Source: Aikens Standard (www.aikenstandard.com)
Author: Rachel Johnson

Four times cancer has struck the same Aiken household, and four times the Flanagans waged war. In August 2007, the unthinkable happened at the Flanagan home. While shaving one morning, Bill Flanagan’s hands stumbled across a lump in his throat area. Having battled cancer in the past, his suspicions were raised.
Initially, his wife and doctors thought the problem was a simple inflammation; however, when tests came back, the problem was not so simple. The couple canceled vacation plans, and Bill underwent a series of tests and a biopsy.

Despite the diagnosis of stage 4 throat cancer, he was lucky.

“I found mine accidentally. It was a little sore. Throat cancer is not usually found until the symptoms are too bad,” said Bill Flanagan from his Aiken home.
The outlook for Flanagan was bleak. A lover of fine cuisine, he faced feeding tubes, a tracheotomy and loss of voice. Doctors wanted to perform surgery to remove the tumor, and his fate almost certainly included the aforementioned. At 75 years of age, Flanagan knew one thing, he would in time die; but he was not willing to sacrifice his quality of life.

“I set the perimeters – no feeding tube, no tracheotomy and no voice loss. I would’ve rather died from the cancer than lose my quality of life,” he said with conviction.

Flanagan and his wife of 33 years, Crystal, are no strangers to battling cancer. Crystal is a breast cancer and ovarian cancer survivor while Bill is a prostate and throat cancer survivor. Based on their past experiences, the pair has learned a thing or two and put this knowledge into action last year when the inconceivable diagnosis once again haunted their days and nights.

“When the doctor tells you you are diagnosed with cancer, everything else retreats; you become obsessed with it and it takes over your life,” agreed the Flanagans. “You have to be aggressive with it. Keep fighting. Do your research before you make decisions. Carefully select your doctors. Get second opinions.”

“It is never easy to hear the diagnosis, even if you are expecting it,” said Crystal.
A couple things Bill has learned since his first bout with cancer is the need for organizations like the Savannah River Cancer Foundation where support is just a phone call away.

“It is so important to see and talk to someone who has had that same cancer and is alive,” said Bill.

After defeating cancer the first time around, the Flanagans and others decided the Aiken community needed a program to reach out to local residents. At the time, the American Cancer Society had just relocated its office, and there was not an active organization in the area.

He and others formed the Savannah River Cancer Foundation in 2003 to help others involved in similar crises. As a founding member, Bill has served on the Board of Directors of the organization since its inception. The organization has many facets, and communicating with other survivors is an essential element. Another service the organization provides is a medical record-keeping journal. This book provided the Flanagans with piece of mind knowing everything was in one place.

Each time Bill saw a doctor, he made copies of all notes and reports and put those in his book, enabling the next doctor to pick up where the last left off. The book helped the couple keep track of the numerous appointments, phone numbers, doctors, medications and more.

The book also served as a place for Bill to write down his daily thoughts and feelings. He was able to pinpoint the starts of certain medicines with the start of side effects. In the end, this book helped every step of the way and enabled him and the doctors to make crucial decisions regarding his health.
Bill fought his cancer with radiation and chemotherapy rather than surgery, based on recommendations received while getting a second opinion. Today, almost a year later, Bill has a few side effects, but he does not have a feeding tube or a tracheotomy, he has his voice and is able to enjoy life.