Schilling Diagnosed with Cancer
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This and.....Plantiers Wart said:
Curt, I know you played ball at Muzzy Field in Bristol and have worked at ESPN in Bristol. Please consider moving there and running for State Senate. We need you and I know a guy who can help move business in the state republican party.
Just wanted to add a belated congratulations on the wonderful news and best wishes for the rest of the road to full recovery!
I passed the 5 year mark in 2011 and my Doc at Mayos me that I am a "cure" and he only wants me to check in once per year. He didn't say that I couldn't get some different type of cancer or that I can now avoid the more healthy habits acquired during the previous five years. It depends upon the type of cancer involved because some patients will never be told this. Nevertheless the five year milestone is a wonderful milestone to attain and makes experiencing all the good and bad things which will happen during those years that much more precious.
not sure if it has been mentioned yet it was just announced by Curt that he has/had oral cancer and he attributes it directly to chewing Tobacco
Gerry Callahan @GerryCallahan 7m
Curt Schilling reveals that he is suffering from mouth cancer. He attributes it unequivocally to chewing tobacco
http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/extras/extra_bases/2014/08/curt_schilling_reveals_he_was_diagnosed_with_mouth.html?camp=rss:redsox&dlvrit=833096
Gerry Callahan @GerryCallahan 7m
Curt Schilling reveals that he is suffering from mouth cancer. He attributes it unequivocally to chewing tobacco
http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/extras/extra_bases/2014/08/curt_schilling_reveals_he_was_diagnosed_with_mouth.html?camp=rss:redsox&dlvrit=833096
Mike & Mike were commenting on this and mentioned Curt has lost 75 lbs. and, after having his salivary glands removed, he can no longer taste food. Not sure how accurate that last bit is, since chemo/radiation can cause temporary loss of taste and saliva helps present molecules to taste buds, but salivary glands are not absolutely necessary for for sensing taste. Anyway, the man has been through so much, I wish him well.
Agreed. Also, with this happening so soon after Tony Gwynn passing, here's to hoping that the league is about to get tougher on smokeless tobacco. The stuff is poison.
doctormoist said:
If they had to remove any salivary glands, it would create a severe case of xerostomia (dry mouth) and will severely alter taste sensation.
It looks like Chad Finn tweeted that Curt was on Dennis & Callahan's Jimmy Fund telethon broadcast this morning discussing this. I don't listen to their show, but hopefully there will be a podcast up later since I'm interested to see what he had to say. Also kinda scary that Schilling also blames this on chewing tobacco after Tony Gwynn felt the same way about his cancer. Hopefully these events will open some eyes and players will switch to gum or sunflower seeds instead of nasty chew!
drtooth said:
I listened to his interview on EEI. His doctor said that he should get back his sense of taste and there should be an increase in saliva, but it takes time. So I assume from his comment that the saliva glands were not removed, but are affected from the radiation.
Van Everyman said:
Tony Gwynn did not get his cancer from smokeless tobacco.
http://regressing.deadspin.com/did-chewing-tobacco-kill-tony-gwynn-1592459255
http://www.tendercaredental.net/baseball-player-tony-gwynn-undergoes-surgery-for-parotid-gland-cancer/
It's interesting that G38 attributes the cancer to chewless tobacco. These days, a more common cause of squamous cell cancer in the mouth is the HPV virus - which is what Michael Douglas (and Jamie Dimon, head of JP Morgan) were diagnosed with.
This is different from what Tony Gywnn has.
But they all suck.
This is different from what Tony Gywnn has.
But they all suck.
wade boggs chicken dinner said:
Schilling said today that his is the same type Jim Kelly is battling.
This report offers some technical details on the ex-Buffalo Bill's diagnosis:
Coincidentally, Kelly flew to NYC yesterday for tests and scans to determine "how much impact chemotherapy and radiation treatments have had on the cancerous tumors."
And not to derail this thread from Schilling to Kelly, but this Peter King write-up from last March is worth a read.
Is his voice different from the treatment, or just because we haven't heard it in a long time and he was on some different device than he usually broadcasts from?
Glad he's in remission. Sounds like he went through hell.
Glad he's in remission. Sounds like he went through hell.
Thanks for posting these links. I have some familiarity with Jim Kelly's story. It's pretty tragic. Also, typically if one is a non-tobacco user, the prognosis is generally better, but I've not found anything in the reporting about Kelly to indicate that.
However, Kelly's check-up comes back clean: http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000381226/article/bills-legend-jim-kellys-followup-exam-shows-no-sign-of-cancer. Great news!
The treatment does affect the vocal cords/voice. But just like the taste buds and salivary glands, all of this can come back.
Wasn't sure where to put this, doubt many of the regulars had seen it, this thread seemed apt.
Tito thinks of Schilling during Ice Bucket Challenge
Tito thinks of Schilling during Ice Bucket Challenge
Shonda Schilling @ShondaSchilling 2h
Baby steps curt is heading to ESPN for a visit. #lifeaftercancer
Baby steps curt is heading to ESPN for a visit. #lifeaftercancer
Curt's returning to Baseball Tonight this evening. Great news.
He also did a sit-down interview with Karl Ravech, which will air on the program, where he discusses his illness.
He also did a sit-down interview with Karl Ravech, which will air on the program, where he discusses his illness.
I can't listen at work, but did he mention any of the other factors that sometimes play into contracting mouth cancer?
What factors are you referring to?
He only mentioned chewing. Spent a lot of time on it. Ravitch added Tony Gwynn as another example, even though Gywnn had a completely different kind of cancer.
Curt Shilling is one of the most intelligent athletes I have ever seen. He is a no bullshit guy. He was that way on the mound and he is that way in life. Just remarkable.
Dalton Jones said:
I think he gets way too much negative attention on this board, especially considering what he did for the Red Sox.
He's coming across as a stand up guy in this interview - he specifically says that the cancer and the video game business were both his fault. I respect him and hope that he is able to have a long post-playing career.
It's my understanding that while alcohol does make your chances worse, tobacco is multiple times more likely to lead to cancer than alcohol. In fact, I would suspect that HPV is responsible for many more throat and neck cancers than alcohol use by itself.
At any rate, the treatment that Schilling went through is brutal, and congrats to him for getting through it and continuing to fight through it. I'm sure that having no taste buds and no saliva and recovering from having the inside of your throat and mouth burned up can't make it easy to get the necessary calories in.
Detts said:
As humans, we hate the idea of being out of control so much that we would rather blame our misfortune on our own stupidity than accept that it's due to bad genes, HPV, or just plain old bad luck.
But that's a trivial consideration. Great news about G38.
wade boggs chicken dinner said:
Apparently, losing your taste buds due to chemo doesn't make food tasteless; it makes it taste terrible. Someone I knew who went through it said everything tasted like wet cardboard.
Long article by Jackie MacMullan on Schilling and what he has gone through as a result of his cancer.
http://espn.go.com/boston/mlb/story/_/id/11754095/curt-schilling-not-hiding-scars
http://espn.go.com/boston/mlb/story/_/id/11754095/curt-schilling-not-hiding-scars
maufman said:
Chemo tends to attack fast growing cells, since that's exactly what cancer tends to be. And tastebuds are some of the fastest growing cells in the human body, hence why people's sense of taste is altered. It's not always as simple as dulling tastbuds, so that everything tastes like cardboard. It often causes foods to taste different. For example, someone I was close to couldn't eat peaches because they tasted like ravioli. They also reported a metallic taste. One of their favorite foods became "pickle, cheese sandwhiches" which included rye bread, mayonnaise, a sharp cheese and pickles. I actually thought they were pretty good too. They tasted strong but didn't cause stomach discomfort.
Jesus. This is a brutal, painful read. Regardless of whether you bring these things on yourself, no one really deserves to go through that. It sounds like it was a far harder road than he had let on before, and while his quality of life sounds like it dropped, at least he still has his life! Crazy stuff.joyofsox said:
That article should be part of any anti-chewing tobacco campaign. It sounds like the treatment was almost as bad as the illness. Now 7-8 years after retiring as an elite athlete, he will live with physical disability similar to someone in their 70's or 80's.
Not to sound insensitive, but when people knowingly take part in harmful acts like chewing, smoking, substance abuse, etc. they're adults that are aware of the consequences. It sounds like Schilling has manned up and taken responsibility for his actions, which I am glad for. I'm tired of people making excuses for smoking, chewing, etc. when similarly harmful acts like substance abuse are frowned upon.
Hoplite said:
Yep, on my fourth month of chemo, and I really can't eat tomato-based foods right now. Six more weeks!
donutogre said:
Thanks; I've been very fortunate. Haven't gotten sick despite my impaired immune system and have continued to work part-time.
My wife is fighting stage IV cancer and the part of the story that hits with me is when G38 talks about depression...Although completely understandable that someone would get down when fighting cancer, I don't think I was fully prepared for just how bad the depression can get. Thankfully my wife has a great support system and the folks at Dana Farber have been amazing.
Congrats to Schill on his courageous battle! Hoping the best for him and his family.
Congrats to Schill on his courageous battle! Hoping the best for him and his family.
SoxinMaine said:
Man, cancer is so awful. It's hard to hear these stories and see how many people are suffering through this. I've spent the last month sitting with my friend at MGH as he goes through chemo. This disease is such a bastard.
All the best to you and your wife, SoxinMaine. Glad at least that she's getting the best treatment available.
Beware when someone starts off a post with, "Not to sound insensitive"... Seriously, though, this would have been a pretty ignorant statement in 1984, nevermind 2014.Hoplite said:
Glad to hear Curt coming out and telling his story. I "knowingly" chewed Copenhagen for 22 years. But I can assure you that when I took my first dip during Freshman baseball tryouts in 1983, I had no idea what a fucking scourge of an addiction it would end up being. If anything good can come out of this it's the education that a guy like Curt Schilling can provide. I have no doubt that his ordeal will help save lives.
I liked Curt Schilling the infallible baseball hero, but the all too human Curt Schilling the past few years is most likely a better person and an even better father. In his own personal life I have a feeling his best years are yet to come.
Bone Chips said:
Well it's not as bad as his first I don't mean to be insensitive post in this thread right after he announced he had cancer.Hoplite said:
Bone Chips said:
I agree with you that this is probably not the thread to be criticizing Curt for his smokeless tobacco use, since he's paid an awful price for it and does not appear to be avoiding his own responsibility for his condition, which is precisely the message we should encourage.
That's part of why I find the bolded to be so troubling. I'm right about the same age as you and I have to say that if you didn't understand in 1983 what a scourge of an addiction smokeless tobacco would end up being, that can only be chalked up to willful blindness.
I get how it happens - when we are young we feel bulletproof and it's easy to ignore or diminish the significance of long-term risks. And if I read your post right, I'm glad that you have been able to get through it.
Yeah, it was the "bulletproof" part I was referring to. You're right, in 1983 there was good awareness out there as to the long term consequences of chewing tobacco. But of course no 15 year old ever thinks 1) longterm, and 2) that the rules apply to him.Average Reds said:
I could say a lot more on this topic, but I've learned over the years it's pointless to debate the levels of moral responsibility associated with addiction. It's a no-win proposition for the addict. What I will say, however, is that of all the addictions I've ever had - and I'm talking hard drugs here - nothing was as hard to quit as chewing tobacco was. And it wasn't even close.
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