"Pizza Saved My Life...."

So this is how "Pizza Saved My LIfe"

In early February 2003, one Sunday afternoon, I'd been at the pub for a number of hours and decided to walk home. En Route, I picked up a pizza and staggered the rest of the way. 

I opened up the box, sank my teeth in and promptly scolded my mouth with red hot tomato sauce. I recall feeling the roof of my mouth with my tongue because it'd gone all furry and finding a blister. The rest of the evening is a blur. 

When I met with a friend who'd seen me on the Sunday a couple of days later and the conversation jogged my memory about the blister. It was still there, right in between my back teeth and my palate. I figured I had an abscess so booked a dentists appointment. 

A few days later the dentist had a poke around and said my blister/abscess wasn't either and he referred me to the Royal Sussex Hospital for a consultation. My appointment was on 12th March. On 11th March I'd kind of decided not to bother with the appointment the next day and was watching a little TV that evening. A programme came on, I think it was called "Just Call Me Bobby". It was a documentary on Sir Bobby Robson, and he discussed how he got a lump in his mouth and his wife had to force him to go to hospital. Turns out he had a tumour and she saved his life. 

So, I went to the appointment. Within a minute I was in the dentists chair and I was having a biopsy. It went Ok, I was a little sore and I went home. Not really freaked out and carried on with normal life. I went back on 19th March for my results. Sat in the waiting room for ages and suddenly freaked out when my name was called, I knew it was bad news. 

Mr Altman, my consultant got to the point. All i remember him saying were 7 cruel words; "It's a tumour, it's malignant, it's cancer" and then I was lost in a world of my own. 

3 weeks later, 10 years ago today, I was on the operating table for 6 hours and Mr Altman removed that malignancy. He did a great job and I'll forever be grateful to him. 

But, the story is that "Pizza Saved My Life" and this is why I eat pizza every year on the 10th April, just as I have today. 

One Love

Jez

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