Meet Rickey Sandstrom: One Rural Cancer Survivor’s Message About Acting Fast and Never Giving Up

When Rickey Allen Sandstrom, chair elect for the Midwest Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center Community Advisory Board, talks about surviving cancer, he speaks with the calm confidence of someone who has lived through difficult battles before.

In November 2018, Sandstrom was spending time outdoors near his home in Marion, Iowa, when he noticed swelling in his neck later that evening.

“It was a perfectly ordinary day,” he says. “At the end of it, I sat down at my desk and noticed a swelling in my neck that wasn’t right.”

Even though it was the weekend, he immediately contacted his doctor. Tests later confirmed HPV-positive oropharyngeal cancer, including a tumor at the back of his tongue and cancer in the lymph nodes on both sides of his neck.

What shocked him most was that he had no symptoms before that moment.

“I had felt nothing. No pain. No warning,” he says.

Why Speed Matters

Like many people in rural communities, Sandstrom first tried to get care closer to home. But delays and scheduling challenges quickly became frustrating and frightening.

“Every hour without a clear plan felt like an hour lost,” he says.

Then he made a call to Mayo Clinic.

“Within 72 hours, they had pulled all of my medical records, couriered my biopsy slide, and had me in a full series of appointments,” Sandstrom says.

His treatment moved quickly after that. He began chemotherapy in December 2018, followed by proton radiation therapy shortly after Christmas.

“Think about that for a moment,” he says. “The day after Christmas, I was already fighting back.” Sandstrom believes fast access to care can make a life-changing difference for people diagnosed with cancer — especially in rural areas where specialty care may be harder to reach.

“What Mayo demonstrated was that speed is possible,” he says. “The question is how to extend that possibility to every patient, regardless of their zip code.”

The Challenges of Rural Survivorship

Cancer treatment was only part of Sandstrom’s journey. Recovery brought its own physical and emotional challenges.

After several rounds of proton therapy, he needed a feeding tube because swallowing became impossible.

“My body was in the fight of its life,” he says.

Even after treatment ended, the effects continued for months. During one difficult weekend, he lost 17 pounds as his body burned through calories at an alarming rate. Sandstrom says many survivors — especially those living in rural communities — are not fully prepared for how hard recovery can be.

“They are not prepared for the nutritional demands, the profound fatigue, or the crisis that can arrive without warning,” he says.

He believes rural survivors need stronger support systems, including nutrition guidance, telehealth services and ongoing communication with their healthcare teams. “Not a pamphlet. Not a referral,” he says. “A real, living connection to people who know their case and can respond when it matters.”

The People Who Helped Him Heal

Throughout his recovery, Sandstrom leaned on the people around him.

His wife, Liz, supported him every step of the way. A close friend regularly checked in with one simple question: “How are you doing?”

“Those four words, asked consistently and with genuine care, matter more than most people realize,” Sandstrom says.

He also found comfort in routine. Every day, he spent time outside with his Golden Retrievers and made sleep and recovery a priority.

“These are not small things,” he says. “These are the architecture of survival.”

A Message for Other Survivors

Now cancer-free after years of follow-up care, Sandstrom hopes his story reminds others that survivorship is possible.

“I need you to believe that the other side of this is real,” he says. His advice is direct: if something feels wrong, do not wait.

“When you find something that isn’t right — a swelling, a symptom, something your body is telling you — act,” he says. “Do not wait.”

And if getting care feels difficult?

“Keep moving,” he says. “Make the call. Ask the question. Go find the A-team — and don’t stop until you do.”

For caregivers, families and rural communities supporting loved ones through cancer, Sandstrom also offers encouragement. “To the caregivers: you are doing holy work,” he says. “To the communities: keep showing up.”

Most importantly, he wants rural survivors to know they are not forgotten. “You deserve the best care possible,” he says. “And you deserve hope.”