With much emotion, Minnesota Twins fans remembered and honored team legend Harmon Killebrew at a memorial Thursday night.
The team was gracious enough to allow the Esophageal Cancer Action Network to place a booth at Target Field, in order to connect with those attending. "The Killer" was taken by this horrible cancer.
The incidence of esophageal cancer has increased 400 percent in the last 20 years. Fewer than one in five patients will survive five years, making it one of the deadliest cancers.
I know how devastating this cancer can be, as my husband was diagnosed with it two years ago. He was one of the lucky ones. His cancer was caught in the early stages by his doctor and an observant surgeon who performed an endoscopy.
Still, his life will never be the same, as treatment and surgery can cause lifelong adjustments with eating and sleeping. With no valve to control his stomach contents, he must watch what he eats.
He can never sleep flat again. His life has changed forever.
The frightening thing for any of us is that heartburn can cause this cancer. Do you have heartburn two or more times a week? If so, please talk to your family physician.
The damage done by heartburn can lead to news that no one wants to hear. Harmon Killebrew's family, and many more families, know the suffering and loss. Let one of Harmon's last legacies be awareness of esophageal cancer.
