Savoring Every Ounce of Life While Undergoing Treatment for Skin Cancer

Jeffrey Wittig has spent the last 15 years receiving treatment for several bouts with skin cancer – including cases of squamous cell carcinoma, melanoma and most recently, basal cell carcinoma.

During his cancer journey, Wittig has undergone 41 surgeries to treat his various skin cancers, including large skin grafts, and a complete removal of his nose followed by a surgical reconstruction with a prosthesis.

Wittig, who is currently receiving treatment for recurrent basal cell carcinoma, said his care team recently told him his prognosis is not good and that the aim is to keep the cancer from spreading to his brain for as long as possible. As Wittig begins a new therapy after his previous failed to keep his disease at bay, he says his goal is to focus on his quality of life no matter the outcome.

In this week’s episode of the “CURE Talks Cancer” podcast, Wittig discusses what his journey has been like, as well as his decision to switch to a new therapy once his previous therapy stopped working. He also offers others facing a similar situation advice and chronicles why he’s focused on quality rather than quantity.

“I've told my oncologists and my dermatologist and my radiologists that I'm not really concerned about quantity at this point, you know, but quality,” he said in an interview with CURE®. “So, you know, if I've got two years, (then) how can we make this the best two years? So, you know, that's my goal at this point; (it’s) not, you know, to wrap this up with a big bow and call it all good, because I know that's not true.”

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For more information on nonmelanoma skin cancer, visit skincancerinfo.org.