I don't see my VA primary care physician much, like maybe twice a year for a physical and prescription renewals. I like Dr. Shirley Tasiongco and we've always had a respectful and professional patient to doctor relationship.

But she saved my life two years ago when she shipped my old Marine ass to the VA Hospital for various tests (CT scan, MRI, PET scan) and my stage 3 lung cancer was diagnosed. I've been doing rigorous immunotherapy with a drip into an arm vein every three weeks for almost a year and a half. I'm not out of the woods yet but an October CT scan detected no cancer and my last one on February 7th showed no cancer as well. I may yet have surgery to remove a piece of my left lung and adjoining lymph nodes to be in full remission with a great probability to be "cured" but one thing is absolutely true - Dr. Shirley has bought me a lot of time with my cancer and may be the reason I can look forward to some more years of being upright. And she cured me of sciatica last fall by taking me off prescribed VA ER drugs (steroids and oxycondone).

So when I see Dr. Shirley next Monday morning for my scheduled checkup with tears of joy in my eyes I may take her her into my arms to hug her and kiss her. She's a couple of decades younger than me but no gropes are planned.

That woman saved my life and I will forever be grateful.

The trick is to catch the physicals and tests when available. I had two guys up my back porch with a colonoscopy close to 30 years ago when I was in my early 40s.

I have seen people die of lung cancer who never smoked. I served with a physical fitness nut Marine who dropped dead of a heart attack at 27.

Nobody can take of you but YOU.