DAYTON — WHIO-TV morning anchor Nick Foley provides the latest on his cancer journey:
It’s been a while since I posted an update on my treatment journey and there is certainly a lot to touch on. As of now, I am in recovery mode at home for the next two weeks, trying to regain some strength and fight off nausea and stomach pains.
This is after a very busy August and September, which included ending weekly treatments that helped me reach remission for my Multiple Myeloma. The news was extremely gratifying to hear for my family and was a huge relief after traveling to Columbus once a week since May for treatment.
Lisa and I then made the decision to continue doing everything we could to extend my remission by electing to undergo a stem cell transplant. According to the most recent statistics, patients who undergo stem cell transplants after treatment typically add several years to remission before the first setback by an average of about 5 to 6 years.
The transplant I had was “autologous,” which uses your own cells that are collected before the procedure and then transplanted back into the patient’s body. This, however, is after doctors hit you with a strong dose of chemotherapy that essentially destroys all the remaining cells in your body: white blood cells, red blood cells, cancer cells, and platelets. Everything is affected. As you can imagine, this has a brutal effect on one’s body. Sores from the chemo develop in the throat and stomach, nausea hits hard and your appetite vanishes to the point you’re receiving all your nutrients through IV bags.
The procedure in all was one of the toughest physical and mental things I have ever done in my life. As you bottom out after the chemo takes effect, the body basically shuts down. Combine that with the mental challenges that emerge as you try to fight through and overcome the pain and discomfort and it’s a double dose of misery. My heart goes out to all those fellow patients who undergo this treatment on their own. I can’t imagine going through this procedure without my immediate and extended support system.
The great news is now I have completed the treatments and for the next few weeks, I’ll recover at home. The goal now is to try to regain my strength and hopefully sooner than later, return to work. Now let’s just hope my hair grows back before I get back on set 😊
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