Viv tells people about the news
Hello Everybody,
I am sure that this information will come as a bit of a shock for you as it did to me.I feel that it is only right that you get all the info from me and not some second hand bullshit through the grape vine. Some three weeks ago I discovered to my horror that I have cancer and the last few weeks have been a whirlwind of doctors, specialist, clinics, tests and endless frigging needles etc. So to ensure that you are not fed some crap about my health, this is the state of play.
The primary source of the cancer is in the base of my tongue and the secondary is in the side of my neck. My tongue is the cause for concern and the real problem. I am due to start radio therapy on Monday for both tumours, which will take 4 to 6 weeks of daily treatments. According to the specialist, the radio therapy has a 30-40% chance of success. The one in the side of my neck does not seem to present a problem and can be removed without too much of a problem. They are hoping that the radio therapy will at least shrink the tumours, in some instances it can kill it off all together. If this therapy is not totally successful they will have to remove a large portion of the base of my tongue. Unfortunately this will mean that I will have great difficulty swallowing and I will have a bad speech impediment for the rest of my days.
A combination of radio therapy and the surgery has a 70% success rate. The medical services, Doctors, Specialists etc here in Portugal have been absolutely fantastic and I have great faith in them, that they are going to do everything possible to help Avril and I get through this shit. With a bit of luck, I will be able to get to work everyday for the next 6 weeks and business will be going on as usual. We are extremely fortunate that we have the very best bunch of people working for us and I have no doubt in my mind that things will continue as usual, with or without me.
It goes without saying that Avril is your direct contact to me if I’m not available, at anytime for what ever you may need. I apologise to anybody who would have preferred to hear this info from me personally, instead of this rather matter of fact e-mail. I am coping with this thing quite well, but I do get very emotional when I have to talk to somebody I care about and I do feel very embarrassed when I can not control my emotions.
It only remains for me to thank you all for your very valued support and friendship over the years and I can assure you that nothing is going to stand in our way to try and get through this thing.
Kindest regards,
Viv & Avril.
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