• LEUKO LOGBOOK: Less Tongue, More Hope

• POLL: Your preferences for the EXPRESS

The six previous posts about my Leukoplakia disease journey can be found on the Signposts blog.

I once participated in a team-building Trust exercise. I stood on a short platform with six co-workers beside it. I was instructed to turn my back toward them and fall backward so they could catch me. These folks were just normal people, not weight lifters or licensed body catchers. It was all about trusting the group to catch me before I smacked the ground, right?

I felt a similar trust when I rolled into the operating room at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center April 29, 2025 for my second surgery to deal with leukoplakia, the pre-cancerous growth on my tongue. Dr. Meyers had all the credentials of a world-class specialist for head and neck surgery. The team obviously knew their stuff as they prepared me, answering with a laugh my question whether they had ever done this before. The anesthesiologist asked whether my mask was comfortable, but I was in dreamland before I could answer.

While I snoozed, the team stretched out my tongue so Dr. Meyers could work. The doctors examined each section of tissue to make sure the mutated pre-cancer cells were removed. When all the diseased area excised, Dr. Meyers used a recently developed synthetic skin graft to cover the wound.

Jan and Lauren sat with me in a patient room as I returned to real life, recovering my bearings for an overnight stay to make sure all was well. Their presence meant everything as they took care of my needs and communicated with friends and family. After one night in the hospital and another in the nearby Rotary House, it was time to head home. The pain stayed surprisingly low. Jan compared this surgery with the one last year at the local hospital as modern medicine versus the country doctor of 19^th century wild, wild West!

However, on the third day, the pain hit like a truck. This revealed the inadequate pain management from the surgeon’s office, forcing Jan and my physician son Drew to create a multi-medicine plan that would keep the pain at a tolerable level. Five days after the surgery, the graft came off as expected, forcing the pain level up three notches.

The good news arrived with the pathology report. The surgery had removed all of the “moderate hyperkeratotic dysplasia,” (meaning the pre-cancerous cells)! I lost a good chunk of my tongue, yet that seemed acceptable if the danger of cancer was gone. I felt grateful to learn the tongue muscle remained intact and could return to normal action with training! With careful management of the pain pills by my #1 nurse, Jan, and her carefully prepared soft diet, I improved.

Most amazingly, the painful sores were gone, leaving my mouth pain-free for the first time in nearly three years!

I have reflected many times on the fact that, out of 8 billion people on the planet, I could find—and afford with insurance—the first-class medical care. Did I deserve some divine favor? Absolutely not. I was the beneficiary of many random events (for example, conception by a wonderful white couple living in the USA, a personality that pushed me forward, and opportunities for education and work). In addition, a network of family and friends supported me, and even more—the work of the ever-active God was revealed.

Progressive Christian theology holds that God connects with every entity to offer an “aim” while the choices are being made. In every moment, the Spirit lures us in love to make the best available choice. The list where God had worked around me is long: parents making loving choices across much of my lifetime, dedicated medical researchers and professionals striving for better treatment, faithful prayers collaborating with the Spirit, loving emotional companionship from family, and more. I am a living example of God’s all-encompassing mercy that is “new every morning!”

I now have some speech therapy ahead to teach my tongue a new way of working. I’ll be a good student, of course! I will also have several years of follow-up with the leukoplakia specialist to monitor any recurrence of the disease. Who knows, I may eventually like to drive in Houston—probably not! At this point, after three years, all signs point to, “Good-bye Leuko!”

As time goes on, I’ll share more updates on this Logbook. I appreciate your time to read and respond. I invite your comments and reports of your journey with illness that I can share with others.

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