My Cancer in the 21st Century

I am starting a blog about my up coming cancer treatment (2013). I have had cancer probably for about fifteen years. Six to seven of those years I didn't know I had it, the cancer was growing and consuming my left kidney like it was at the buffet table of Hannibal Lector. The malignancy only decided to make itself known when it was trying its most to kill me in the Spring of 2006. Well, that was seven years ago right about now. And, as a result, it didn't kill me, and I was saved by some skilled surgeons at the Maine Medical Center in Portland, Maine. After my surgery I recovered, I taught art history and design at Colby-Sawyer College, and published my novel Seasons in the Kingdom, events I will talk about more in the coming days and weeks ahead. I also participated in a vaccine trial at Bethesda's cancer research hospital, where over a period of six months I traveled to Bethesda, stayed for four days and over which time each day I received a vaccine for my trial group. They followed me for another year finding no noticeable evidence of cancer in my body. Now, however, after almost seven years of finding no disease, my periodic check with my oncologist in Portland found a lymph node in my chest that is the return of the renal cancer. Upon his recommendation I have contacted and been received by the Beth Israel kidney cancer specialists and will participate again in a treatment plan for someone with active renal cell disease. That treatment is called IL-2 (pronounced aisle-2) or High Dose Interleukin-2 treatment. You can read about that by finding it listed under pages on the homepage here. It will describe the treatment and how responsive it has been to curing kidney (renal) cancer. Obviously I want them to claim another success after I have gone through the program myself. When I was talking to my Doc he kept mentioning IL-2, which my ears heard as aisle two. I was thinking maybe I should select door #3 and see what's behind that. It wasn't until later that I figured out what he was talking about. I still would rather have selected door #3 because there was a nice sunfish sailboat behind it and well, summer is coming. But, no, I will be going down aisle two. So, here goes with the blog. I don't know how it will work, but I should be making comments and observations as I go through the program, especially as I get closer to the time of treatment. I will also be posting pictures from my FIVE PLUS event that I undertook to celebrate the five year threshold of two years ago. You can follow me by signing in your email in the appropriate spot or just check in periodically. Also, if you find the information pithy enough or interesting, you can share these posts on facebook or google.