Last fall, I had trouble swallowing. I assumed it was acid reflux and went to the doctor for some swallow tests. My doctor also suspected it was acid reflex. That afternoon, he called to say we were both wrong.

“It’s bad, Mary. It’s esophageal cancer. You need an endoscopy and biopsy immediately, and you need to clear your calendar. It’s going to be rough.”

I remember sitting down, stunned. I had never heard of esophageal...

When I was diagnosed with esophageal cancer, I was stunned.
 
Then came the questions. Usually, the middle of the night is when I find myself thinking about this cancer and why it happened.  It's not, "Why me?" Not at all. It's more, "What did I do or not do that caused this?"

I remember talking to a friend who was diagnosed with breast cancer. She was really beating herself up about it....