To start, I'd just like to say how much I appreciate this site.I am a 19 year old college student living at home in Dallas, TX. My father was recently diagnosed with Squamous Cell Cancer of the Throat. They did a radical neck dissection and removed both tonsils, and a select few of the lymph nodes. When the tonsils and lymph nodes were tested, the right tonsil tested positive for cancer as did some but not all of the lymph nodes. The right tonsil was when the cancer originated.
The news of cancer hit my family hard. For some reason, I had the same thought about this disease that everyone else does. " Cancer? In my family? Never! "
Not so smart of me. My father's first sign of cancer was like many other accounts I've read. It all started with a lump on the side of the neck, that progressively grew. He almost immediately had the neck dissection, and was in the hospital for 2 days afterward. For the next 3 weeks, ( leading up to now), he's seen numerous doctors for various things. Yesterday he had 6 of his teeth removed by an Oral Surgeon.
The first week of October he is due to start his first treatments of radiation therapy, and soon after, chemotherapy.

I seem to not be the only one that had this invincible disease free feeling about my family and I. My father is doing everything but dealing with this. I want him to read what I've read, uplifting, promising survivor stories. They help, so much.
But he's so afraid.
My father was told his whole life by barbers he'd die before he went bald, his hair is so thick.
Now he found out he's going to lose it. This is the only real thing he's shown emotion about. I love my father, more than anything. My mother and I are getting closer now that this has happened, but her and I still can't really talk to one another.
I am just so afraid to lose my father to this..and I have read so much saying that the patient must have an optimistic attitude about this to beat it.
And he doesn't.
He has no attitude about this. I know he's cried, and when the nurse took him to the "Chemo Room" he broke down and had to leave.
But I wish he would talk. To my mother or me.

I plan to become a pretty dedicated member of this site, because I find so many helpful posts.
My heart goes out to all of you.

-Amy