So I have been planning for retirement, possibly in January, 2014. I made an appointment to see one of my Doctor's to try to get a minor problem taken care of before I retire. While there, they did an x-ray and found that I have a large tumor on my left kidney. The Doctor says he is 99% sure it is cancer. What a shock, from taking care of a minor issue, to a life altering diagnosis.
Long story short, I will be having surgery in the next couple of weeks to have the tumor, and my kidney removed. Only after the tumor is analysed will I know what the tumor is and how my future will be impacted.
There is a chance I will be able to enroll in a research study being conducted here in town. They take the tumor tissue, mix it was my white blood cells, re inject the white blood cells into my body and hope that they attack any cancer cells that may have spread from the kidney tumor. I have passed the first step in being accepted for the research study, but have a couple more hurtles to jump before I get the treatment.
I like my life to be uneventful and stable, but of course that is not the case anymore. Hopefully, my life will stabilize once the surgery has been done, the tumor analysed and a better picture of my future develops.
