Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Awareness-Throat and Nasal Cancer
October 1, 2009 by Christine
Filed under Awareness & Hope
You’re probably not familiar with throat and nasal cancer, because there is no designated Awareness Month for this cancer cause. According to the American Cancer Society, Nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC) is fairly rare in most parts of the world. In North America, it occurs in about 7 in every 1 million people. This may add up to about 2,000 cases a year in the United States.
Yet 38 year old Rocky has Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma and wants others to be familiar with this form of cancer. Rocky was first diagnosed with Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma in 2005 when he was just 34 years old. His doctors initially diagnosed his symptoms as a sinus infection. This type of cancer is rare among Caucasians in the U.S. and is found mostly in Asian males in the Asian regions. After 2 months of antibiotics and no change, Rocky’s doctors obtained a biopsy of the mass in his neck, and traced it back to his nasopharynx. Almost five months passed from his initial symptoms to his cancer diagnosis. Says Rocky “I had to be a ‘squeaky wheel’ and be my own advocate. I did my own research, and actually diagnosed it prior to the doctors. “His Advice: “be persistent. You have to be your own advocate.” Being his own advocate in the diagnosis saved the life of this young husband and father.
Symptoms of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma
- A lump in your neck caused by a swollen lymph node
- Bloody discharge from your nose
- Nasal congestion on one side of your nose
- Hearing loss in one ear
- Frequent ear infections
- Headaches
- Double vision
- Face and neck pain
After Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma was diagnosed, Rocky began an aggressive cancer treatment. Over the course of seven months, he endured nine chemotherapy treatments and simultaneous radiation therapy, five days a week for seven weeks. In spite of the aggressive cancer treatment, he experienced his first recurrence in the left neck lymph nodes in 2006-which lead to a modified radical neck dissection surgery. Another recurrence in right neck lymph nodes during 2007 lead to a second neck dissection surgery. His third recurrence in 2008 right neck nodes and muscle tissue involved another neck dissection with inter-operative radiation therapy and post surgery chemo therapy. And a fourth recurrence in 2009 right neck, one node/ removed node and received inter-operative radiation therapy.
As of August 2009, Rocky has clear scans and considers himself a survivor. Managing his illness is an ongoing learning process. “I can control what I am exposed to, to a certain extent. I can manage my diet and stress levels. But the best management skill, but not the easiest, is Giving it to god, because he’s the one managing and in control,” says Rocky.
One of the first things that changed after his cancer diagnosis was Rocky’s priorities. Less self focus and more family focused. Says Rocky, “I turned my life over to Jesus for my salvation, comfort , strength and healing. I re-focused my life perspective from tunnel vision to more of a big picture scenario. Then I re-established my values as far as Faith, Family, and Friends, the three biggest tools in dealing with tough times.”
The best advice Rocky has for someone recently diagnosed with cancer is to “Stay positive. A bitter attitude feeds the sickness and is counterproductive to the treatments. Turn it over to God to sustain you and your family. He will meet your needs, he will give you strength, comfort, healing and peace, but only if you allow it. Get out of His way. Listen to your doctors and nurses, but at the same time, listen to your body and let the doctors and nurses know what you are feeling.” Rocky has additional advice for the caregiver of a cancer patient: “it’s probably going to the toughest on you. Make sure you are tied into a good support system; church, family & friends. Make sure that you get pampered and taken care of as well.”
Someday Rocky intends to write a book about his cancer and recovery. He wants to encourage others with his words:
- “Everyday is a gift, what are you going to do with it?”
- “On your tombstone, there are two dates. It’s the dash in the middle that means everything or nothing.”
- “Forget about self confidence. Cultivate God-confidence. His Will won’t take you anywhere that His Grace wont protect you.”
- “Jesus didn’t tap out !!”
Rocky has some special scripture verses that he depended on when fighting for his life. His favorites include:
- Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in the One who makes me who I am. Philippians 4:13 (The Message)
- But because God was so gracious, so very generous, here I am. And I’m NOT about to let His Grace go to waste. 1 Corinthians 15:10 (The Message)
- My comfort in my suffering is this: Your promise preserves my life. Psalm 119:50 (NIV)
If you’d like to follow more of Rocky’s cancer journey, you can visit his Blawg From the Dawg for a personal video, follow him on Twitter@rockdawg24 or wait for his eventual book. If you attend Cornerstone Fellowship in Livermore California, Rocky is the rocking drummer!
More Resources for Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma
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Please show your appreciation for his courage in sharing his cancer story and bringing awareness to Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma- post a comment of appreciation!
Rocky is a personal friend of mine, and his story is one amazing story of faith, family and believing!!! Thanks for sharing!!
Thanks Lisa! Tell Rocky to write his book…he is very inspirational!
My husband has Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma, he is 55. We noticed the lymph swelling in Jan 09…thought nothing of it till it did not go away. Made a Dr. appt in March and it took until the end of May 2009 to get the correct diognosis. They took out as much of the lymph as they could for diognosis. He started chemo the first week of June(40 days) then on to radition and chemo(40 days). Boy! has he changed. Moody, grumpy and pitiful. I know the pain must be excrutating. He got a PEG tube(feeding tube) on Aug, 13. He is out of his mind. I really need help, understanding the drugs and the delusions, hallucinations(sp?) and pain. If you have an insight, please let me know.
You should contact Rocky through his blog or through Twitter and he may have insight to share with you. In writing the article, I was amazed at how rare this illness is and how easily it is misdiagnosed.