A PARTICIPANT PROFILE
Teddy & Steve Lange
Two things immediately stand out upon meeting Teddy and Steve Lange. One is Steve’s shock of pure white hair and his salt-and-pepper beard. The other is the genuine love they feel for one another. Married for 22 years, nothing could have prepared them for the diagnosis of basaloid squamous cell carcinoma — stage 4 on the base of Steve’s tongue. It sent them into “shock, fear, dismay and confusion,” says Steve. Teddy admits she was scared but vowed to be positive since she knew she would be his caregiver. At times, it was overwhelming remembering his doctor appointments and when to give Steve his medications. “I ended up making a spreadsheet. It’s made life easier for both of us.” “TWC provides the comfort with knowledge and lessons-learned through other people’s stories, challenges and triumphs.” |  |
“Wherever we looked, finding answers about my specific cancer was problematic,” says Steve. Just days after Steve’s diagnosis, Teddy read about The Wellness Community in the newspaper and they attended a Newcomer Meeting right away. Steve and Teddy each joined a support group. “In each of our groups, we genuinely care for each other, and TWC offers the chance to be with others that are living through this disease no matter what type of cancer they have. It provides comfort with knowledge and lessonslearned through other people’s stories, challenges and triumphs,” said Steve.
Chemotherapy and radiation involved, among other things, Steve losing his beard. “I’d had my beard since the 1970s,
so this visual transformation was a mild shock to most everyone,” says Steve. Direct treatment ended mid-October
but side effects continued to worsen through December due to the accumulative nature of the treatment.
“On a high note,” adds Steve, “Teddy booked a secret Christmas day flight to Santa Barbara to surprise my
family. “Believe me, no one recognized the 40 pounds lighter and beardless stranger at their door!”
Steve and Teddy are awaiting the results of the second PET scan since ending treatment. “I continue to improve,” says Steve, “and I still take it slowly but I remember every day to enjoy a rose, a white cloud in the blue sky, or a dog’s wet nose.”