Kevin unleashes his inner guilt for the benefit of you, gentle readers.
BY Kevin Berry
PUBLISHED March 23, 2018
Kevin Berry is an 11-year mantle cell lymphoma survivor and undergoing his third bone marrow transplant. He works on Human Spaceflight programs, is a freelance writer and editor, and supports newly diagnosed patients through his ministry, Taking Vienna (www.takingvienna.blogspot.com). He lives in Central Florida with his wife and adult children.
I'm the victim of a rare cancer called mantle cell lymphoma (MCL). A small percentage of cancers overall are lymphomas, and an even smaller percentage of lymphomas are MCL. When I was diagnosed in 2005, the current treatment gave me about a 50/50 chance of making it three years before relapse, little certainty of effective re-treatment and a significantly shortened life span. Thanks to receiving the best medical care in the world, backed by top-notch benefits and keeping right on the edge of medical science, almost 13 years later I'm in remission for the third time, feel great, am running 5K (and longer) races, hiking in the woods with my wife, and working full time at Kennedy Space Center on human spaceflight. I live a full and active life, even though “The Beast” still lurks inside.
This article begins a series where I, like all the great authors on this site, try to set down what we've learned through our trials and tribulations.
I am the original science nerd, and the first thing a true scientist learns is that discovery happens by taking odd pieces that don't fit, or are not quite provable, and assembling them into a coherent theory. These pieces will lay out “Kevin Berry's Theory of How To Minimize Your Chances of Getting Cancer, and If You Do Get It, How to Increase Your Odds Of Beating It.” (I need a slightly sexier name, and maybe a pronounceable acronym. That will come to me, I'm sure, in a year … or seven.)
This article begins a series where I, like all the great authors on this site, try to set down what we've learned through our trials and tribulations.
I am the original science nerd, and the first thing a true scientist learns is that discovery happens by taking odd pieces that don't fit, or are not quite provable, and assembling them into a coherent theory. These pieces will lay out “Kevin Berry's Theory of How To Minimize Your Chances of Getting Cancer, and If You Do Get It, How to Increase Your Odds Of Beating It.” (I need a slightly sexier name, and maybe a pronounceable acronym. That will come to me, I'm sure, in a year … or seven.)
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