You are at the web page for Gary Streitmatter. You might already know what is happening, but if you do not here's what is going on...
I will be out of work beginning Monday, July 21st until after Labor Day 2008. I have been diagnosed with a cancerous tumor in my throat, it is malignant. I will be going through Radiation and Chemotherapy for the next 7 weeks. I feel very fortunate we caught the tumor early. My Oncologist has stated the prognosis is very good for a full recovery! That doesn't mean I might not be having a few rough days ahead. I plan on posting an update weekly.
I want to take this time to extend my sincere appreciation for everyone's support and prayers!
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WEEK TWO
It’s the start of week two and I feel pretty good for having chemo, radiation and minor surgery all in the first week. This week can only be better because I have six radiation treatments only. No! I haven’t lost any hair yet! But I am letting my beard grow which I haven’t done forever. It is really nice not having to shave, but you would think I could have picked a better way to decide on how to grow a beard again. Anyway I really do feel good going into week two and I can only say thank you for all your emails, support, and prayers.
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WEEK THREE
I am one third completed with my treatments and the side effects are kicking in. A combination of sore throat, dry mouth, sores in the mouth and loss of taste. The pretty much sums it for a guy who loves food and enjoys eating on how difficult this next week might be. But I just have to have a great imagination when I eat now. Anyway I still feel strong going into this week and all of your support from the cards to emails helps keep me mentally strong as well.
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WEEK FOUR
Well I am at the start of the second half of my treatment and it begins with a second 21-day dose of chemotherapy on Monday. I am still getting 6 radiation treatments in 5 days and that will continue. I wish I could say I am going through this with flying colors, kicking butt and taking names. But the truth is I am getting my butt kicked and I had to hire someone to take names for me. At this point in my treatment some of the side effects have kicked in and the bad part is they are 24/7 (with everything tasting like cardboard). I remind myself to stay focused on the end result and for now just deal with everything else on a day by day basis. I now can truly understand the real feelings of empathy and sympathy for anyone suffering from any kind of cancer. I could just say thanks again for everything, but I really want everybody to know the difference it makes everyday getting the notes, texts, cards, and the emails especially with a little humor. You probably don’t understand the inspiration it gives me to look forward to tomorrow.
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WEEK FIVE
It is the start of week #5 and that means I am two thirds of the way through my treatment. I have only radiation appointments left but it doesn’t mean the side effects of the chemotherapy have left the building. Oh no, I couldn’t be that lucky. That is probably the reason I am late in posting the new update. There have been a few rough days to deal with lately. I am so glad I can finally see the end, look forward to finishing the treatments, and getting started with the recovery process. I want to extend my deepest gratitude and thanks for everybody’s support in helping me be able to stay strong mentally and physically and getting to this point of my treatment.
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WEEK SIX
At this point of my treatment I feel good just knowing I am heading down the home stretch. I don't think that means I will feel like dancing in the streets (neighbors probably wouldn't appreciate it anyway), but mentally it sure helps. Well to no surprise I am losing all my facial hair and I am hanging onto my mustache hoping I might be able to keep it but it is getting pretty thin. The side effects are still kicking my butt some days, but soon that will change and I can start healing and recovering. I would like to say the support, prayers, and thoughts we have received as a family cannot go unmentioned. The difference it has made on a daily basis for Me, Becky, Kris and Kim will never be forgotten. Again I can only say thank you and hope I have the opportunity to thank everyone personally.
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WEEK SEVEN
Well it is week #7 and this is the start of my first week of recovery. Somewhere along the line the chemo and radiation decided to work overtime. I wouldn’t call my first week a piece of cake. Just the opposite, I have been sick the last five days. Maybe somewhere I didn’t read the fine print and they really meant week #8. Anyway sorry for the delays in getting my site updated. Even one of my sisters asked where is Waldo? Maybe now I can truly feel that maybe I am starting the recovery process. Thank you to everybody for everything. It has made this journey something I will never be able to forget because of all the people that sent there support, prayers, and thoughts.
- Thank you from Gary and Family
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WEEK EIGHT
Hello,
This is Becky Streitmatter, I just wanted to give all a huge cyber hug and say "Thank You" to everyone for all the support! It truly makes a difference!
The last two weeks have definitely been a challenge since the last treatment, on the 29th. Gary may not tell you this, but he was given the name of "The Rock" by the Radiation Therapists giving him his treatments. The therapists loved Gary, no surprise there or with his code name. He is a brave soul. We were told that only about 10% of all patient's complete this rigorous treatment path. Most patients quit.
What's next? Well, recovery. Heal the burned skin. Begin to eat again to build up strength and get past the fact that everything tastes like cardboard. His immune system should improve in the next few weeks.
I will try to get him to take a picture to give you a new posting. He does look different; losing 40 pounds will do that. So far still has the moustache, however he did lose the hair on the back of his neck.
"It is the sweet, simple things of life which are the real ones after all."
Love you guys and gals, Take care and God Bless! :-)
Thank you.
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WEEK NINE & TEN
I am coming up on finishing my first month of recovery from all my treatments and you might as well gather up all those expectations and hold onto them. I have come to discover that it does matter what I think and staying positive is directly correlated to how I feel everyday. But beyond that my body is controlling the rest of the recovery process and it is about patience and time which are the two things that are very important for a healthy recovery. I tend to want to forget what I just put my body through thinking maybe that will expedite the recovery and I will feel better and stronger quicker. The biggest hurdle to overcome is the fatigue and getting all the rest of the chemotherapy and radiation side effects out of my body. I could have never imagined what this cancer would put me through, but I do realize that everyday is one step closer in accomplishing my goal of getting healthy and getting back to living my life. So thank you to everybody for there support and I hope to be talking and seeing everybody in the very near future.
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WEEK ELEVEN THRU FIFTEEN
Well I am finally doing an update on where I am at today with my cancer treatment. As you can see by the new updated photo some things have definitely changed since I began this incredible journey. I have been trying to really understand and appreciate how fortunate I am because of Wednesday October 29th I have been given a clean bill of health with no signs of cancer in my body. The lymph nodes are cancer free and the tumor in my throat is dead with some residual scar tissue left that will disappear with time. I look back over the last 4 months since I was diagnosed and I don't know if I still truly understand what I have just been through. It all seems like it's just been a dream. The support, thoughts, prayers and positive reinforcement from my family, friends, coworkers and just everybody l know is what really helped make the difference. It helped reinforce my faith and strengthen my own thoughts that I could beat this cancer. I hope all of you know I will be forever grateful and very much humbled by all the support I received through out this ordeal. It wasn't just the support for me, but for my family. I can only say thank you all for being there.
- Gary Streitmatter
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