Survivor: Rick Mace

After a bout with vocal cord cancer and successful treatment at the June E. Nylen Cancer Center last summer, Rick Mace of Akron jumped right back to work as a bakery supervisor for HyVee and is looking forward to enjoying life in 2008.Mace features his message “On the Road Again” on an Akron area billboard, joining 10 other persons featured on Nylen Cancer Center billboards in the region.Each billboard features a hometown resident who has received treatment at the cancer center and a positive message about treatment.“Rick and our other survivors are truly amazing people,” said Karen Van De Steeg, executive director of the Nylen Cancer Center in Sioux City. “They inspire us every day. We featured Rick and others on our billboards to pay tribute to their spirit, showcase their positive news and promote our life-giving care.”Mace is especially grateful for support he received some six months ago from his wife, Amy, and the cancer center staff.“I have a strong family and positive spirit,” he said. “The people at the cancer center couldn’t have been nicer. The nurses and radiation staff members educated me and helped me feel comfortable with my radiation treatments.”Eight board-certified physicians at the Nylen Cancer Center and a staff of 100 employees work together to deliver and provide support services for radiation therapy and chemotherapy. The center also provides patients with vital nutritional, spiritual and social-emotional support.The Nylen Cancer Center participates in clinical trials to help patients live longer and increase understanding of cancer. The medical oncologists also see patients at 16 area satellite clinics held conveniently closer to home.Today, Mace is back to work, riding his Harley motorcycle, and doing everything he did before his treatment.He also offers sound advice to other people going through cancer therapy:“Cancer is not a death sentence,” he said. “You need to have faith in your doctor, nurses, staff and your treatments. You gain strength from your family members and your own decision to stay positive.”And with that attitude, Rick Mace is truly on the road again to health.Rick Mace of Akron is on the road again and enjoying life following cancer treatment at the June E. Nylen Cancer Center in Sioux City.Next || Previous || Share your story