Hi kaitlyn - I've read the book and love it... It's great though not everyone supports it as a way of life - I certainly do... Not only because of the background research that's found in it though it is pretty compelling, but because it's common sense - want to be healthy, don't eat junk....tweak your diet, And avoid stress, want to improve your immune system, avoid bad habits... It's no guarantee of not having a recurrence. (frankly nothing is) .. But I do think that being in good shape is of primary importance if it does happen, and it puts you in a better position to fight...

That said I agree with David. I think it does depend on staging and involvement of the tumor - but my dr who is tops in his field in Canada - told me in his opinion, I was cured - but he still sent me for rads and chemo. Be diligent about knowing your mouth, and getting to know what's normal for your neck. I'm almost a year out of radiation, I check my neck, daily and mouth every few days. It takes a few minutes but it's a bit of reassurance, plus if something does pop up you note it immediately and are not left wondering how long that's been there... welcome to our group - there are a few people here close to your age,

Take care!!!