In August of 2000, I was diagnosed with choroidal melanoma in my right eye. That cancer was treated with radioactive implants, and seemed to be defeated (Spoiler Alert: It wasn't).
In November of 2013, while attending a conference in Las Vegas, I became aware that there was something wrong with my walk. I had seen some symptoms before then, but it was while walking from my hotel room to the meeting rooms in that conference that I really became aware that something was wrong and must be addressed.
After several visits to various doctors, I was eventually diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) in December 2014. I began going to the ALS clinic in San Antonio. My ALS symptoms have been atypical, in that the progression has been very slow. My walk and difficulty using my legs have been the main ALS symptoms so far, though it has also affected my speech some.
In the Spring of 2018, I began having a lot of pain in my right shoulder. At first, I thought perhaps I had been misusing the cane I'm forced to use by my ALS symptoms. But the pain persisted and grew worse. MRI and CT scans indicated that I had a tumor in my right shoulder. A biopsy confirmed that the tumor is metastatic melanoma. Since there's no other primary melanoma tumor present, the assumption right now is that the melanoma in my eye from way back in August 2000 has metastasized. A PET scan indicates that there is disease present in my liver, a lymph node, my spine, and my shoulder (which I already knew). The oncologist told me that the average survival for metastatic ocular melanoma is 1 year. I intend to improve on that average.
Although I hope for some physical relief, I am a Christian, and my ultimate hope lies in Christ Jesus.
So, to sum up - 1. I have ALS, which is 100% fatal 2. I have a very aggressive form of cancer 3. To live is Christ and to die is gain (Philippians 1:21)
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