Van Tomlinson was shaving when he looked in the mirror and saw a lump on his neck. "It was a knot on the right side, but it didn't hurt," he recalled. “I told my wife, ‘something’s not right.’”

Van's wife, Debbie, insisted he see a doctor the very next day. A biopsy of the lump showed squamous cell carcinoma. A subsequent whole-body PET scan showed the cancer to have started in his right tonsil, spreading to the right neck nodes.

Dr. Daniel Garlitos, a radiation oncologist at St. Luke's Health-Brazosport Hospital,  recommended that Van undergo a rigorous course of thirty-five radiation treatments with seven weekly chemotherapy sessions. “The concurrent chemotherapy is at a lower dose, well-tolerated, and helps the radiation be more effective, called radio sensitizing,” Dr. Garlitos explained.

It worked. And it saved Van from having to undergo major surgery. The treatment was physically exhausting, and Van dropped 75 pounds from his previous 305-pound frame. Both doctor and patient agreed that the weight-loss was a secondary good result.

Van was able to undergo all his treatment close to his home at the Cancer Center at St Luke's Health-Brazosport. He lives in Jones Creek, just ten miles from the Cancer Center. "St. Luke's is so much closer. I did not want to have to fight the traffic to Houston," he said.

“Van’s treatment was fractionated. The radiation is given in multiple small doses, large enough to damage cancer while small enough to allow recovery of normal tissues in and around the treated area/volume,” Dr. Garlitos said. Undergoing the treatment close to home meant Van didn’t have to wear himself out traveling long distances. “Rest promotes recovery. The minimally damaged cells can repair themselves if your body has the strength to do it, and stresses like traveling Houston freeways and parking can certainly make that difficult,” Dr. Garlitos said.

As Van struggled with his treatments, his daughter, Chelsea, broke the news that inspired him to recover. She was pregnant with a baby due that Spring. “I would tell myself, 'I’m going to be here when that baby is born. No matter what I have to do, I will be here!’”

Today, Lakeleigh is eleven months old, and Van is relishing his role as her grandfather.

"I was really blessed that I didn't have to have surgery. Dr. Garlitos and his team at the Cancer Center were awesome, and I'm very fortunate to have my loving wife and family," Van said.