About six years ago, I was diagnosed with stage 4 neck and throat cancer. So, it was a shock to me. Of course, it was a huge, huge shock. You're just into your 50's. You still feel a bit indestructible. You're not thinking that cancer is going to be part of your life.
It was very scary, very difficult for me. We went up to our cabin in Michigan. And he actually made dinner and everything. And we started talking just a lot of different things. And all of a sudden, I noticed how emotional he was. And I said, what's going on? And that was when he actually told me what he had discovered. And it was heart-wrenching. And I was just so upset.
The answer that we got was, you don't have to travel far. You've got the very, very, very best in your backyard. They said, University of Chicago's got this amazing program. And there's a doctor there by the name of Dr. Everett Vokes, who is breaking ground, who is number one in his field. And he is your guy.
For all we can tell, it had a good outcome because we were able to minimize surgery. And he is here doing important work for us here at the University of Chicago.
Well, honestly, I really love the team there very, very much. I remember that the main nurse at the time, Denise, she was absolutely wonderful. Just, any questions that we had, they would answer it immediately.
I got a call from an advertising agency out of New York. They had a hospital who they couldn't speak about yet because we hadn't had the job yet. But they wanted me to do a campaign for them that would help bring recognition to this hospital. Well, little known to them, I had just left this hospital. I had just been cured of stage 4 cancer from this hospital. And once they found that out, just the serendipity, the coincidences just became natural.
What we really wanted to show is the University of Chicago, first and foremost, he has probably, some of the best doctors in the world. They are getting the best of the best. And that's what we wanted to show in these spots, that you are dealing with the most innovative technology possible to man. And you're going to come out the other end. And you're going to get right back to your life. And you're going to enjoy your life.
Try to enjoy life to the fullest. I mean, we could travel somewhere just for a day, if we could take a road trip somewhere, we do it. And we do it together. You learn to make every minute count. Every bit of time with your wife, your children, your grandchildren, become more important. I knew at this point, that it was time for me to really take the challenge and push everything to the limit, and do the absolute best work I could do.
