Thirty-five years clean and sober!

A year ago at this time (34 years clean and sober) I had no idea I'd be where I am today. I just had my third infusion of an immunotherapy drug, Keytruda, for cancer of the lymph nodes, called Merkel Cell Carcinoma (very rare). I feel pretty good and am hoping there will not be side effects from this third infusion, like there was with the first. I was pretty sick for about three weeks after the first infusion, hardly any at all following the second. However, I am bummed to find out that, even though I may be cancer free now, I will still have to continue the infusions for one year. Criminy! It's an infusion confusion!

All-in-all, the cancer I have (Stage III) is hardly anything compared to the bad cancers, like pancreatic, bone, brain, etc. While in the oncology and infusion departments at the University of Iowa Hospital, Ginnie and I saw some really sick people: they were skin and bones with no hair. I'm in pretty good shape so far, don't have any hair to lose, and hopefully we've caught the cancer before it spreads. I think we have. Thanks to all your prayers and some fantastic doctors at the U of I, I do believe this cancer is whipped. We'll see. It's much healthier to be optimistic than pessimistic.

A nice treat while I was getting my second infusion was that some University of Iowa football players came through and visited with patients. (BTW: my little infusion only takes 15 minutes. Others I know can take like five hours.) I wasn't feeling too well, and this friendly football player came in to talk with us. My spirits were immediately lifted, like a hot-air balloon rising. He was really nice and I managed to have a nurse snap a picture of us. I didn't know who he was, his name tag only said “Sebastian.” Anywho, when I was watching the Iowa-Northwestern game that Saturday, Iowa's Homecoming, there he was, number 29, Sebastian Castro, star safety on the U of I football team. Far out.

While I was so sick after that first infusion, I saw something in the mail that looked like a solicitation. It was from a group called Help to Others that I had never heard of. I didn't pay any attention to it, but Ginnie did. She opened it and there was a get-well note along with a HyVee gift card. Wow! That was just so nice: a group of anonymous people reaching out to help. That really humbled us and let us know that there were people out there who cared. Thank you. We will definitely be sending Help to Others (HᴤO) a contribution.

Speaking of Ginnie. She takes really good care of me. I'm so fortunate. We had a little scare with her possibly having cancer, but it proved benign. She may have surgery coming up early next year. I owe her a lot of care. I can fix a lot of Mac-and-Cheese.

About aronia berries. As you may remember, when I was first diagnosed with neuro endocrine carcinoma on my forehead, Ginnie and I started drinking aronia juice daily. By the time we had an appointment at the U of I Clinic, the cancer on my forehead had cleared up. However, trace amounts of cancer were detected in my lymph nodes, which necessitated the immunotherapy infusions. I feel the aronia juice definitely helped clear up the cancer, kept it at Stage III, and reduced its spread. If you want more information about aronia berries and where to find them, go the website www.linngrovearonia.com.

So, 35 years clean and sober. It's hard to believe that 35 years ago I almost died of alcoholism. Yup. Today, at 76, I have a family who loves me and a lot to look forward to—a cancer free life and/or Paradise for Eternity. I wasn't sure if I was going to teach my creative writing class this winter, but I think I'll be up for it. I get so much benefit from watching those eager beavers write and improve and publish.

To the men out there: get a cancer policy. Virtually every male will eventually have prostate cancer. And with Iowa being the second highest state for cancer rate, per capita, it's a no-brainer.

Have a good story? Call or text Curt Swarm in Mt. Pleasant at 319-217-0526 or email him at curtswarm@yahoo.com. Curt is available for public speaking.

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