Kenny I.

Kenny is a Stage III tonsil cancer survivor who discovered CanCare after completing his treatment and becoming a volunteer. His cancer journey began when he noticed a small lump about the size of his little finger just inside his right jaw bone, one inch from the joint. After 3-4 weeks, he decided to see his doctor, who looked in his mouth and sent him straight to an ENT. After a biopsy, three days later he heard those terrible words: "you have cancer."

The cancer was in his tonsils and lymphoid tissue, but his doctor told him it was treatable and one of the easiest to treat. Over the next 22 days, Kenny had 18 appointments including CT scans, blood work, feeding tube placement, mediport insertion, and PET scans. Before he knew it, he was in treatment.

The first two radiation treatments were scary and stressful, with the mesh mold clamping his head to the table. Everything seemed to move really fast, but he knew the last week of treatment and the two weeks after were going to be the worst. Kenny kept a positive attitude throughout his treatment. At the end of his last week, he ended up in the ER, fighting off nausea until he just couldn't fight it anymore.

While going through treatment, Kenny promised himself that when he was able, he would do something to help someone else. He found out about CanCare and took the volunteer training class. One exercise involved standing under signs showing different emotions felt when diagnosed with cancer—fear, shock, death, anxiety, depression, loneliness, and anger. Kenny stood under "shock" because it was the first thing he felt, but within 24 hours he had felt all the other emotions too.

When asked about how CanCare impacted his life... I wish I would have known about CanCare when it all started. I still had questions all the time, even though my radiation oncologist was wonderful about informing me what to expect every week. Now I have one CanCare client that had cancer in his tonsils just like I did. When we spoke the first time, he helped me as much as I helped him. It felt good and also reminded me what I endured and overcame.

My words to pass along to anyone facing cancer... CanCare keeps me focused on my health and giving back to others. Giving back is a great reward. Don't underestimate how much helping others can help you heal too—sometimes the person you're helping gives you as much as you give them.