“I would never put being diagnosed with breast cancer on my list of one of life’s wonderful experiences. But dark clouds have silver linings, and as it turns out, the relationships I formed with the caregivers at Catawba Valley Medical Center were wonderful indeed.

“When Dr. Sigmon told me I would need 33 radiation treatments after chemotherapy, I looked forward to them with a sense of dread. But the moment I first walked into the Radiation Oncology Department, Debbie Pitts and all the other ladies there made me feel right at home. And as crazy as it sounds, after a few days I began looking forward to my visits, not for the treatments, but for the opportunity to be in the company of such warm and welcoming people.

“Two words that are guaranteed to get the attention of any man are ‘Prostate Cancer.’  But those are the words Dr. Hardaway, my urologist, spoke to me just over a year ago.

“How it got into my body no one can say for certain. But there is enough evidence to conclude that the chemical Agent Orange, which I was exposed to in Vietnam, is a presumptive cause of prostate cancer.  The Veterans Administration agreed and honored my claim.

“The mammogram at Catawba Valley Imaging Center told the story. I learned I had breast cancer, and for optimal treatment I needed a lumpectomy and radiation therapy. I wasn’t excited about having the radiation, but I didn’t want to take a chance by not having it done. So really, there was no escaping it.

“Dr. Reggie Sigmon, head of Radiation Oncology, made me feel comfortable with everything.  His attitude said, ‘We’re going to get through this and you’re going to be fine.’  What he was talking about was the squamous cell carcinoma in three lymph nodes in the left side of my neck.  A needle biopsy of a lump on my neck had come out clean, but the lump would never go away.  So a decision was made to take it out.  That’s when the pathologist found that it was cancer.