Rossman, Edmund A, III

A Guy's Guide to Throat Cancer: Do's and Don'ts for Recovery - chemotherapy prayers hydration chemo-brain radiation-therapy lymphedema dry-mouth CT-Scan Peg-Tube CaringBridge Rossman, Edmund A, III

A Guy's Guide to Throat Cancer is based on the CaringBridge journal entries Ed wrote during his battle with cancer. CaringBridge is a social media platform for people with illness to easily keep all those interested in their treatments and locations as informed as possible in an efficient way. His upbeat approach in these entries were to encourage his friends, family and colleagues to look at life through a guy's eyes, not a being a victim, and with faith in the Lord that he would pull through. Writing as if he was discussing things on a bar stool, not a hospital room. Whether it's using a dartboard in discussing chemotherapy injections, tanks and missiles in describing radiation treatments, sports analogies related to nutrition or rocking guitars to keep things high energy and fun, Ed presents the challenges of throat cancer in everyman language that'll be helpful for patients and caregivers alike. His medical treatment spanned the Lenten season, and his journal entries and discussions contain many daily mass readings that provided him and his "crew" with a spiritual scaffolding of support. The biblical messages of faith, perseverance and gratitude are tonic to anyone, not just guys, in going through this life-changing disease.