EDMOND —
A history of cancer had never been part of Ricky Conley’s family except for a grandfather who died of lung cancer. Conley said his grandfather was a cigarette smoker. So Conley was quite familiar with the word “cancer,” but it was only a word.
Since 2005 Conley has recovered from two unrelated types of cancer, one being stage-IV squamous cell carcinoma, he said. Today, he continues to serve as district manager for Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals.
“The first thing you feel is, ‘This can’t be me,’” said Conley, 56. “You hear ‘cancer’ all the time but you never think it’s going to be you. This time it was me.”
Physicians found squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue, tonsil and lymph nodes on the right side of his face. Squamous cell carcinoma is the second most common form of skin cancer, according to the Skin Cancer Foundation. An estimated 700,000 cases of SCC are diagnosed each year in the U.S.
Conley’s most recent bout with cancer was in April. A low-grade carcinoma was discovered in his parotid gland on the left side of his cheek, the largest salivary glands in humans.
“The first time, I thought I had allergies,” said Conley, who has asthma. “It was in the springtime. I had a minor sore throat and I thought it was from drainage.”
Antibiotics from his family physician did not clear his symptoms. Instead, a canker sore appeared on his tongue. Swelling began in his neck, so an ear, nose, and throat physician (ENT) ordered a biopsy. An oncologist set him on a six-month regiment of chemotherapy and radiation at the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.
Conley participated in a clinical study for Erbitux, a new chemotherapy drug that is now available for widespread treatment. Without Erbitux, Conley believes he would have died if he had contracted the same cancer a decade earlier.
“This was a stage-IV life-threatening aggressive cancer. Squamous cell is very fast growing,” Conley said. “… It scares you to death, obviously. I went home and for a couple of days I couldn’t do anything. But then I said, ‘OK, I’m going to fight and I’m going to win.’ So you have to go in with a positive attitude. And, you have to keep that positive attitude the whole time.”
However, Conley would face a new challenge. He went to his yearly ENT check-up feeling a knot on his jaw bone below his ear lobe. It wasn’t going away.
“We thought it was a cyst because 80 percent of the time they are benign cysts,” Conley said.
A PET scan revealed a hot spot for malignancy. Surgery in May to remove the tumor lasted three hours at Mercy Hospital, he said. However, residual cells of the cyst were left wrapped around nerves in his lower and upper jaws, Conley said. He had two choices, radiation therapy or another surgery with probable nerve damage, Conley said.
“It would cause your eyes to droop or your mouth to drop,” he said.
Conley was given proton therapy treatment at the ProCure Proton Therapy Center, located in Oklahoma City. “Proton therapy is a powerful treatment for cancer and a highly effective alternative to X-ray radiation therapy,” said Dr. Sameer Keole, medical director.
Proton therapy and X-ray therapy both kill cancer cells by preventing them from dividing and growing, Keole said. The difference is that Proton therapy delivers a high, but very focused dose of radiation to the cancer but decreases the exposure of the normal healthy tissues by 65 percent, Keole said.
“I finished Aug. 3. Right now the conclusion is we feel like it’s gone,” Conley said.
His next check-up will be in November for a CT scan to make sure cancer is not detected.
“It’s a lot of prayers. A lot of people praying for you, not just yourself,” Conley said. “I think there’s no telling how many people were praying for me when I went through this the first time.”
The dynamics of cancer affect not only a patient’s coping process, but also their families. He and his wife Cathy have a son, Ryan, and live in Edmond.
“Have hope,” Cathy said. “It’s a small word with lots of meaning. Live each day as if your life had just begun. Understand, have courage, be strong. Keep laughing and have a sense of humor.”
Features
Related Photos
-
Ricky Conley
Discussion
Ricky Conley
- Features
-
-
VIDEO: How technology helps predict tornadoes
At the National Storm Prediction Center in Oklahoma, the team charged with predicting tornadoes relies on ever-changing technology to determine when and where storms may strike.
-
Rude teens an example of emotional narcissism
Q: I went into my 17-year-old’s bedroom to wake him this morning. After some urging, he eventually got up and then told me he hated me. What is the appropriate consequence for this sort of disrespect?
-
The would’a, could’a, should’as of Edmond living
“Would’a, could’a, should’a” might be the most useless contractions in the English language — especially when preceded by “if only” — but I’m not letting that stop me.
If only I’d known what was coming, I would’a stayed out of Edmond’s seductive garden shops last weekend, but it’s been a long, cold winter and I couldn’t resist all those colorful flowery offerings begging, “Take me! “Take me!” -
VIDEO: Man hands out Abercrombie clothes on Skid Row in bid to shame brand
Anger has mounted online against clothing retailer Abercrombie & Fitch due to comments made by its chief executive and its strategy of not making women's clothing in any size above large.
-
Feces contaminates 58 percent of public swimming pools
Human feces taints more than half of public swimming pools, a finding U.S. health officials are using to urge better personal hygiene as the summer months approach.
-
VIDEO: One by one, homes in Calif. subdivision sinking
Scott and Robin Spivey had a sinking feeling that something was wrong with their home when cracks began snaking across their walls in March. Within two weeks their property dropped 10 feet below the street.
-
5 takeaways from the IRS report
What are the key takeaways from the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration's report on the Internal Revenue Service's decision to subject conservative groups to heightened scrutiny?
-
How to get the most out of your air conditioner this summer
Experts say preventative maintenance on your air conditioner can save you hundreds of dollars.
-
VIDEO: How robots will shape the future
Robots could revolutionize everything from learning to fitness. Tech reporter Rich DeMuro shows how companies are using robots to shape the future.
-
Bodily waste can help solve the energy crisis, author says
Bodily waste is widely considered a topic not to be discussed in polite company; it's something to be flushed and forgotten. But a new book argues that waste, in all its human and animal forms, is worth getting to know intimately.
- More Features Headlines
-
