Glen Jopp fights after learning about mesothelioma from the physician

The following excerpts have been taken from a story reported by the Valley News Today. It discusses how Glen Jopp found out about mesothelioma from his physician and how he chose to fight the disease.

While wintering in Texas two years ago, Glen Jopp wasn't feeling right. When the nagging pain wouldn't go away, he and his wife Thelma returned home earlier than usual and made an appointment to see a physician.

On the second trip to see a doctor, Jopp was diagnosed with acid reflux but he knew it was something bigger. In March, doctors started a series of tests to see what was causing the needle sharp pain in Jopp's midsection.

"They couldn't find anything wrong with me. By July they decided the only thing left to do was exploratory surgery. They did two of them in one week . . . The first time they didn't find a thing wrong. The second time they went down from the palate and found a tumor below my diaphragm."

The culprit causing Jopp's discomfort had been found. It was mesothelioma, an aggressive form of cancer.

Jopp said doctors insisted he begin treatment immediately. "I just went home and never went back. Sixty days went by and I was going down hill. I was losing five pounds per week and losing strength."

Jopp lost 45 pounds and was in hospice for six months.

Jopp went to a health store and started on a mushroom derivative. He then started reading everything he could about alternative medicine. Jopp said he makes sure he gets plenty of rest, exercises and thinks positive.

"Some of the things I picked up along the way are to have an attitude of gratitude. I am grateful everyday. Rest and exercise are also important. I am stronger now than before I started.

Jopp said a person fighting cancer could either sit around feeling sorry for themselves or try to make the best of it. "I never did any whining. Early on I started keeping a journal of positive thoughts and words of encouragement. I then had a separate list of people with burdens harder than mine."

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