4/7/17
Special Series: “I Hope God doesn’t need a Play-by-Play Announcer” by Ron Soanka
Editor Note: This is Ron’s 6th blog post on his experience in fighting cancer. Ron was diagnosed this past summer and has been off this entire year taking on this battle. We encouraged Ron to write about his journey to help him get through this process and hopefully share similar feelings and experiences with others also facing this battle. This will be Ron’s final piece for some time as he will explain below but encourages people to contact him or drop a note to him on his Facebook page.
It has been a few weeks since I posted my last blog. I wanted to wait until chemo was done (actually had no choice on this one…..hard to focus) and to be able to let you know when I had a surgery date scheduled. My surgery is scheduled for April 12th but not sure of the time. I’ll find that out on the 11th. It has been quite the journey and I would not have made it without all the prayers, friends, and family.
It has been just over a month since my last chemo treatment and my strength and immunity system has already started to allow me to feel a lot better.
I need to digress back to 1/23 to fill in a few things. My cat scan on that day showed that 75% of the cancer of my lymph nodes in my pelvis area had shrunk. Dr. Cetnar just looked at me and said “Ron, that just doesn’t happen to normal people”. I looked at Dr. Cetnar and simply. replied, “doc, you’ve been treating me for three months and you should know by now that I am not normal”. We had a good laugh about that one.
It was then Dr. Cetnar decided that I would not need two more rounds of chemo and boy was I happy to hear that for sure. My two biggest problems was hydration and finding a good vein to hook up to, they had to have what the hospital calls an IV therapy nurse come in and even then it was a struggle.
As I have mentioned a few times this whole process has been going on I have been extremely humbled by a few events in regards to my condition and the outpouring of support. I would like to mention one that I really cherish, it came as a total surprise. My only regret was not feeling well enough to be able to attend and get the award in person. On January 19th I was honored by the Clark County Chapter of the National Football Foundation. The award reads as follows:
DISTINGUISHED AMERICAN AWARD
AWARDED BY
CLARK COUNTY CHAPTER
OF
THE NATIONAL FOOTBALL FOUNDATION AND COLLEGE HALL OF FAME
TO THE INDIVIDUAL WHO HAS SET THE STANDARD FOR EXCELLENCY
IN A LIFE OF SERVICE TO THE COMMUNITY.
RON SOANKA
To say I was deeply humbled by this award would be putting it mildly. This award is displayed proudly in our formal living room.
I want to finish up this blog with this reminder once again, if any of you who reads this and knows of anyone that is battling some major illness do yourself and them a major favor and simply pick up the phone and give them a call. Doesn’t have to be a long call, it just has to be a call. You will be surprised how good it will make the both of you feel and the tremendous boost you will give to someone you care about. In my case it was a great dose of medicine I needed. So I implore you to just pick up the phone and call, drop a message on Facebook or e-mail.
As always I thank everyone who is helping me fight this battle. I finished up a six doctor visit in one day the other day and things look pretty good for me. It is now in God’s hands.
#letgoletgod
