I am a veteran of cancer, not just a survivor.

Susan, I thank you for your support and your gracious gesture in allowing me to use your art work.
I now proudly wear your logo across my back and shoulders, I am completely in your debt.

My wife Kelly was a beautiful 6' athlete, who competed all her life in her favorite sport volleyball.
She taught me how to love, nurture, and truly appreciate life.
Her smile was infectious, and affected everyone around her. Sunrise is my time with Kelly as the sun reminds me of her smile.

Kelly started itching and turning yellow in 2007, which was eventually diagnosed as a blocked bile duct.
She had a transduodenal resection in which the pre-cancerous tumor was removed from the bile duct and her recovery went well, and she returned to the court to compete with her volleyball teammates.

Late in 2008 her digestive system began passing fats through her system undigested and a cancerous tumor was discovered and removed with a whipple procedure in early 2009.
Her recovery allowed us (myself a rower) to attend the World Masters Games in Sydney Australia 8 months later, with Kelly's team placing 6th in the 50+ age group.

In March of 2010 I was diagnosed with stage 3 collorectal cancer and began chemo-radiation-chemo-surgery-chemo-surgery regime.
In early summer Kelly began losing weight and both her calf's took turns getting sore and swollen.
The day I was admitted for my first surgery Kelly was diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis, and her surgeon called up a series of tests to find out about her weight loss.
When I woke up from surgery Kelly was present and the surgeon said my surgery went excellent, which my pathology report later confirmed.
We had the results the following day from her CT scan and there was numerous tumors on her lungs and liver, and in the end her spine.
She was immediately admitted for a biopsy on the largest of the tumors on her liver, some extremely kind hearted nurses arranged a double room for us which even had a slight view.
We told the kids (Sara 23, Jessica 21, Mitchell 15) when they visited that I was too cheap to take mom on a holiday, so we had to settle for a courtyard view from our hospital room.
The biopsy ultimately confirmed the cancer had returned and that it was inoperable. Upon my release I began caring for Kelly at home and her medication was changed to slow release morphine, with break through morphine as required.

Kelly's friend Jan stopped by one day with your fuck cancer bracelet for Kelly, and this instantly became a symbol for her feelings and thoughts from that day forward.
Shortly after my second last chemo treatment we had a consult with The Cancer Clinic oncologist to discuss potential chemo for Kelly.
We were advised that Kelly had advanced ampullary cancer and that we could start a chemo regime, but Kelly's condition was so poor that she would likely be hospitalized for the duration of treatments, and at best these would only prolong the inevitable conclusion. She and I were devastated, I had to give her break through morphine to get her home and the Home Care people set up appointments for us the following day. Addy, a wonder Home Care Specialist, came and immediately established a close bond with Kelly (she of course had to show her the bracelet) and we all decided that moving her to the hospital was in order. I had the ambulance staff take her to St. Pauls Palliative care that afternoon and she passed away peacefully in the company of our family the next afternoon. Kelly battled long and hard without complaint or concern, and once I was diagnosed she disguised/hid most of her symptoms from all until she knew I was going to recover.

I would do anything to have Kelly back, but I am simply left with honoring her memory and making a statement "fuck cancer".

I am a veteran of cancer, not just a survivor.

Your friend,
Daryl

The Tattooist (engraver) was Danny at Right of Passage, Saskatoon.