Back Against the Wall: My Walk With Cancer is the story of one man’s experience with the diagnosis and treatment of head and neck cancer and his miraculous healing and post-treatment life. HNC Living Foundation is honored to be the recipient of the proceeds from the sale of this newly-published book.
Bill’s story:
Bill Whitaker spent his early years working on the family dairy farm. By the time he was in his late teens, his lifestyle earned him the nickname “Wildman.” After high school, he worked in construction, training as a concrete placement specialist and rising to the position of operating engineer. His work fostered a two-pack-a-day cigarette habit along with chewing tobacco and drinking “a lot of alcohol” in his younger years.
On February 19, 2004, he was diagnosed with Stage IV advanced squamous cell carcinoma at the base of his tongue. It was inoperable and he was given little hope and very few options. He was enrolled in a clinical trial at the University of Kansas Cancer Center and completed two rigorous cycles of intravenous chemotherapy. But then, on a routine visit, his doctor discovered that the tumor had suddenly and completely disappeared. Bill went on to finish his treatment, and is currently cancer-free, although not without treatment-related problems.
Bill lives in Shawnee, Kansas with his wife and family and is active in the Head and Neck Cancer support group at the University of Kansas Cancer Center in Westwood, Kansas.
