--William Stafford
What would you say if the Doctor said you had the most aggressive kind of brain tumor and there was no cure? Bill Cash sat in the Doctor’s office two years ago and was told after an operation his chances of survival was less than 50% the first year and only 25% the second year. The Oncologist told him his cancer was Stage 4.
In June 2008 they removed the tumor and they told Bill he would be lucky to be around in 14 months. So he began a hard regiment of radiation and chemo which lasted a year. He finished his last treatment four days before his daughter’s wedding in Charleston. “I didn’t know if I was going to make it—but we went and I danced at that wedding reception.”
Bill Cash is a stubborn man. He refused to give in to this cancer in his head. He had always exercised and five days after surgery he began to work out again. Slowly he began to swim and lift weights. Three months after surgery he had already run in two 5K races with the encouragement of his son. One year after surgery Bill finished a Triathlon.
Bill was CEO of a Pharmaceutical Management Company he had founded. He decided to sell his business in 2009 and devote his energy to other opportunities.
He went back to his doctor in September 2009 and the MRI showed no traces of cancer. Bill celebrates his two-year anniversary this June. Oncologists at UAB (University of Alabama in Birmingham) encouraged him to tell his story and help others who struggle with brain tumors.
Sitting in the sunlight, drinking coffee one morning, Bill had a smile on his face. “They cut a hole in my skull took out a plug, dug out the cancer and stapled the plug back into my head. It’s been two years and I’m still here.”
I asked him what helped. He said his wife and family helped greatly. He and Kathy have been married for 40 years. Over and over she would encourage him and remind him how important it was just to keep fighting. His son and daughter and their families helped—they gave him a reason to live.
Doctors helped too, he said. He followed their orders, had round after round of chemo which lasted a year and used their expertise to help him get back on his feet.
And then he added something I found most significant. “You can’t just rely on doctors or anyone else—but you have to do some things for yourself.” He discovered that that a healthy diet was essential for his well-being. Bill said that a large variety of fruits and vegetables helped reduce inflammation in the cancer. “I have given up sugar, white bread and unfortunately things like pizza are a thing of the past.” He said this new way of approaching food has helped produce powerful antioxidants which support the healing process.
Solitude became very important to Bill. He confessed that his Type A personality had not given him much time just to sit and be still. “There was something about the quiet that brought me great peace,” he said. Nights when he could not sleep he would sit on his porch in the dark and padding behind him would be his 120 pound German shepherd, Samson. “He would sit there as close as he could get and just look up at me. From time to time he would put his paws on my lap and lick me in the face. My dog has helped save my life.”
Bill has always been a person of faith. But he said church took on a whole new meaning after his surgery. He found himself surrounded by church members and Sunday school class members that kept in touch and took him out to coffee every week. He told me that his favorite Scripture verse is: “Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. “That’s my mantra,” he said, “When I woke up from surgery the first words out of my mouth were those two verses from Philippians. Faith kept me going—still does.”
Work helped, too. But he has turned his attention to other people. He doesn’t have much time to worry about himself. After consulting with neurologists and Doctors at UAB he established a foundation. Gaining Life Initiative Foundation helps people who have gone through what he has experienced. After the first several months his foundation presented UAB with a $100,000 research grant. He hopes to raise five million dollars in the next four years. That money will be used to help the UAB Neuro-oncology program with research which he hopes will extend the life expectancy of those with this dreaded cancer.
He told me, “This scary experience changes you. You appreciate every day. I’ve got hope I never even thought about. At Church the hymns just get me—maybe it’s the music but I just feel myself welling up at the wonder of being alive. I get up every morning thankful just to be here.”
Bill Cash, who is not supposed to be alive, is finding his way. He doesn’t do it alone. He has discovered that family helps. His physicians and specialists certainly help. Taking control of the parts of life he can change has been a great benefit. Healthy eating and consistent exercise keep him going. He is finding strength in solitude and in his faith. And he rolls up his sleeves and reaches out to help others who walk this same scary path he has walked.
The poet, William Stafford confessed that “I have woven a parachute out of everything broken.” Bill Cash would understand those words. He has taken his own broken things and the parachute he continues to weave is something to behold.
(If you are interested in learning more about the Gaining Life Foundation try their Web site: http://www.gaininglife.org/)
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