Five year anniversary

Hello I’m KermitAl, please call me Al or Kermit or whatever you prefer. Apparently when I grin I look like a frog, hence the name. I was diagnosed with stomach cancer five years ago this month. I had no symptoms except for increasing fatigue which led to the GP investigation. I was scheduled for an operation preceded by good ol’ chemo for four months but the operation was cancelled three days before as the tumour had grown further. I was so so lucky to be accepted for an Immunotherapy trial at The Royal Marsden in Fulham. The drugs were experimental and I was closely monitored for two years during which time the tumour and its lymph node pals shrunk a bit and I had some stability. After that I was scanned every three months for two years with everything remaining the same. On the second year anniversary of finishing the trial my dodgy lymph nodes began growing again. I have been blessed to have been taken back by the drugs company to continue the trial and I’m six months in. The results have been mixed this time but I’m ever hopeful things will stabilise soon. I suppose it’s only when you’re in it can you appreciate the psychological side of this.