vWILLCOCKSON continued from page 13 as long as they cooperate. “It’s up to you to choose your own path of treatment,” he explained to me. They illuminated the spot with radiation, removed it and sent it in for biopsy. Bob was stunned to find out that it wasn’t from the spread (metastases) of pancreatic cancer, it was instead non-small cell squamous, or lung cancer. In the end, he said, it was gone. Good riddance. Reflecting Back Bob’s last three scans have turned out to be thankfully uneventful. Because of the discovery of the lung tumor, he now goes for check-ups every 4 months instead of every 6 months as initially scheduled. Bob explained how his journey has changed his perception on many things. “One of the most interesting things that I have found, it’s not before cancer and after cancer. It’s before the Whipple and after the Whipple.” His diet is now different, he requires about an hour more of sleep per night, he’s lost a bit of strength due to radiation and is thinner now than before the journey started, but he’s just about as healthy as he was before his diagnosis eight years ago. Wanting to keep others informed, he was always willing to educate others about his journey. “Cancer used to be shameful, and that you didn’t say that you had cancer and you certainly wouldn’t say what kind,” he says. “We approached and said it. Plus, I owed it to my clients and I owed to the employees that I worked with at the bank. Don’t do any rumors, I’m going to tell you exactly what’s going on.” Bob feels that his work gave him a purpose during his journey. “What got me mentally through this was work. Talking to my clients. Having a place to go, something to do, people relying on me. That got me better mentally and also physically.” Lisa explains, “I would never wish for anyone to have cancer, but the people we met and continue to meet is incredible.” She continues, “We have great stories, we honestly do. This journey has been so full of humor and people.” Throughout the journey, the family never lost their sense of humor. They found ways to laugh during the hardest times and there are things that they still joke about today. They remain thankful to those that prayed for Bob and continue to support him in his recovery. They commended their team of doctors for their teamwork. Lisa explains, “The cooperation that has gone back and forth between the physicians here and the Mayo is really amazing. They were always willing to share information and talk to each other.” They reference the care of Dr. Levy at the Mayo Clinic, Dr. Peterson at Avera Cancer Center, Dr. Mabee, now retired from the Yankton Medical Clinic. Lisa mentions that the Infusion nurses at the Yankton Medical Clinic were spectacular. “They give great care,” she reflects. Looking back on his journey, Bob states, “I think our secret was, we asked a lot of questions. And we asked for alternatives. And then we tried to make an educated guess on what made the most sense.” They probe into the simple answers, replying with ‘how come’ or ‘are you sure’ or ‘if this was your family member, what would you do?” Lisa explains one thing that comforted them when looking at the possibility of Bob’s death. “If it got to that point, his dad, his mom and my dad in Minneapolis, they’ve all been a part of hospice. So we knew if we got to that point what a blessing hospice is and in particularly Yankton, they’re fabulous, but how that end of life doesn’t have to be frightening and scary. They are looking to make that patient comfortable.” Through this process, they learned a valuable fact about helping 22vHISVOICEvSEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017 others going through difficult times. Bob smiles, “We learned, we never say, ‘let me know what I can do for you,’ we just do it.” It’s often difficult for people to ask for help, so you just figure out what that person needs help with and you do it. Meals, lawn mowing, housework, cleaning the bathroom, running errands or helping get to appointments, just tell them what you’re going to do and help with what you can. They suggest to others that when faced with an illness of a large magnitude, understand that you are the one in charge of your own health, your own medical care. You can rely on the doctors for their advice and skill, but you make the decision. If the doctor only gives you only one choice, you have the choice to get a second opinion. Perfectly Happy Bob’s doesn’t have any goals for the future. His reply to my question about his future goals really made me stop and think, and it made sense. “I’m perfectly happy. Why would I do that to myself and be dissatisfied? It just doesn’t occur to me that there is something out there that could make me any happier. I have no dissatisfaction. Every day is a whole lot of fun.” If he lived through his cancer diagnosis, he didn’t strive to travel more. Instead he chose realistic aspirations. “It was more stuff like, I’m going to get new tires for the car. If I live through this, we’re going to get good tires next time.” Bob continues to work; he loves his job and doesn’t ever want to retire. This journey has humbled him more and has changed his perspective. “I try to be more patient. Very, very few things bug me. Everything is in perspective. Everything is much smaller than it used to be as far as a challenge,” he states. When asked how Bob’s journey would be titled, Lisa replies, “One in 100.” These are the odds that they gave him at diagnosis to survive just another two years. After thinks for a moment, glancing upward, Bob states, “Perseverance. I knew I was terminal, but we chose not to give up.” Bob’s strong will and determination have prevailed in this fight as he rallies far beyond everyone’s expectations. vBy Julie Eickhoff vHIS EATS continued from page 3 Side dishes: “I’m a purest,” Huff said. “With these summer/fall type of dishes, I like to do summer salads or slaws and beans.” Coleslaw: “Coleslaw is a good dish to pair with pulled pork,” Huff said. “You can do it like a Carolina slaw with coleslaw, apple cider vinegar, sriracha sauce, salt and pepper, or you can do a mayonnaise-based slaw. You can also do a healthier broccoli slaw, which can be found pre-cut at the grocery store. You take the broccoli slaw base and add mayonnaise, lemon juice, feta or bleu cheese, celery seeds and black pepper.” Baked Beans: “Baked beans also go very well with pulled pork,” Huff said. “Typically, I use black, navy or pinto beans and add chopped bacon, onions and peppers.” vBy Dillon Dwyer