For Greene County News
CEDARVILLE – It was just over one year ago that Grant Jacobs of Cedarville found out he had cancer. Now he’s a survivor and will represent the Circle of Victory Fund as Ambassador at its signature event on Sunday.
Grant’s journey began when he found a lump in his neck last summer. The 46-year-old life-long Cedarville resident remembers sitting at his kitchen table, thinking it was a swollen gland – but wasn’t sure. He waited a couple days and then went to the doctor. Before he knew it he was having a biopsy and was told it was malignant.
“I didn’t really have a sense of fear,” he said. “My wife and I were just glad we found out so we could move on to treatment.”
Jacobs began chemotherapy and radiation treatments last December, deciding both were the best option for him. He thought about surgery, but decided that treatment was best first. Then by January he was ill and in the hospital. Jacobs could not eat for more than a week and found himself unable to work. But he persevered through, relying on his faith.
It was April when he had a PET scan that came out clear. Then again in July the doctors found no cancer in his body.
“It all came full circle, by June I went back to work and in July I was back to normal. I understand this recovery is remarkable, however I don’t think of it that way,” he said. “I can’t really explain it.”
Doctors said he had spina cell carcinoma that began on his tonsil and spread to his lymph node. Jacobs has some skin cancer history in his family and when he was younger he smoked and used tobacco. But his doctor doesn’t believe that was the cause.
“I believe God purposed me to have cancer,” he said. “I don’t believe in accidents or chance.”
“The Circle of Victory Fund was there to support me financially, since our insurance did not cover the entire cost of my cancer treatment and follow up. I was really quite humbled that they would ask me to be ambassador,” said Jacobs. “I am really humbled and excited to take part in the event. I’m a basketball coach and will be speaking at Athletes in Action in the near future, so I do enjoy talking to people.”
For the rehabilitation supervisor working with the developmentally disabled at Resident Association in Dayton he hopes he can offer his faith in Jesus Christ to others in addition to his own experience surviving cancer.
“I hope people can see there is light at the end of the tunnel with cancer, even when you are really sick,” he said. “Participating in COV is also an opportunity to give back. Greene Medical Foundation helped me get through the financial hardship of cancer – we could not have done it without them. They were an answer to our prayers.”
He added, “I hope I can be an encourager, just like some of the people fighting cancer in my church. I see their survival as heroic.”
Jacobs is proud to have the support of his wife Tami and their two children, Caleb, 20 and Grace, 13.
“My whole family thought it was great when I was asked to be ambassador,” said Jacobs.
Jacobs looks forward to the Circle of Victory Walk on Sunday at Soin Medical Center. He encourages everyone will come out to help in this important cause and if they cannot they will find a way to give to help others in Greene County.
For more information about the Circle of Victory or Greene Medical Foundation call 937-352-2250. Soin Medical Center and Greene Memorial Hospital serve Greene County as part of Kettering Health Network.
