I have a personal interest in cancer. In 1998, I was diagnosed with cancer of the larynx. I faced the choice of surgery, which would have removed my vocal chords and cost me my voice, or radiation and chemo, which would have ended my ability to taste. Miraculously, my wife discovered that the nearby University of Michigan Hospital had been initiating early trials of laser surgery for throat cancer. Through the intervention of throat oncologist Dr. Gregory Wolfe and his team, I not only survived but also recovered full use of my voice after many months of speech therapy.
Over the next 10 years, I was a regular visitor to the U of M Department of Otolaryngology's cancer clinic, first monthly, then quarterly and eventually just once per year. In 2008, after 10 years of regular follow-up evaluations, I was pronounced "cured." I'm sure many of the people I shared a waiting room with were not so fortunate.
To this day, the most compelling memory of my years as a "cancer patient" is the image of the youngsters I saw while there. I had lived more than half of my life in good health, married to one woman, father of two sons, having traveled around the world, achieved a doctoral degree, and enjoyed hobbies and a successful professional career in health care. Children with cancer often don't get a chance like that. Before their lives really start, they face sickness, discomfort, the side effects of treatment, and the palpable sorrow of the families who suffer with them. Some never make it to their 2nd birthday. Some attend their senior prom having lost all their hair to the efforts at eradicating their illness. Not I, but these youngsters, truly faced the prospects of a life unfairly stolen by cancer. I had plenty of turns at bat. They don't even get to suit up.
The MG Drive for CURE is a way to pursue my passion and also give something back.
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