My name is Pete. In early 2019, I had what was believed to be an ulcer on my tongue. I didn’t really think anything about it until my friends and family started asking me what was wrong with my speech. My words slurred and I also lost an excessive amount of weight (45-50lbs). On June 11, 2019, I went to a walk-in clinic and they referred me to an oral surgeon. June 12, 2019 (my son’s birthday), I went to the oral surgeon to get a lump looked at on my tongue. At this point, I thought that it was an ulcer. The doctor took a look at it and said to just wash your mouth with some warm salt water and you’ll be okay. I asked the doctor to take a second look. He did and said, “Oh, we’re going to have to do a biopsy right away to see what’s going on.” Later that night, I got a phone call from the oral surgeon stating that he did not feel comfortable doing the biopsy and that he was referring me to an ear, nose, and throat specialist. About a week later, I went to the ENT and he took a scope and went down my nose and to look around. He said that he saw what appeared to be a tumor on the base of my tongue. He stated that he’ll need to do a biopsy to get it tested.
On June 27th, I had the biopsy done. The doctor stated that it was cancerous and forwarded my information to a colleague that does robotic surgery at the University in Pennsylvania. He felt that I was a good candidate. He stated that I would be getting a call for a consultation. On July 2nd my wife, Racheal, got a call from the doctor in Philadelphia -the earliest they could get a consultation would be July 30th. My wife prayed and asked the Lord for direction. She knew she had to get a hold of the Lord -it was a desperate situation. Oddly enough, the Lord spoke to Racheal on July the 3rd and told her to contact the Mayo Clinic. She went online and completed an appointment form. Before pressing send, she felt the Lord tell her to pick up the phone and call – immediately. She went back and forth about calling because it was the evening before the holiday and she didn’t think anybody would answer. However, she obeyed the Lord and called. After the second ring, someone answered and put her directly in contact with the doctor. The doctor asked, “how soon can you get there?” They needed information that we couldn’t get until after the July 4th holiday. The doctor said, “we’ll see you on July 8th at 8 a.m,” our heads spun. We had to get everything in order, quickly.
Miraculously, we were able to get the last available rental for the journey to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. First, we met with the surgeons, Dr.Janis and Dr. Price. The surgeon went into very vivid details on what could happen and said they would need to get blood work and scans done right away. The next few days seem like a blur as we had appointments all day long. However, we felt the Lord was with us. There was a peace about it in the midst of the turmoil.
On Wednesday of that week, it looked like we were headed into surgery to basically “filet” my neck open and remove the tumor. This is called a neck dissection and it was very difficult to hear about the procedure, side effects, and the long recovery. The surgeon stated that I was not a good candidate for the robotic surgery. Racheal was visibly shaken and I was just trying to take it all in. We went back to the hotel and began to pray about the surgery and seek another option or healing. At this point, few people knew what we were going through. We reached out to our church leaders and asked them to pray with us. I can’t explain the peace that we felt.
On Friday, July 12th, the team of doctors and nurses at the Mayo Clinic met and discussed my case. I was called back and it was determined that surgery was not an option due to the size of the tumor. The tumor had involved 75% of my tongue so the medical team decided to do chemotherapy and radiation. At this point, we were 1,123 miles from home and the doctors wanted us to stay 7 to 8 weeks to complete the treatment. We were not prepared to stay this long and asked the doctors if we could have the treatment done closer to home. The doctors were reluctant because the treatment was very aggressive and needed to start right away. They contacted doctors at the Tunnel Center in Lewes and discussed the treatment plan. We got called back for another appointment and the doctors at the Mayo felt comfortable having the chemotherapy done in Lewes. However, we would have to come back to do Proton Beam Radiation Therapy. It was such a relief to hear that we were going home!
Once we got home, Tunnel Center and got the ball rolling. We had a few hiccups, but my chemotherapy started at the end of August. The chemo treatment consisted of a whole day once a month x 3 treatments. It also consisted of wearing a chemo pump, an additional 96 hours with strong chemotherapy. Before my first treatment, I remember we went to church and a minister prayed for me and told me he felt the Lord was with me. I held on to that promise.
The chemo was difficult. I lost more weight and struggled until the end. During the last round of treatments, I was home with the pump on and the Lord gave me assurance. Early one morning, I was awakened to see a man wearing blue, lean over me and then he dissipated. At first, I was startled, but later realized it was the Lord over me. This brought me to a place of peace and I knew that everything was going to be okay.
The next step was to return to the Mayo Clinic for the proton beam therapy. On October 21st, we arrived for my first appointment. I had radiation and appointments every day except for Saturday and Sunday. During the first couple of weeks, we had to stay at a hotel. After the second week, we were able to stay at the Hope Lodge at no cost to us. This was a blessing! I started to feel rough after the 4th week. The only thing that I was able to keep down was Boost and Ensure. Even though I felt so bad, I knew the Lord was with me…everything was going to be okay.
We returned home the day after Thanksgiving and rested. I was very weak. I went back to work in mid-January and I continued to get stronger every day. In March 2020, we went back for the three-month scan to see the results. The doctors came in and told me “you are cancer-free”. We were so happy. I already knew it because of what the Lord had already spoken to me. The doctor said if “I had not of came to the Mayo Clinic, I wouldn’t have been alive to see Christmas.” I feel very blessed that I know the Lord and have friends & family that covered me in prayer. I am alive!
