30 year survivor

I accidentally came across this esophageal cancer aftercare group and wanted to share a little about my husband’s experience, because I hope it may give someone encouragement. I used Chat GPT to help write this.

My husband had stage 2 esophageal cancer in 1996—over 30 years ago. In the beginning, he experienced many of the same challenges I’m reading about here. He lost a tremendous amount of weight, had to learn to eat differently, and gradually figured out what foods worked best for him. He especially liked soft foods such as oatmeal and learned to eat slowly and carefully.

After treatment, he started walking every day and slowly became stronger. At the time of his surgery, he weighed about 200 pounds. He eventually dropped to 140 pounds, but over time his weight came back up and has been remarkably stable around 160 pounds for many years.

He also learned that some of the changes from surgery are things you simply adapt to. He still eats slowly, and he sleeps with his head elevated rather than lying flat. When we travel, we bring little risers that we call our “riser cups,” and he uses a chair beside the bed so he can sit more upright. We have packed those things in suitcases all over the world!

But the important thing I want to share is this: life can go on.

My husband is now 84 years old. He has traveled extensively, including climbing for two days toward Mount Everest in Nepal. He has also gone through open-heart surgery and other health challenges along the way, but he has continued to live a very full and active life.

We’re still traveling, and this year we’re taking a cruise to Barcelona from Michigan.

I know everyone’s journey with esophageal cancer is different, and I’m certainly not suggesting that everyone will have the same experience. But when my husband was diagnosed more than 30 years ago, I don’t think we could have imagined all the life that was still ahead of us.

So for anyone who is struggling right now: keep going. Learn what works for you, give yourself time to get stronger, and remember that life after esophageal cancer can still be a very, very long and wonderful journey.