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MY ORAL CANCER SURVIVOR STORY · NOBODY FIGHTS ALONE

If you just got the news — take a breath.
You don’t have to carry this alone.

Take it one day at a time. Sometimes one minute at a time. This is my oral cancer survivor story, and I built this place so whether you’re fighting this yourself or holding the hand of someone who is, you don’t have to figure it out alone.

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” — Philippians 4:13 (NKJV)

This site is for you if…

You just got a diagnosis

And you don’t know what to do with it yet. That’s okay. Neither did I.

You’re the family

Sitting in the waiting room while someone you love is behind a closed door. You need someone to see you too.

You’ve been ignoring it

I spent months doing exactly that. I wrote a whole series about it. You’re not alone in that either.

You just need company

Someone who gets it and won’t talk to you like a pamphlet. That’s what this place is for.

oral cancer survivor story — Scott, truck driver and founder of Healed and Strong

Oral Cancer Survivor Story — About Scott

I’m a truck driver, a husband of over 40 years, a father of three daughters, and a grandfather of six. I got Oral cancer. And I’m still here to talk about it.

Read my full story
  • An ivory and burgundy beaded bracelet on a rug in a child’s bedroom, near a closed door with warm light shining under it
    When a Child Doesn’t Want to Talk About Cancer — Silence Is How They Answer
    Emma never once talked about my cancer. She made me a bracelet, changed the subject to her cats, and put her hand up whenever anybody picked on Papa. It took me a year to learn her silence was her answer.
  • A young girl hands her grandfather an ivory and burgundy beaded bracelet at a backyard cookout at sunset, with a grill and family in the background
    Mission Accomplished
    Forty-eight hours after my diagnosis, Emma Grace walked over from the craft table and handed me a bracelet without a word. Ivory and burgundy beads, and two words I’ll never forget. It still sits on my headboard.
  • Steaming coffee cup on a kitchen counter as a woman walks through the front door at sunrise
    24 Hours Later
    Twenty-four hours after the diagnosis, I was running on autopilot — work, food, driving, one motion after another. Then I heard one word from behind me: "Hi." My daughter Kristen had gotten on a plane without telling me. This is what it felt like when my family showed up before I even asked.

“Denial is a powerful thing when you’ve got a family depending on you and a route to run.”

— Scott

 

Start here

Nobody should have to figure this out alone.

Read Scott’s story from the beginning. It starts the same way most of these things do — with a man who thought he was fine.

Read from the start

Philippians 4:13 · Nobody Fights Alone

 

MY ORAL CANCER SURVIVOR STORY

If you just got the news — take a breath.

You don’t have to carry this alone. This is my story of oral cancer, survival, and what came after.

  • An ivory and burgundy beaded bracelet on a rug in a child’s bedroom, near a closed door with warm light shining under it
    When a Child Doesn’t Want to Talk About Cancer — Silence Is How They Answer
    Emma never once talked about my cancer. She made me a bracelet, changed the subject to her cats, and put her hand up whenever anybody picked on Papa. It took me a year to learn her silence was her answer.
  • A young girl hands her grandfather an ivory and burgundy beaded bracelet at a backyard cookout at sunset, with a grill and family in the background
    Mission Accomplished
    Forty-eight hours after my diagnosis, Emma Grace walked over from the craft table and handed me a bracelet without a word. Ivory and burgundy beads, and two words I’ll never forget. It still sits on my headboard.
  • Steaming coffee cup on a kitchen counter as a woman walks through the front door at sunrise
    24 Hours Later
    Twenty-four hours after the diagnosis, I was running on autopilot — work, food, driving, one motion after another. Then I heard one word from behind me: "Hi." My daughter Kristen had gotten on a plane without telling me. This is what it felt like when my family showed up before I even asked.

This site is for you if…

You just got a diagnosis

And you don’t know what to do with it yet. That’s okay. Neither did I.

You’re the family

Sitting in the waiting room while someone you love is behind a closed door. You need someone to see you too.

You’ve been ignoring it

I spent months doing exactly that. I wrote a whole series about it. You’re not alone in that either.

You just need company

Someone who gets it and won’t talk to you like a pamphlet. That’s what this place is for.

oral cancer survivor story — Scott, truck driver and founder of Healed and Strong

Oral Cancer Survivor Story — About Scott

I’m a truck driver, a husband of over 40 years, a father of three daughters, and a grandfather of six. I got Oral cancer. And I’m still here to talk about it.

Read my full story

“Denial is a powerful thing when you’ve got a family depending on you and a route to run.”

— Scott

 

Start here

Nobody should have to figure this out alone.

Read Scott’s story from the beginning. It starts the same way most of these things do — with a man who thought he was fine.

Read from the start

Philippians 4:13 · Nobody Fights Alone

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