>>> Continued from previous message
By the next weekend I had a fever and was very ill. I was admitted to the
hospital for an excruciating six days of regulating medicines. While I was
there, I had a feeding tube put in so I could continue to get nourishment.
Even though I was in the hospital the radiation still happened daily. My
tumor was too aggressive so a break was not an option.

I missed things, like the race in Charlotte among others, the Craftsman for a
Cure Charity event done in my honor, holidays and Victory Junction Gang's
Second Birthday Celebration. By now I couldn't be around a lot of people or I
could end up worse than the first time. I was pretty much secluded. I went to
the race shop for meetings with people and they sat all the way across the
room from me, I walked around and kept everyone at an arm's distance because
the last thing I needed right now was another infection.

My throat got worse; it was impossible to swallow. My neck blistered up like
bacon wrapped around my neck. The thought of what cancer does to you is
phenomenal that people survive. That just shows how strong we are that we do.
Finally my last treatment day came, Wednesday, June 7th. It was like on
Thursday that someone had lifted weights off my shoulders. But the truth is
the healing is still happening. It doesn't just stop in one night and go
away, wouldn't that be nice.

The truth is, once you have been diagnosed with cancer you always battle it
in some form or fashion. Yes your body heals and life as you know it goes on,
but cancer is always there. All I expect out of this is if anybody has
anything to say about what I'm going through, let's just attribute it to
everybody who's going through it. I just want to take my battle and use what
little bit of celebrity status that I have left and try to promote the
awareness for this disease.

Cancer changes us all. I have just learned that when you get a second chance,
life becomes a different picture the next time around."

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