Kathy and her dad started coming to our restaurant almost since the day we opened 15 years ago. Every Friday night they sat at the same table at the same time. Kathy got married while coming to the restaurant so then there were 3 at the table. Kathy, one year older than I, was told she had Stage IV SCC 2 months before I was Dx'ed so we shared stories of our Tx and recovery. When I was really bad off I remember seeing Kathy sitting at her table eating Pork, her favorite, and saying to myself "how can she do THAT?". She had had the RND and you couldn't tell she had ever been sick or operated on. Shortly after her Tx was over Kathy's dad had his 97th Birthday at the restaurant and shortly thereafter he passed away. Kathy and hubby still came but she confessed to me one day about a year ago that she had started consuming a few alcoholic beverages a week and that had led to her starting to smoke again.

Kathy won't be coming to the restaurant anymore as she passed away this week from this horrible cancer.

In my time on this site I have never known anyone who continued to smoke post Tx not die from a recurrence. I'm sure there are some but please do whatever it takes but NEVER SMOKE AGAIN as it is almost sure death.

David

Age 58 at Dx, HPV16+ SCC, Stage IV BOT+2 nodes, non smoker, casual drinker, exercise nut, Cisplatin x 3 & concurrent IMRT x 35,(70 Gy), no surgery, no Peg, Tx at Moffitt over Aug 06. Jun 07, back to riding my bike 100 miles a wk. Now doing 12 Spin classes and 60 outdoor miles per wk. Nov 13 completed Hilly Century ride for Cancer, 104 miles, 1st Place in my age group. Apr 2014 & 15, Spun for 9 straight hrs to raise $$ for YMCA's Livestrong Program. Certified Spin Instructor Jun 2014.