons Friday night football game & said he needed to talk with me since we had played phone tag all week. ‘’YOU HAVE CANCER OF THE APPENDIX’’ these words truly felt like ‘’A SACK OF BRICKS’’ just fell from an airplane onto my head. THESE are simply words you never expect to be said to you. I do know too well had this happened 20 years earlier of my life, I know I would have been mad at the world, God, and anything that could be used as an excuse to propel my rage my rage, Also in the past I probably would have thrown in the towel, but all I could think of was the beautiful child of mine out on that football field playing his game, as I am being told of it’s the real deal cancer, All I thought of was all the information of life lessons I had shared with my son Skyler and teaching him that his character traits were the success of living. My wife Jill & my son Skyler were the first thought when I heard the news. I could have cried & dropped to my knees, but not for myself, but for my wife & son. I then realized my life was to honor God and to keep my family within Gods light and to make sure I never failed to let Skyler or Jill know just what their love honestly meant to me. Later at the game, I told my wife about the conversation with Dr Scott & He must have been watching because he walked over and explained to my wife about the situation of my cancer in the same nurturing tone as when he first told me the news. TODD HAS APPENDIX CANCER I can’t say I have met anyone with this type of cancer, and the reason why, Appendix Cancer is only affecting 600-1000 people yearly, which also limits being able to read reports about other patients on the web. This form of cancer needs some serious awareness help! Stuart Scott and Audrey Hepburn died from the effects this disease left. Now the details of how I am going to fight appendix cancer is to – 1st heal from the emergency appendectomy, 2nd have a colonoscopy which after the colonoscopy really set my worries into motion They removed 7 polyps and one the 7 looked abnormal but thanks to the hand of GOD it was all just routine polyps no cancer in that polyp. 3rd have surgery to remove the right part of my colon ‘’right colectomy’’ Then the next words I never wanted to hear which is the 4th step of my cancer remedy start chemotherapy So November 2016 I meet my oncologist at Harbin Clinic Medical Oncology and learn I will be treated as a stage 3 colon cancer patient. This consisted of 12 bi weekly rounds of chemotherapy broken into segments of, One day in office hooked to chemo medications, and after that 2 hour session was followed by I would wear a bag for 48 hours while a pump injects other chemotherapy medications into my body while I am at home or trying to function in any other once normal activity of daily life. 5thstep was to have a mediport implanted in my chest so the chemotherapy I.V. could be easier to attach versus a vein probe each at visit for chemo treatments, and to save my veins in my arms. We are all different physically and mentally, and the human body is so amazing, I have to say that this 26 weeks of chemotherapy took a toll upon meunlike no other test or venture in my 47 years of life have. I didn’t lose weight as I had read or heard about, I actually gained 24 pounds, because I simply could not eat, and keep it digested so I always felt hungry! My mental & interactive therapy was to throw my Karl costume on and visit people and make videos as people laughed. I really need to give credit to the most wonderful team of nurses at Harbin Oncology, I would get severely dehydrated and they always found a way to get me in a chair for fluid injections, even when the room was packed, I also seen patients that had completely finished their chemo and would stop just to say hello to these nurses, so I know I am not speaking out of text about these nurses & their caring nature. Never oncedid I feel like a patient due to the way these nurses go all out to assist & for that it was very appreciated by me. Today is August 8-2017 I have completed all above mentioned care needs for my appendix cancer and I have also since completion of chemotherapy, had a CT Scan of abdomen with contrast and dye and the results were excellent, and also a colonoscopy which all signs are excellent, and great reports of my blood test.
So had it not been for God first, my extremely supporting family, my super friends, the greatest relatives, the strangers that became friends, and the touched by GODS Hands team of Drs. & Nurses I think this fella would not be typing this story at this moment.
If you are at a point of being told you have cancer start reaching out for someone that’s been there, I promise it will help tremendously versus reading the horrors online MY PHONE AND EMAIL IS AVAILABLE IF YOU EVER NEED TO CHAT JUST -HAVE ONCOLOGY GIVE ME A CALL & WE CAN TALK SEE
MORE OF MY EXPERIENCES DEALING WITH APPENDIX CANCER ON MY SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS
YOUTUBE WWW.YOUTUBE/TOESFORWARD.COM
INSTAGRAM SLEDGETODD
FACEBOOK /TODD.SLEDGE
Connect with other people living with PMP – RareConnect.org