Fellow Laderians,

I wasn't going to write about this but there were so many different rumors swirling around that I thought I should clear the air.

Yes, I was rushed to the hospital for emergency surgery to have a 1-1/2" malignant tumor removed from my colon a month ago after the May issue of the Ladera Times was published. Yes, the tumor and 18 lymph nodes were removed, of which the two closest to the tumor were also malignant. Yes, I will undergo six months of chemotherapy in a couple of weeks after which the odds of the malignancy reoccurring, typically in the liver, is less than 40%. Yes, I have bet lots on far lesser odds, so I'm optimistic that I will beat this just as I did prostate cancer, which I wrote about over that past couple of years.

As you may recall, the radiation therapy I underwent three years ago led to other complications that resulted in three abdominal surgeries in a six month period. I also had four colonoscopies in as many years specifically to see if I had a malignant tumor in my colon and was given a clean bill of health in each case.

The question you might be asking yourself, then, is how was this malignancy missed. After all a 1-1/2" tumor doesn't grow overnight. I wish I could give you the answer but it's a question to which I, myself, would like to know the answer. The doctor's say some tumors are flat and undetectable in the early stages. It could also be a side affect of the radiation therapy, which my radiation oncologist warned me about. Who knows?

You'd think after myriad abdominal surgeries beginning as far back at 1975, I'd be used to these invasive procedures, but this one really knocked me for a loop. The good news is, I am on the mends and am beginning to feel like my old self again . . . actually better because I have lost over 30 pounds. Not the ideal way to do it, but 30 pounds I nevertheless plan to keep off going forward.

I am deeply touched by the outpouring of prayers, good wishes, and offers of help, and I want to take this opportunity to thank the many, many residents who wrote, emailed, or called to express their concerns. Sometimes you never realize how many really good friends you have until you need them.

May you never need them under these circumstances, but bless those who came forward during this difficult ordeal as their concerns alone helped me heal faster than one would expect. And it is the love and support of my family and friends who will help me beat this, my second bout with this once, but no-longer-so-dreaded disease.

Just ask my good friend Louie Corea at Roma D'Italia, he'll tell you. There's nothing quite like the healing power of loving family and friends. Thank you Ladera!

                                    Jim Schmitt, Editor and Publisher