It’s been over two calendar months since I last posted, and 11 months since I started this project. The time has come to put a more permanent pause on this journal.

I began to really get on my own case over my lack of posting lately, and for the handful of people that subscribe to this blog I feel as if a brief update is owed. For the people that have randomly come across this blog to help them through their own journey, or understand a loved one going through it, I hope that this epilogue is the last post you’re reading and the year is 2030– that means I’ve been cured and there has been nothing notable to report in the meantime!

A quick list of health updates:

• I still see BH every 3-4 weeks. Understanding the connective tissue that remains between my old life, my experience with cancer, and my new life has been important to moving forward emotionally. I recommend it.
• I’m seeing cognitive therapy about once a week and physical rehab three times per week. Cognitive function is a hard thing to measure if you don’t have a baseline, but I think on the whole it’s a net positive. At the very least it’s another person involved in monitoring my recovery. Strength training has benefited me greatly at physical rehab; I’m back in the 170s and am hoping for 180s by the time I reach my one year post-treatment mark in May.
• My second quarterly PET went without issue in early December. The ENT got a little worked up over some blurriness in the areas of greatest concern, but it was chalked up to a swallow or something at the moment the scan was taken. My lymph nodes continue to shrink and my throat continues to show improved tissue quality.
• My fatigue and stamina has improved a lot, but I’m still not my old self. It’s a work in progress but I’ve become a little less dependent on coffee. I think that’s going to be the longest of long-term recovery projects, if other experiences I’ve read on the internet are any indication.
• Saliva is improving at a glacial pace, but it is improving, right alongside my taste buds returning. Spicy is the last hold out, but I’ve made significant progress on that front in large part due to Sarah’s insistence that I continually try new things.
• I got sick for the first time this week! A common cold! I’m really proud of how well my body and mind handled it. I wasn’t a complete vegetable and even managed to function as a normal person with the assistance of some off-brand cold meds and honey. My sleep suffered, but I’m hoping it returns to normal soon.

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I’m not going to provide any work, parenting, or relationship updates. Those are wholly subsidiaries of my life going forward and largely independent of my recovery (with occasional exceptions). But safe to say I’m marching in the correct direction (at the time of this publishing) on all three fronts.

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If you’re reading this because you were just diagnosed, undergoing treatment, or just looking for corroboration or validation of some of the things you are feeling in your own cancer journey, my sincerest condolences and prayers go out to you and your loved ones. 

It sucks. 

It’s hard. 

It’s going to challenge you in ways you never imagined.

It’s going to change you forever.

It’s ok to have some hope, trust God, and listen to your doctors. Some people fare better than me– in fact I’m sure many do. No one person handles it exactly the same as the next; no matter what you are feeling: it’s ok to feel that way.

I once quoted The Martian “I’m not going to die here” in my announcement of my diagnosis to my friends and family, so this feels like the appropriate bookend to end this with.

-CPT Cancer, 4 JAN 2026

The views and opinions presented herein are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of the Department of Defense or the U.S. Army.