Lee Adkins, in 2007, was only days out from learning he had cancer when he came across the first person who would help to instill hope in him during his fight against the disease.
The 36-year-old was still reeling from the news that he was suffering from Stage IV oropharynx, or tonsil, cancer when he spoke to who he describes as “the sweetest lady” he’s ever had the experience of speaking with.
“She was probably one of the most understanding and attentive people I’ve ever talked to,” Lee said about the mystery woman who moved him to do everything in his power to beat a disease that had invaded his body.
The woman was a representative with the American Cancer Society, a non-profit organization Lee said he turned to a few times during his fight against cancer and stays active in now.
Lee was still struggling with a 2005 multiple sclerosis diagnosis when he noticed one of his lymph nodes was swollen while shaving in 2006. Doctors performed several surgeries to determine what was causing the lymph node to swell, and in late December 2006, Lee was told he was suffering from cancer.
But doctors didn’t yet know where the original tumor was located.
That answer came in January 2007, and doctors removed Lee’s tonsils before the husband and father of one began rigorous radiation and chemotherapy treatments in the face of a grim diagnosis. The Stage IV label meant that the cancer had spread to at least one other organ. According to information from the Mayo Clinic, with each stage (Stage I through Stage IV) comes a lower survival rate.
But Lee, already well versed in the fight against disease due to his struggles with multiple sclerosis, wasn’t going to let the cancer beat him, especially after speaking to the ACS representative who kept hope alive in him.
“She was a very hope-filled lady,” Lee said.
But the journey would be a long, painful one before Lee would be declared cancer-free in September 2007.
“At one point it got to where it was difficult to put one foot in front of the other,” Lee said about the many treatments he underwent.
Radiation and chemo are infamous for causing extreme fatigue, loss of appetite, muscle loss and nausea, among other side effects.
The treatments were concentrated in his throat area, which led to further issues.
Lee said he didn’t eat solid food for two to three months, with few exceptions, including one incident in which a 9-year-old fellow cancer patient presented Lee with a special gift of three chocolate pieces one day.
Nothing tasted good to Lee at that time, and the act of eating solid foods was intensely painful, but he accepted the simple gift graciously. After all, the young boy was returning the favor. Lee had given him a special coin he carried around after the two first met.
Both were undergoing treatments in Lexington at the same time for cancer, but the young boy’s situation — he was fighting cancer for the second time — has stayed with Lee long after his own struggles.
“Here’s this 9-year-old little boy, and he was facing this thing with courage,” Lee said. “It just moved me.”
The effect of the young boy’s own journey coupled with his experience with the hopeful ACS rep-resentative — along with Lee’s own willingness to fight a disease that affects about 8,000 people in the U.S. annually — would combine to help the man push through what he considers to be some of the hardest months of his life.
Along with those experiences, Lee’s love for his young son and his wife made his decision to live a long, healthy life long after his diagnosis even easier.
“You try to do it with dignity and grace because those little eyes are always watching,” Lee said, noting his son, now four years old, was only around two years old at the time of his father’s diagnosis.
And, eventually, Lee began to feel better. He’d lost around 50 pounds due to the treatments, and by the time June 2007 rolled around, Lee began taking short jogs in an effort to take better care of himself.
He’s still jogging, and that’s just what he’s going to do tonight as he carries a torch 2.2 miles to the 15th Annual Relay for Life at Southwestern High School on WTLO Road. His lighting of the torch will start the relay.
The jog will represent Lee’s cancer journey, along with other survivors’ cancer journeys.
“I relay because I want to do all I can to help the people and families affected by cancer,” stated Lee’s personal letter, located on the ACS website at http://main. acsevents.org.
“My personal experience allowed me to understand first hand the difficulties families face.
“The community of friends I am blessed to be a part of has proven each year that they too want to help and I am just trying to do my best to be an avenue for that.”
The event begins at 6 p.m., and 72 relay teams are expected to participate in the 24-hour relay, which will feature several themed laps by survivors, family members and caregivers of survivors. A silent lap will also take place, along with a luminary ceremony.
Games, music and a silent auction will also be featured to help raise money for the ACS.
