As he spoke, I noticed him looking at my neck. Then he asked if he could examine me. He poked and prodded an area just above my collarbone. Then he said, "Mr. Sullivan, I have good news and I have bad news. Which do you want first?"

I answered, "Start with the bad news."

"Your tumor is metastasizing, spreading to different parts of your body. You have a significant colony just above your clavicle. The good news is, I can take the biopsy from there without removing your rib. It's a much simpler procedure and can be done under a local, which makes the whole process less risky."

He scheduled the surgery for the next morning. Then he called Dr. Harris to have a look for himself. Harris probed the bump on my neck and nodded. "Well," he said, "this is a strong indication of a malignant tumor. We need the biopsy as soon as possible. And we need some more tests to determine if the disease has spread to other areas." He then started feeling me under my arms and at various other places. These are where lymph nodes exist, he said. He couldn't feel any more bumps, and asked Dr. Speel to confirm this.

I was once again injected with radioactive stuff and had to lie flat while a sensor head described a tight grid just above my body. This scan confirmed the colony on my collarbone, but did not detect any others. This was encouraging.

That night a sticker was placed over my water cup and all of my records were tagged NPO. This meant that I was not permitted to eat or drink anything until after surgery, and then only after Dr. Speel cleared me to eat. I would miss breakfast. I was glad my biopsy would be early in the morning.

Next morning I was prepared for my trip to the Operating Room. I was given a shot of something to make me relax before I got onto the gurney. I wasn't really nervous. At this point, I felt I was taking my first step on the road to recovery. I found myself looking forward to having a piece of myself removed and frozen. A nurse cleaned and shaved the area and then draped a sterile cloth over it. I guess I was ready.

Dr. Speel and the OR nurses were in a happy mood as I entered. They joked with me as I moved from the gurney to the table. They removed the cloth covering my collarbone and swabbed it with something cold and wet. Then I was draped with cloths that covered all but the area of the biopsy. I was injected with a local anesthetic. A few minutes later, the area was numb enough to start.

I felt some pressure as the first incision was made, and felt something warm trickle down my neck. I realized that this was my own blood. Well that made sense, if I was being cut I ought to bleed. One of the nurses held my hand occasionally, I guess to give me some support.

As the doctor cut deeper, he gave me more injections of lidocaine to numb the area. I remember saying that I wish I could see what was going on, in a mirror or something. Dr. Peel told me that I was the only patient of his to ever make such a request.

The procedure was soon over. I was stitched up and a drain tube was placed in the incision. A sterile dressing was placed over the area, and I was wheeled out of the OR. Dr. Speel ordered some pain medication and told me I could ask for it whenever I needed it. I didn't need to ask too often as it turned out, because the stuff was pretty powerful.

I was back in my room just in time to say goodbye to my first roommate.