I want to thank all of you for taking the time to be here today. My name is Charles Navarra.  Most all of my friends call me “Chas” and I hope you will too.  I am honored that I was asked to visit with you for a short while and share my experience with cancer.  I will attempt to keep my remarks within the time frame that was suggested to me.  But when it’s “All About Me”, that can be a challenge!  When I contemplate that I literally lost a year of my life, all I can do is try as best as I can to succinctly detail the events.  I wondered how I might talk about my cancer experience and I began to think about my maternal grandmother.  As a young child I enjoyed a special relationship with Grandma Caito. She was a strong woman who accomplished a great deal in her lifetime.  My grandmother frequently offered her words of wisdom and her advice about life.  One comment in particular echoed in my mind as I pondered how to begin this morning.  I can still hear my grandmother’s voice saying, “You never know what the day will bring.”

When John Kennedy Jr. arose that fateful morning, did he ever think that before the evening passed that he, his wife, and his sister-in-law would be dead?  Upon arising to begin what promised to be a usual day in his presidency, did Ronald Reagan ever once anticipate that by nightfall he would be recovering from gunshot wounds?  As Princess Diana entered the limousine outside that Paris hotel, did she ever encounter any thoughts that she would not make it to her intended destination?  No, “you never know what the day will bring.”

In the Fall of 1994, I committed to complete my undergraduate degree at Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis.  I majored in Psychology and minored in Medical Sociology.  I attended classes full time and worked full time.  Although I kept a busy schedule, I maintained my three times weekly gym workout.  I placed a high value on keeping fit, healthy, and in good physical condition. Immediately prior to earning my baccalaureate in May of 1997, I was accepted into a graduate program.  I began my graduate classes in the Fall of 1998.  Everything in my life seemed to be coming together and I felt that I had the world by the tail. As it turns out, I never did complete that graduate program.  “You never know what the day will bring.”

February 4^th, 1999, marked my 44^th birthday.  I looked forward to spending an evening with friends enjoying a
birthday dinner.  The morning of February 4^th, however, I had an appointment with a specialist.  The

examination seemed to last no longer than ten minutes.  The specialist soon met me in his office that morning of my 44^th birthday and informed me that I most likely had cancer.  I can still recall the numbness and the shock I felt upon hearing this news.  My ears heard the words but my intellect just could not comprehend the reality.  The doctor explained the nature of my situation, suggested a course of action, and we immediately began the process of putting that plan into action.  No, “you never know what the day will bring.”

If early detection of any disease is a crucial component of a positive outcome, I was blessed.  The determination was that the cancer then in my body had been there for maybe six months but not longer than one year.  It appeared to be localized.  I was also fortunate because the type of cancer I had was the easiest to cure and the modalities of treatment suggested for me evidenced high rates of success.  I was treated with two cycles of chemotherapy, five weeks of radiation, and I went through eight or nine surgeries in all.  At the end of May, 1999, the therapies were judged to have been a complete success and I eagerly anticipated what was to have been my final surgery.  I was released from the hospital on Sunday, June 20^th, 1999, but within twenty-four hours I was rushed back to Community North Hospital.  “You never know what the day will bring.”

And if you never know what the day will bring, you never know the kinds of lessons you will learn from any experience, including cancer.   It is true that cancer is a disease that robs the body of its health.  Cancer is also a thief that steals an individual’s dignity, self-image, and control over even the simplest activities of daily living.

As I journeyed through my cancer treatments, my body changed in ways I could never have foreseen.  My body was temporarily altered to accommodate my treatments.  I found myself tending to bodily functions in ways that most people will never do, let alone ever imagine.  The muscular definition I worked so hard to attain soon melted away to little more than a memory. My once strong gait slowed, literally, to a lurching crawl.  My voice became flat and hollow.  I had little energy.  As my weight dropped, my face became shallow and sunken.  Although I did not lose my hair, I lost so much of what identified me as “Chas.”

I was completely detached from what others might call a normal day to day existence.  Wherein most people go to work on a daily basis, I went to my specialists’ offices, to hospitals, and to the radiation center.  For months I viewed the outside world from behind a windshield as I was transported from treatment to treatment.  I was frequently told I was a real trooper, that I was so brave, and that my attitude remained uplifting and positive.  The reality for me was that I was merely doing what I had to do in order to regain my health.  I certainly did not believe I was doing anything heroic or special.  During those early months of 1999, at a time when Spring breaks and the promise of a fresh beginning emerges from the earth, I was meeting many people from many different backgrounds and of many different ages who were confronting what I term the dark season of cancer.

I mention these experiences not to complain and not to seek sympathy.  Everything I went through seems now as though it occurred a hundred years ago.  It feels so remote.  But I have not forgotten the most important lesson I learned during those months in 1999.  As I traveled through the path that was laid out for me, I learned that the material things in life mean very little.  It is our relationships with others that mark the keystone of our lives.  It is how we treat others and what we bring to them by touching their lives that is the most valuable asset we have to give.  It is the most valuable asset we can receive. When we are facing the very real possibility of death, no amount of money, no amount of precious jewels, no amount of the physical things we posses will comfort us.  No, the precious jewels that hold the most meaning, and even perhaps the most solace, involve what we do for others and in how we contribute to their lives.  The most highly prized gifts I received during my season of cancer were comprised of kind words, gentle touches, and the offering of personal prayers on my behalf.  To this day, I do not know all of the people who offered prayers for me nor am I completely aware of all the people who did so many kind things for my betterment.  How can I even begin to express my appreciation?  I am actually thankful that I had the cancer experience because it opened my eyes to the critical importance of caring for others.  In my personal life, I find that I am more flexible and more open to people and less apt to turn to anger when things do not go my way.  In my professional life as a real estate broker, I believe I now have an even more profound understanding and an even deeper empathy for my clients.  None of us can ever truly gauge the effect of a smile we give a stranger, a helping hand we offer in assistance, or a kind word of encouragement.  These kindness acts will comfort others in ways that will remain unknown to us.  But still, we must perform them.  And that is why you are here today.

Your caring and concern bring you to this room.  As you prepare to be a part of this years’ Relay for Life on June 8^th and 9th, your efforts will culminate in touching the lives of persons you do not even know.  You are giving them the gifts that mean more than anything- personal concern evidenced by your action.  Of course, we will raise money.  Without funds, the means of providing assistance to those affected by cancer would not be possible.  But through your involvement in this great cause, you provide hope for all those touched by cancer.  It is the hope that comes from seeing that others care, the hope that comes from knowing that others are in the battle with them and that they are not alone, the hope that arises from seeing that others have battled cancer and won.  And for those whose outcome is not easily assured, there is the hope that others will share their journey and be there for comfort and support upon that journey’s end, whatever it may be.  When the Relay for Life begins in June and you are actively participating in the events you are planning now, please keep in mind my grandmother’s words.  The generous time and gifts you provide will be amplified with those offered by all of the other participants.   You will have helped more persons than you can know in ways you will never be able to understand.  It is important work to perform for others because we never know what the day will bring.

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