Published Wednesday, November 22, 2006

"I can do it"

            Retired now, Steve Shakal of Cary attacks his volunteer activities with the same fervor and passion that he once dedicated to his career in electronic communications. His never-give-up attitude made him one of the lucky few—he is a lung cancer survivor, and only 15 percent of those diagnosed with lung cancer live more than five years.

Today, Shakal gives back to the community. He serves as head usher at St. Andrews the Apostle Catholic Church in Apex, his spiritual community. He volunteers at a food shelter [name??] to feed those less fortunate.

And as he sips coffee at Perkins Family Restaurant in Apex, our interview is punctuated every few minutes by cell phone calls. Shakal is a member of North Carolinians Against Lung Cancer (NCALC), an advocacy group affiliated with the American Lung Association, and there are always lung cancer patients and survivors to meet. Ever-present is a list of people he should call or visit. He also speaks to high school students and adult groups about quitting smoking. “I tell them, ‘look what I got from cigarettes—I got sick.’”

            Shakal, who has defied death on more than one occasion, brings a stubborn, persistent attitude to everything he tackles. So when his physician told him in 1997 that he had lung cancer in an advanced stage, giving up was not an option.

            By the time he was diagnosed, Shakal had been smoking over 35 years. “When I was a kid, I used old cigarettes that Uncle Stan had left in the driveway,” Shakal said. As he grew up, he said there were times when he smoked two to three packs of cigarettes a day.

            Shakal, a retired Navy reservist for over 26 years, was transferred to Cary from Chicago in 1992 because he was known as a hard worker.

            About that time, Shakal realized maybe he was working too hard. “I thought to myself, ‘all I do is eat, sleep and sit at the computer.’ So I decided to get up and run two miles every day.” He ran 10 miles many Saturdays.

            “I knew about smoking,” Shakal said, with a wry grin. “And I said, ‘I’m running—see?”

            By 1996, there were mild symptoms: back pain that did not respond to physical therapy and an upper chest cold with a nasty cough. The cough got worse. Shakal’s doctor referred him to a pulmonologist, who then took X-rays.

            Shakal said the physician did not even glance at the X-rays before he announced to Shakal and his wife, “Steve, you’ve got lung cancer. It’s advanced, it’s incurable, it’s inoperable.” Shakal said he was completely shocked. The first order of business after leaving the doctor’s office was taking his cigarettes and tossing them in a dumpster in the parking lot.

            Shortly after his diagnosis, Shakal found an oncologist who was a perfect fit. Dr. P.J. Singh treated Shakal despite the gloomy outlook, and what followed was a battery of chemotherapy, radiation and seemingly endless tests. Shakal said what helped him was Dr. Singh’s request for spiritual assistance. “He said, ‘I want you to help me—can you pray for me?’” Shakal said his own spirituality helped him through the months of treatment and recovery.

            An MRI confirmed that the lung cancer had spread to Shakal’s head. “The tumor was affecting my short-term memory. When the doctor asked me to repeat what he said, I couldn’t do it.”

Shakal’s lung cancer, non-small cell lung cancer, is the more common variety. The cancer is tumorous, as compared to small cell lung cancer, which is more like a spiderweb and grows more quickly. “The doctor said, depending on how strong I was, maybe an operation could get this stuff [the cancer] out of me.” 

            Soon, Shakal had surgery resulting in 68 staples in his head. A few months later, Shakal had thoracic surgery to remove the top lobe of his lung, three ribs and some muscle.

            The road to recovery was long and paved with obstacles. For weeks, Shakal was confined to an armchair in front of the television. His muscles were so affected by the surgeries that he could not operate the remote control.

            “I just kept trying,” Shakal said. “I bought picture puzzles. I would put together a few pieces and then go lie down. I ended up putting six 1000-piece puzzles together. It raised my confidence—I thought, ‘I can do this.’”

 Steve Shakal “Bio Box”

“The medical focus was ‘can we save your life?’ My focus was, ‘can you save my quality of life? What can I adapt to?’ I just kept trying.”

 One of 13 children, Steve Shakal grew up on a rural family farm in Wisconsin. Desperate for independence, he decided to move away from home when he was in eighth grade. 

Lung cancer was not Shakal’s first brush with death. In 1964, he totaled his Chevy Impala when he fell asleep at the wheel and hit a post. The accident was seen as so severe that the local newspaper ran a story that he was dead on arrival. He had head trauma and had to undergo months of physical therapy to be able to walk again.

Box Information about Lung Cancer Awareness Month:

November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month. Lung cancer is the number one cancer killer of men and women. More people die of lung cancer every year than of breast, colon and prostate cancers combined. Only 15 percent of lung cancer patients live five years and longer.

Federal government spending for cancer research in 2005 was:

Lung cancer                            $1,627 per death

Colorectal cancer                    $4,496 per death

Prostate cancer                        $10,181 per death

Breast cancer                           $13,704 per death