My name is Alan Gorman. Iím 50 years old and I currently live in Exeter, NH with my wife Susan and two young sons. I was diagnosed with stomach cancer (signet cell adenocarcinoma) in March 2014. I had 5 rounds of chemo and 28 rounds of radiation, followed by a partial esophagogastrectomy. I also had to have some small bowel removed due to radiation damage to blood vessels. I am currently undergoing further chemotherapy since some lymph nodes were also affected.
This disease is very stealthy and subtle. I began having some chest pains back in Aug 2013. My doctor had some X-rays taken, and blood work done and everything appeared NORMAL. I was treated for acid reflux and my symptoms began to get worse with difficulty swallowing, fatigue and weight loss. I dropped from 230 to 170 pounds. My intuition told me that there was something seriously wrong, but I was happy to accept a more comfortable diagnosis. It was only after being pushed by my wife to be more forceful in asking for additional tests that my cancer was discovered. I have never smoked, exercise regularly, drink very little and have no family history of the disease, so this came out of nowhere.
My message to everybody out there is TRUST YOUR INTUITION and ADVOCATE FOR YOURSELF. Early detection is the key to a good prognosis with this disease, and it often does not present much in the way of symptoms. If you think something is wrong, donít let your fear stop you from having a correct diagnosis.
Thanks for listening, and keep fighting,
Alan