i'm still here

May 3, 2021

My Zox story: I’ve always appreciated having a motivational message and so I have a few Zox straps at home; however, it is this strap that is my current favourite. When lockdown started last March, I was asked to work from home (normally I would spend most of the week staying in a hotel). I used the time to improve my running and eat more healthily. I even managed to lose a stone and a half in weight! Then in August, I noticed a sore spot on my tongue. It got worse, and I saw the doctor and after a number of tests I was diagnosed with mouth cancer, and it would need surgery. Fortunately, the surgery was scheduled quickly, and I underwent a nine-hour surgical procedure to remove the tumour from my tongue, and then recreate the tongue using skin from my wrist. I was also kept unconscious for a further 24 hours after the surgery. I was told that when I was under my heart rate (which is quite low when I’m resting) dropped considerably causing some concerns to the operating team. When I came to, I was told I couldn’t speak for a number of days and had to use a pad to write my questions and requests down. Because of the neck surgery, I was told I could pass out if I turned my head (the surgery meant moving some of the arteries and nerves that run up the side of the neck to my head). However, I did start going for regular walks and was just getting to the point where my walking pace was getting faster to almost a light jog. Then in October, I was called back to the hospital. The pathology report identified that whilst the surgery had been a success, there was a concern that the margin around the tumour was smaller than normal and a couple of the lymph nodes looked a little abnormal. So, for November and December, I underwent radiotherapy and chemotherapy. This treatment killed off my taste buds making eating really uninteresting and I struggled to eat anything. However, I could still smell the cooking, so I prepared the meals for my wife and I, even though I knew I wasn’t going to actually enjoy eating them. However, around mid- to late January I realised my taste buds were returning. In February, I started to run again and although not back up to where I was, I am pleased with the progress I am making; the regular check ups are also positive that the team have done everything that they could to make sure that the cancer was treated. I bought the strap just before I went into the surgery; I first put it on when I got home from the hospital and wear it every day with the message facing out. It reminds me that “I’m still here” and that whatever happens, I should make the best of every day and appreciate every day I have.