Benjamin Maughan
My Fight with Cancer
I was diagnosed with a rare and deadly cancer called Esthesioneuroblastoma. This is my story of learning I had cancer, treating cancer, and now recovering from cancer.
Thank you for your love and support during this fight!
Benjamin Maughan
My Fight with Cancer
I was diagnosed with a rare and deadly cancer called Esthesioneuroblastoma. This is my story of learning I had cancer, treating cancer, and now recovering from cancer.
Thank you for your love and support during this fight!
UPDATES
UPDATES
June 18, 2021
June 18, 2021
Rightly Royce sponsored me today in donating the proceeds of all today's orders to my cause in fighting cancer. This was a huge triumph in spreading awareness and raising funds to help cover our extensive medical bills. It was a huge success!
Rightly Royce started when Jaiden and Lindsie Ward's son, Royce, passed away in 2018 at a very young age. As a way to channel the love they shared for their son, they began to make jewelry that would help others connect with the people and moments that mattered most. This is an incredibly inspiring story of the spreading of love.
Rightly Royce now looks to help those in need.
I was thrilled when Jaiden and Lindsie, reached out to me earlier in the week and wanted to dedicate a day to my cause. I feel very lucky to have been a participant in their goodwill.
Thank you Rightly Royce, and a big thank you to all who participated!
Rightly Royce sponsored me today in donating the proceeds of all today's orders to my cause in fighting cancer. This was a huge triumph in spreading awareness and raising funds to help cover our extensive medical bills. It was a huge success!
Rightly Royce started when Jaiden and Lindsie Ward's son, Royce, passed away in 2018 at a very young age. As a way to channel the love they shared for their son, they began to make jewelry that would help others connect with the people and moments that mattered most. This is an incredibly inspiring story of the spreading of love.
Rightly Royce now looks to help those in need.
I was thrilled when Jaiden and Lindsie, reached out to me earlier in the week and wanted to dedicate a day to my cause. I feel very lucky to have been a participant in their goodwill.
Thank you Rightly Royce, and a big thank you to all who participated!
June 20, 2021
Today marks one week since starting my GoFundMe campaign and announcing to everyone that I was diagnosed with cancer and the trials my wife and I are going through. I want to take a moment to share my thoughts and feelings going into and through this week.
It all started the week before when my good friend, Jordan Leishman, told me that he was going to start a GoFundMe to help cover my medical expenses. At first I was extremely hesitant to do so. I was afraid to be vulnerable and what people may think. Jordan, help me to understand that I owed it to my friends and family to start one, and to give them the opportunity to support. All he needed was my story and my expenses. He would take care of the rest.
I found writing my story to be extremely therapeutic and to help process all that had happened. Reliving those experiences by putting them in black and white helped take the edge off and allowed me to revisit the good, the dark, and ultimately defeat some remaining demons and find peace.
On Sunday, June 13, I sent all my work to Jordan and he did a beautiful job creating the GoFundMe page. I will forever be grateful for his kindness.
As I sat, Sunday evening, staring at the computer screen, having just typed my Facebook post with a link to the GoFundMe, I couldn't help but feel more inadequate and undeserving of anyone's goodwill that may come. I was nervous that people's perspective of me may change and that people would now view me as different because I had cancer. I had to trust in my friends and trust in my family that all would be received well. Scared and vulnerable I clicked post.
The next 24 hours was a whirlwind of good emotions. Looking back I realized I did not take the time to formulate any kind of expectation moving forward. However, 24 hours later, I realized that any expectation I would have had would have been greatly exceeded.
I received countless messages, texts, and phone calls wanting to know what happened, how I was doing, and to wish me the best. The love and support I received was overwhelming and I could not have been happier. All that I had feared was completely washed away and was replaced with the greatest support system I could have imagined.
The week continued to get better and better. Friends I had not spoken to in years reconnected with me. Close friends, both old and new, rallied with me. My family helped in every way they could. I was being buoyed up by all and I knew that everything was going to be ok.
As for charitable contributions, over 100 people donated raising over $20k during the first week! A huge start to our goal. This money is life changing. It will enable me to start paying off treatment and will give me confidence moving forward with future treatment.
During the time between diagnosis and last Sunday, there had been some very dark moments. I had been told horrifying things by doctors and was often left with many unanswered questions. The unsurety of it all made it impossible to tell anyone. I didn't want anyone to worry about me to begin with. I also didn't know the full story till the day before surgery, so it didn't even feel right to tell people without being able to answer most questions. There was even a hope that all of this could be done in secret and that eventually I would get back to normal before any the wiser. During that time, I trained myself not to share my cancer with anyone. This all created a perfect storm that I wanted to bottle up and bury forever.
Fast forward to today and I am so glad that all that negative emotion has been released and that I have been blessed with an infinite amount of positivity. This week will forever change my life. I know now that I am loved and cared for by many. There is so much good in this world and especially within the community of people I know. I am overtaken by gratitude and I will forever be a more grateful person moving on.
This whole experience has really put life into perspective. When I was diagnosed, life became very simple - I just wanted to live. Now that I have received all the love in the world, I know now what I want out of life - to live a long, healthy, and happy life, doing the things I love most with the people I love.
I hope my story is impactful for others. We all have our struggles both great and small. Life can be both fragile and yet hit so hard at times. We all have our moments and our lessons. I've found strength along my journey and many miracles along the way. They are out there for everyone. It just takes a bit of strength, humility, and vulnerability to acquire them. I'm dedicated to fighting this fight and to making a full recovery. I appreciate you all in helping me find joy in the journey!
June 20, 2021
Today marks one week since starting my GoFundMe campaign and announcing to everyone that I was diagnosed with cancer and the trials my wife and I are going through. I want to take a moment to share my thoughts and feelings going into and through this week.
It all started the week before when my good friend, Jordan Leishman, told me that he was going to start a GoFundMe to help cover my medical expenses. At first I was extremely hesitant to do so. I was afraid to be vulnerable and what people may think. Jordan, help me to understand that I owed it to my friends and family to start one, and to give them the opportunity to support. All he needed was my story and my expenses. He would take care of the rest.
I found writing my story to be extremely therapeutic and to help process all that had happened. Reliving those experiences by putting them in black and white helped take the edge off and allowed me to revisit the good, the dark, and ultimately defeat some remaining demons and find peace.
On Sunday, June 13, I sent all my work to Jordan and he did a beautiful job creating the GoFundMe page. I will forever be grateful for his kindness.
As I sat, Sunday evening, staring at the computer screen, having just typed my Facebook post with a link to the GoFundMe, I couldn't help but feel more inadequate and undeserving of anyone's goodwill that may come. I was nervous that people's perspective of me may change and that people would now view me as different because I had cancer. I had to trust in my friends and trust in my family that all would be received well. Scared and vulnerable I clicked post.
The next 24 hours was a whirlwind of good emotions. Looking back I realized I did not take the time to formulate any kind of expectation moving forward. However, 24 hours later, I realized that any expectation I would have had would have been greatly exceeded.
I received countless messages, texts, and phone calls wanting to know what happened, how I was doing, and to wish me the best. The love and support I received was overwhelming and I could not have been happier. All that I had feared was completely washed away and was replaced with the greatest support system I could have imagined.
The week continued to get better and better. Friends I had not spoken to in years reconnected with me. Close friends, both old and new, rallied with me. My family helped in every way they could. I was being buoyed up by all and I knew that everything was going to be ok.
As for charitable contributions, over 100 people donated raising over $20k during the first week! A huge start to our goal. This money is life changing. It will enable me to start paying off treatment and will give me confidence moving forward with future treatment.
During the time between diagnosis and last Sunday, there had been some very dark moments. I had been told horrifying things by doctors and was often left with many unanswered questions. The unsurety of it all made it impossible to tell anyone. I didn't want anyone to worry about me to begin with. I also didn't know the full story till the day before surgery, so it didn't even feel right to tell people without being able to answer most questions. There was even a hope that all of this could be done in secret and that eventually I would get back to normal before any the wiser. During that time, I trained myself not to share my cancer with anyone. This all created a perfect storm that I wanted to bottle up and bury forever.
Fast forward to today and I am so glad that all that negative emotion has been released and that I have been blessed with an infinite amount of positivity. This week will forever change my life. I know now that I am loved and cared for by many. There is so much good in this world and especially within the community of people I know. I am overtaken by gratitude and I will forever be a more grateful person moving on.
This whole experience has really put life into perspective. When I was diagnosed, life became very simple - I just wanted to live. Now that I have received all the love in the world, I know now what I want out of life - to live a long, healthy, and happy life, doing the things I love most with the people I love.
I hope my story is impactful for others. We all have our struggles both great and small. Life can be both fragile and yet hit so hard at times. We all have our moments and our lessons. I've found strength along my journey and many miracles along the way. They are out there for everyone. It just takes a bit of strength, humility, and vulnerability to acquire them. I'm dedicated to fighting this fight and to making a full recovery. I appreciate you all in helping me find joy in the journey!
June 24, 2021
June 24, 2021
It has now been five weeks since my last surgery. Office visits are sometimes full of surprises. Here’s a small, inside look (pun intended) as to how I’m doing:
During my surgery, there was a large part of my skull removed called the cribriform plate. A large piece, high on my septum was also removed, along with lots of tissue. This all took place through my nose! To repair, a collagen plate was inserted to replace the cribriform plate. Healthy tissue was taken from my left sinus to create grafts. Gel packs were inserted to help hold the collagen plate in place and plastic stents were stitched into place to give structural support to my septum and create a barrier for tissue to grow back.
Though most of the plastic stents and gel packs remain, I was able to have one large stent removed. The relief! I am now able to breathe a little better with that one out of the way and my nose is a bit more relaxed.
I hope you all enjoy my expressions as much as my wife did!
It has now been five weeks since my last surgery. Office visits are sometimes full of surprises. Here’s a small, inside look (pun intended) as to how I’m doing:
During my surgery, there was a large part of my skull removed called the cribriform plate. A large piece, high on my septum was also removed, along with lots of tissue. This all took place through my nose! To repair, a collagen plate was inserted to replace the cribriform plate. Healthy tissue was taken from my left sinus to create grafts. Gel packs were inserted to help hold the collagen plate in place and plastic stents were stitched into place to give structural support to my septum and create a barrier for tissue to grow back.
Though most of the plastic stents and gel packs remain, I was able to have one large stent removed. The relief! I am now able to breathe a little better with that one out of the way and my nose is a bit more relaxed.
I hope you all enjoy my expressions as much as my wife did!
June 30, 2021
June 30, 2021
3 Months, 1 Giant Lifestyle Change, and 30 Pounds
Three months ago, on March 31, I was diagnosed with cancer. The news rocked my world. My mind went to places I never knew existed. Having almost no family history of cancer and being what I thought to be a normal, healthy guy, it was the last thing I expected. I found myself self-analyzing and asking what I may be doing wrong? Was I not as healthy as I thought? Are my organs functioning properly? Do I have an unhealthy gut? How’s my immune system? My thoughts spiraled down a path where I began to contemplate if there was a connection between my condition and my current lifestyle. Amongst the devastation, I had an enormous desire to get better and to put my body into a position to fight whatever may come in the future. If there was something within my control that would allow me to dictate a more desirable outcome, I was motivated to do it.
Despite the fact that I would eventually learn that my particular cancer has no known origin and that most likely it did not happen because of something I did or didn’t do, I became obsessed with researching what causes cancer and other diseases outside of the realm of genetics. I learned about gut health and the importance of having a healthy microbiome. It became very apparent to me that though I was living an above average healthy lifestyle, there were a lot of things I needed to improve. I went to see a wellness doctor that could tell me how my body was functioning through blood, urine, and stool tests. The results were clear that in general I was in good health; however, there were certain red flags. For example, I was somewhat Vitamin D deficient and my Vitamin B counts were low. My LDL (bad cholesterol) was low, but my HDL (good cholesterol) was very low as well. Despite having good intestinal absorption, I suffered from some chronic inflammation and a low gut microbiome. Immediately, I change my eating habits. I decided to eliminate 6 items from my diet and to replace them with healthier alternatives.
What I eliminated:
1. Processed Food
2. Processed Sugar and Artificial Sweeteners
3. Industrialized Seed Oils
4. Grains (reintroduce later)
5. Dairy (reintroduce later)
6. Anything containing “natural/artificial flavors” or Dyes
What I changed:
1. High Quality, Organic Proteins - grass fed beef; pasture raised pork, poultry, and eggs; and wild caught fish
2. Healthy Fats/Oils - cold pressed avocado oil, virgin coconut oil, cold pressed extra virgin olive oil
3. A goal to eat thirty different types of organic vegetables on a weekly basis - to provide an abundance and a variety of nutrients and prebiotics
4. Consuming fermented foods to increase the amount of consumed probiotics
What have been the results between then and now? I’ll break them down between the time before the May 20 surgery and after:
Before Surgery (two months time):
Drastic changes! After the first two weeks I lost all cravings for sweets and greasy foods. I stopped being hungry all the time and feeling like I was never fully satisfied after eating. During this process I have not once had an upset stomach after eating, nor any form of indigestion, gas, or bloating. One of the most noticeable changes was my sleep. I could finally go to bed, stay asleep, and wake up completely refreshed. That groggy, heavy feeling I used to experience sometimes after waking up was now gone. It genuinely felt as if the food I was eating was appreciated by my body, consumed appropriately, and the waste passed seamlessly. I no longer had any feeling that my body was upset or was trying to reject what I was putting in it. The crazy thing is that within those first two months I lost twenty pounds, retaining all my muscle mass. It was an eye opening experience and I felt healthy.
After Surgery (the past month):
Despite the stress and hardship of surgery, I have maintained my dietary lifestyle. Apart from post-surgery exhaustion and the effects to my head due to the surgery, the rest of my body feels great! My sleep was completely destroyed after surgery — something to be expected after having a hole cut into one's skull and filling their nose full of plastic stents and gel packs, making it impossible to breathe through my nose. However, within the past week, I am so close to resuming the same sleep habits as before. My doctors are bewildered by my progress and ability to heal. I still have a long way to go, but I am so much further ahead than they expected. Is this contributed to my new habits? There’s no way to know for sure but I’m certain it is helping to a great deal. The moral of the story is that I feel great from a dietary standpoint. Now if I could just alleviate my head pain and congestion, as well as be able to resume normal physical activity, I’d be perfect!
The day I was diagnosed I weighed 239. Today I weigh 207. Thirty-two pounds lost in three months! When I started this new dietary lifestyle, I was not trying to lose weight. I assumed I’d shed a few pounds since I was giving up sugar and processed foods, but I was not expecting to lose as much as I have, and especially not in this short amount of time! I guess I had more to lose than I expected. The funny thing is that I have not changed the amount of food I consume either. Though my overall calorie intake may be lower, I am still consuming three meals a day with an occasional healthy snack.
I guess the saying is true — you are what you eat. I definitely plan to continue to eat healthy to be healthy. In 9 months I look forward to observing increased health and recapping with my wellness doctor. I’d like to retake those tests to see how I’ve improved. Till then, I’m motivated to get better everyday and to find continual improvement.
3 Months, 1 Giant Lifestyle Change, and 30 Pounds
Three months ago, on March 31, I was diagnosed with cancer. The news rocked my world. My mind went to places I never knew existed. Having almost no family history of cancer and being what I thought to be a normal, healthy guy, it was the last thing I expected. I found myself self-analyzing and asking what I may be doing wrong? Was I not as healthy as I thought? Are my organs functioning properly? Do I have an unhealthy gut? How’s my immune system? My thoughts spiraled down a path where I began to contemplate if there was a connection between my condition and my current lifestyle. Amongst the devastation, I had an enormous desire to get better and to put my body into a position to fight whatever may come in the future. If there was something within my control that would allow me to dictate a more desirable outcome, I was motivated to do it.
Despite the fact that I would eventually learn that my particular cancer has no known origin and that most likely it did not happen because of something I did or didn’t do, I became obsessed with researching what causes cancer and other diseases outside of the realm of genetics. I learned about gut health and the importance of having a healthy microbiome. It became very apparent to me that though I was living an above average healthy lifestyle, there were a lot of things I needed to improve. I went to see a wellness doctor that could tell me how my body was functioning through blood, urine, and stool tests. The results were clear that in general I was in good health; however, there were certain red flags. For example, I was somewhat Vitamin D deficient and my Vitamin B counts were low. My LDL (bad cholesterol) was low, but my HDL (good cholesterol) was very low as well. Despite having good intestinal absorption, I suffered from some chronic inflammation and a low gut microbiome. Immediately, I change my eating habits. I decided to eliminate 6 items from my diet and to replace them with healthier alternatives.
What I eliminated:
1. Processed Food
2. Processed Sugar and Artificial Sweeteners
3. Industrialized Seed Oils
4. Grains (reintroduce later)
5. Dairy (reintroduce later)
6. Anything containing “natural/artificial flavors” or Dyes
What I changed:
1. High Quality, Organic Proteins - grass fed beef; pasture raised pork, poultry, and eggs; and wild caught fish
2. Healthy Fats/Oils - cold pressed avocado oil, virgin coconut oil, cold pressed extra virgin olive oil
3. A goal to eat thirty different types of organic vegetables on a weekly basis - to provide an abundance and a variety of nutrients and prebiotics
4. Consuming fermented foods to increase the amount of consumed probiotics
What have been the results between then and now? I’ll break them down between the time before the May 20 surgery and after:
Before Surgery (two months time):
Drastic changes! After the first two weeks I lost all cravings for sweets and greasy foods. I stopped being hungry all the time and feeling like I was never fully satisfied after eating. During this process I have not once had an upset stomach after eating, nor any form of indigestion, gas, or bloating. One of the most noticeable changes was my sleep. I could finally go to bed, stay asleep, and wake up completely refreshed. That groggy, heavy feeling I used to experience sometimes after waking up was now gone. It genuinely felt as if the food I was eating was appreciated by my body, consumed appropriately, and the waste passed seamlessly. I no longer had any feeling that my body was upset or was trying to reject what I was putting in it. The crazy thing is that within those first two months I lost twenty pounds, retaining all my muscle mass. It was an eye opening experience and I felt healthy.
After Surgery (the past month):
Despite the stress and hardship of surgery, I have maintained my dietary lifestyle. Apart from post-surgery exhaustion and the effects to my head due to the surgery, the rest of my body feels great! My sleep was completely destroyed after surgery — something to be expected after having a hole cut into one's skull and filling their nose full of plastic stents and gel packs, making it impossible to breathe through my nose. However, within the past week, I am so close to resuming the same sleep habits as before. My doctors are bewildered by my progress and ability to heal. I still have a long way to go, but I am so much further ahead than they expected. Is this contributed to my new habits? There’s no way to know for sure but I’m certain it is helping to a great deal. The moral of the story is that I feel great from a dietary standpoint. Now if I could just alleviate my head pain and congestion, as well as be able to resume normal physical activity, I’d be perfect!
The day I was diagnosed I weighed 239. Today I weigh 207. Thirty-two pounds lost in three months! When I started this new dietary lifestyle, I was not trying to lose weight. I assumed I’d shed a few pounds since I was giving up sugar and processed foods, but I was not expecting to lose as much as I have, and especially not in this short amount of time! I guess I had more to lose than I expected. The funny thing is that I have not changed the amount of food I consume either. Though my overall calorie intake may be lower, I am still consuming three meals a day with an occasional healthy snack.
I guess the saying is true — you are what you eat. I definitely plan to continue to eat healthy to be healthy. In 9 months I look forward to observing increased health and recapping with my wellness doctor. I’d like to retake those tests to see how I’ve improved. Till then, I’m motivated to get better everyday and to find continual improvement.