Ronald was just days away from surgery that would have removed one of his lungs, when his sister and a co-worker urged him to get a second opinion. He did, and now instead, he is in a clinical trial at H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute.
Ronald, 47, was accustomed to the normal aches and soreness an athletic man deals with, but he was not prepared for the extreme pain and joint swelling he began to experience in the fall of 2004. He kept working at his facilities maintenance job at a shopping mall, but his pain continued. He was given a variety of explanations for his pain, from rheumatoid arthritis to the natural aging process.Finally, when the agony in his shoulder became unbearable, he went to the hospital. An MRI scan revealed a lung cancer tumor that had embedded into his ribs. He thought the doctor was joking; Ronald actually laughed. Then, the biopsy results erased the large smile he normally flashes.
He was not sure what the future held for him. Lung cancer had never occurred to him. He was young and active, and although he had pain, he'd never had trouble breathing. Not only was the diagnosis a shock,but initially, he was only given one option -- major surgery for the removal of one lung. He had limited knowledge of doctors and hospitals and health care systems. Had his sister not insisted on a second opinion,he would not have considered questioning his diagnosis or his options. When Moffitt suggested a clinical trial, his first reaction was that anything was better than removing an entire lung. His trial involved chemotherapy and radiation, which have taken a toll on his body. "After the first two chemotherapy treatments I thought I was gonna die." He threw up for two days straight. "Everyday I am tired but I gotta push on," he says. His smile is back and he only looks forward, not back. "I try to stay away from negativity."
He didn't know what to hope for from the trial.He didn't know what to expect in the course of this disease. Being on the trial exposed him to other patients with whom he could discuss his hopes and fears.The trial gave him a chance for continuous contact with the doctors and nurses at Moffitt. He soon realized he wasn't part of an experiment but a participant in developing new science.
Ronald is a spiritual man. Some time back, he turned his life around after a troublesome youth; these days he feels God has a plan for him. "The first 47 years I did whatever I wanted,the next 47 are yours [God's]," he thought to himself one recent afternoon. "I am fighting this disease with God."
Ronald looks perfectly healthy and people often don't believe he has cancer. "I am more sensitive to other people now, I look at people with disabilities differently since I am one now."
"I know I am going to die one day, but not this early. I got work to do. I gotta raise my babies." He has seven children. Telling them he has cancer was the hardest thing he's had to do, he says.The older children understand what he's going through, but the younger ones just know that he's sick. Even though his children don't live with him he is a very involved dad. He phones them frequently in New Jersey,and they visit him here as often as they can.
Ronald has a beaming smile and a very positive attitude. "People don't understand why I smile all the time -- it's just the way I am. I refuse to let this thing beat me, and I have, more good days than bad now."
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