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I started reading your book last night after church and couldn't put it down until I finished it!!! You did an excellent job conveying your emotions plus the fact that you never lost your keen sense of humor is amazing. You did a great job........thanks for sharing so much of yourself, your family and your "cancer lite"

experience with us. "Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass, it's about learning to dance in the rain." Dance on my friend.

Ellen

Manteo, NC

The American

Cancer Society

Book
As a cancer survivor the story keeps going, but "Ed . . . It Was Malignant" is the beginning. Based on the online journal I kept with CaringBridge.org this book will take you, day by day, through my experiences in intimate detail. This book will give cancer patients hope, caregivers support, and inspire everyone to reach out to each other in our personal struggles. Loving each other is the key to really living, and my deepest desire is that everyone on the planet will "really live" their lives.To see some reader's comments about my book click here: CommentsTo read some excerpts click here: Show me moreTo buy the book click here.

Store

THE BOOK

This book will give cancer patients hope, caregivers support, and inspire everyone to reach out to each other in our personal struggles. Loving each other is the key to really living, and my deepest desire is that everyone on the planet will "really live" their lives.Click "Add To Cart" on the book cover.$4.00 is included for shipping.

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$14.95

Speaking

Ed_Montgomery_cancer_092210.wmv

I've always been comfortable in front of groups of people (okay I LOVE being up in front of groups of people) so it's been a natural progression for me take my story and passion to the stage of public speaking.Since being invited by a number of local groups to speak, I got to be the kickoff speaker and keynote speaker at Dare County's Relay for Life in 2010, and was the guest of Siemens Healthcare in Malvern, PA where I was able to say, "thank you" in person to the people behind several of the machines that diagnosed and treated me.Siemens put together a video of that visit that they've used for other meetings and you can view it here along with some other snippets.If your organization would like an exciting and inspirational speaker just click the Contact button and let me know!

Siemens Video

2010 Dare Relay

"That Day"

Still me...

Contact

Ed Montgomery

1305 Sycamore Square Drive

Midlothian, VA 23113

email: alwayscalled_yahoo.com

cell: 252-305-7845

Comments

Ed,

I wanted to tell you

that I finally got a

chance to start your

book last night. And,

of course, I couldn't

put it down until it was

finished. I was blown

away.

Blake

Annapolis, MD

What a book! It was vivid. It was joy in the

midst of suffering. It is a lesson in how to live.

I happened to read your book on a day when I

was feeling particularly low. You reminded

me how I must choose again and again to be

happy and that I DO have a choice, always.

I loved the Caring Bridge entries. Your sense

of humor was contagious with your friends

and family. Living well and living deep is all

about community and love, isn't it?

And you shared your faith in a way that did not preach...you showed how you LIVE your faith and that God came to you in many different guises during the last year.

And you showed how cancer, even "Cancer

Lite," just sucks.

Thank you for writing your book and sharing

your journey.

Robin

Lafayette, LA
Hi Ed, I bought your book at OBX packet pick up last night and spoke with you briefly. I paged through your book this morning and was inspired by your honesty and ability to reach out to others. Kim Springfield, VA

I started reading your book last night after church and couldn't put it down until I

finished it!!! You did an excellent job conveying your emotions plus the fact that

you never lost your keen sense of humor is amazing. You did a great job . . . thanks for sharing so much of yourself, your family and your "cancer lite"

experience with us. "Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass, it's about

learning to dance in the rain." Dance on my friend.

Ellen

Manteo, NC

Buy the book!

Excerpts

Excerpts
Introduction

Journal Entries

I want to buy the book!

Introduction

I want to buy the book!

Back

Introduction
Ed . . . it was malignant.Those are the words my wife, Debbie, used to tell me I had cancer. My initial response was, oh. Not a shocked or even surprised oh! - more like someone had just told me I had spilled food on my shirt. I never seem to get into a panic over big stuff. But put a slow driver in front of me when Im on my way up to Home Depot and I freak out. Not the most logical representative of humanity, but then again, I am a guy.Earlier in the day I had a tonsillectomy to remove a large growth inside my throat. The ear, nose and throat surgeon who handled the operation was the same doctor I met with just a week earlier at the recommendation of my family doctor. After examining me he told me that all my symptoms pointed to either lymphoma or nothing of consequence. Nine out of ten times its not cancer. So when we do the surgery we will do a frozen biopsy of the tonsil while youre on the table. If its malignant well go down your esophagus and trachea and remove anything else that looks bad. If its not, then we stitch you up and send you home because you just had your tonsils out. Sounds like a plan, was my enthusiastic response.I didnt feel anxious about this at all. I was in pretty good shape for a 45 year old and had none of the typical risk factors. I was never a smoker. I did chew tobacco some, but never habitually. Even smoked a pipe for a brief time, but quit that on the day I was working in my wood shop, looked down at a pile of sawdust at the foot of my table saw and caught sight of smoke and embers. After stomping it out, I decided I wasnt doing that anymore. Also no one in my family had ever had cancer. I had always been very healthy. Ate well, exercised, the whole bit. So while I was not looking forward to the pain everyone told me came along with a tonsillectomy, I didnt really expect to hear that I had anything else wrong with me. Surprise, surprise.When I woke up from surgery in the recovery room, I first looked around for a clock, didnt find one, but saw a window and could tell that it was still light outside. Knowing what the plan was for surgery I figured the shorter the time in there the better, so the fact that it was still daylight was a good sign to me. A little while later after they moved me to a private room, I asked Debbie what the results were. Inconclusive, she said though she looked at the floor when she said it. Turned out the doctor told her not to tell me because my throat was in a very fragile state and any trauma or stress could cause me some serious problems. I was still very groggy and extremely queasy so I didnt push it just then. We just sort of hung out while my mind cleared, stomach settled and I tried to figure out how to breathe.Didnt they remove stuff from my throat? I asked. Feels like they added a few layers.After several hours of recovery the hospital decided that I should spend the night nearby since my throat was so swollen. Our home, which is on a small island off the coast of North Carolina in what is known as the Outer Banks, is more than an hour and half away from that particular hospital so they sent us over to the Ronald McDonald house which was just down the street. I guess it wouldnt be prudent to have to drive very far if I needed to get an airway cleared in a hurry._ _ _ _ _ _ _I couldnt sleep. Go figure. I dont know how much time passed but Debbie got up and sat next to me sometime in the night. Thats when she told me. She said she couldnt keep that from me and knew I could handle the truth and would want to hear it. She knows me very well. We had been married ten years, but since this was the second marriage for both of us, we have worked very hard at getting it right, and honest communication was up at the top of the To Do List. Excellent choice on her part since I had been lying there, barely able to breathe, in pain and all I could think about was how the results could have been inconclusive.And so my relationship with cancer began, not knowing how serious it was, what the treatments would be, what my percentages were. But as we hugged each other and she cried, I did what I always do to reassure people: I made a joke.You know what this means? I asked.No, what?In a couple of years I get to win the Tour de France. No wait. I still have both of my balls. Ill have to come up with something different._ _ _ _ _ _ _

Journal Entries

Journal Entries

I want to buy the book!

Back
CaringBridge entry for January 6, 2009I was on my way to treatment today when they called and said the machine was down. They can treat with electrons but not photons, and of course my treatment is done with photons. I knew that.(My wife just raised one eyebrow.)The Cancer Center hooked me up with some cool lotion for the dry spots showing up on my red neck. Yep, now its official . . . as if the pickup truck wasnt enough._ _ _ _ _ _ _CaringBridge entry for January 9, 2009Well, Im officially one third the way done with the treatments! Twelve down, 23 to go.Along with that are those side effects they were telling me about. My ruddy neck (I liked that one, too Dr.) is now becoming a scabby neck, so Im hitting it with hydrocortisone two to three times a day. Definitely helps with the itching. Im also gagging quite a bit more. Not that I did it much before come to think of it, but most every morning I get close to losing my breakfast. The smell of milk doesnt help, either. I think Im done with that. Radiation Doc says thats pretty much universal: Milk tastes rancid on radiation to the throat. The saliva I still have tastes like Im sucking on pennies, so pretty much everything has that extra seasoning on it. Different, but not horrible. But the lack of decent saliva makes it just about impossible to chew anything. So, Im on to soups!Still only down two pounds since I started, but I can see keeping weight on is going to be pretty difficult. Especially since I still work every day. For the most part my energy is good, but I hit moments where I really want a nap. But 20 minutes of one seems to do the trick and Im off and running again. The guys who work for me kind of shake their heads because they thought I was going to slow down. I tell them I will but they might not notice it. They do notice my imitation of a cat hacking up a hairball, though, and it kind of creeps them out.Makes my eyes water.

Just got the Siemen's video! Click on the "Speaking" Tab

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