5 minute read
Brian Fleurant used a team to fight the ‘enemy from within’
Diagnosed with head and neck cancer at the age of 58, Biddeford resident Brian Fleurant shares his cancer experience that finishes with a mission of advocacy.
By Brian Fleurant with Amy Litterini
It began around the last week of September, 2022, when Covid-19 entered our home, uninvited. My wife Melissa tested positive first, then about a week later my then 5-year-old daughter Annalia and I tested positive, just four days prior to what was to be the beginning of a relaxing and fun 10-day Disney World trip. As you might guess, the trip ultimately had to be rescheduled (for mid-May of 2023). Now, pay close attention to the timeline. After a week of recovering from Covid, I noticed a tickle in my throat. So, I looked at my throat in the bathroom mirror and in a surreal moment I saw a large mass on the right side where the tonsil is. I then called Melissa into the bathroom for her opinion and she looked and exclaimed, “what the f is that?!”
So, a day or two later I scheduled an appointment with my PCP. I walked into the exam room on November 11, 2022. The doctor checked the mass in my throat and then sat down at the computer and I asked, “So?” As he was clacking on his keyboard, he said “I've seen this before, and it will go away as quick as it came. Just gargle warm water with salt three times a day and follow up in February.”
As time went along, I thought my throat symptoms were left over side effects of Covid. My follow up came with a different doctor and he referred me to a local ENT, Dr. Lee. Dr. Lee’s office called me a short time after and scheduled my consultation for May 17, 2023. I said “Nope, I will be in Disney then”. We went, and really enjoyed Disney!
So June 20, 2023, came up for the ENT appointment for the biopsy, and then ambulatory surgery to remove the mass was set for July 5, 2023, at Southern Maine Health Care. The mass turned out to be a 4 centimeter (walnut size) cancerous tumor, HPV 16+ squamous cell carcinoma. I have to mention the great care I received there, which met my expectations for sure.
Dr. Lee then referred me to Dr. Mimikos in Scarborough at MaineHealth Otolaryngology Care. She specializes in head and neck cancers, and we discussed possible further care. My wife and I met with Dr. Mimikos and she suggested I have more surgery done to take out the rest of the cancer in that region. At my consult, I also met with nurse navigator Amber O’Leary, who was instrumental in helping coordinate my care. On August 14, 2023, a 4 ½ hour robotic throat surgery was done. Yes, more cancer was removed from the back of my throat up towards the level of my sinus cavity. Twentyseven lymph nodes were taken out and tested, all thankfully NEGATIVE for cancer cells.
Ultimately, after four days at Maine Medical Center with great care and support (I was told it was typically a 5-10 day hospital stay), I was discharged. When I followed up with Dr. Mimikos, she explained that I needed to have radiation therapy in Scarborough.
I then met Dr. Parsons, a Radiation Oncologist, and scheduled neck radiation for five days a week for six weeks. This was intended as “clean-up”, and they explained that the radiation was to kill any remaining cancer cells. While having radiation I got to pick my music, which was 80’s rock. On my 30th and last radiation treatment, I picked “Thunder Struck” by AC/DC, which seemed only fitting. I told them to crank it!
I was off for a total of three weeks on short term disability, then back to work for the City of Biddeford as a heavy equipment operator. My last PET Scan was in late March, 2024, which showed NO CANCER CELLS present. This was most recently confirmed by laryngoscope in September, 2024. I’ve gone on to become a mentor for Imerman Angels (see next) and an ambassador for the Head & Neck Cancer Alliance. I also became a born again Christian when I was baptized by Life Way Church on June 30, 2024- an enlightening perspective on my recovery. So often in our lives we find ourselves thrust into difficult and painful situations. But, we ourselves as patients, survivors and caregivers find a way to keep moving forward, and uplift each other in these difficult situations. To me, the fight was with the enemy within…and I needed a team to help me fight this opponent. I know I speak for other cancer patients, survivors and caregivers that do not have a voice right now when I say, We thank you to all the “foot soldiers”, doctors, nurses, radiation therapists that make our journeys a little easier and more comfortable! I also could not have done it without my wife, my rock, Melissa, and our daughter Annalia, aka ‘lil nor’easter’ as she was born during a blizzard.
