Cancer has changed Dave Metzger, like it would anyone.
The obvious things, like his health, have been altered. He uses a cane now for his vertigo, and on both of his wrists he wears bracelets with steel buttons for motion sickness intended for those taking to the seas. He removes his glasses to show off his new lenses, upgraded to improve the peripheral vision issues gained from his recent stroke.
But the most monumental change is his ability to embrace and accept his illness, and everything that comes with it.
When his doctors present him with options, he approaches their offers with genuine excitement and gratitude. For example, he has been a participant of the Livestrong program at the YMCA.
In 2022, Metzger reflected on the feelings brought forth from his diagnosis.
“I can take this two ways. I could be sullen and I could be a jerk. But I made up my mind. There’s nothing I can do, I don’t even think about it. I’m not gonna worry, I just have to do what the doctors tell me to do, and they’ve been so good to me,” Metzger said.
And two years later, his statement holds up. He points, from his leather reclining chair, to the brick fireplace on his right. Sitting atop the stoop are a couple stone angels, matching the one on the front doorstep.
“My grandson was sitting here last year, ‘Grandpa, this, grandpa, that,’ and I said, ‘Let me tell you something Mr. Buster Brown.’ That’s my name for him. I said, ‘The Metzger’s don’t quit. There’s no quitting in this kind of stuff. You don’t ever quit because it’s too hard, you might quit because there’s a good reason to quit, but not because it’s too hard,’” Metzger said.
This rhetoric matches the room. His home office is decorated with athletic achievements and signs reading “engineer.”
“Somehow I’ve gotta get back to being a contributing member of the company!” Metzger said.
Over and over he reiterates how blessed he feels – overcoming a brain tumor and a massive stroke, and still being able to walk and talk. He does not take a single day for granted. He uses his voice to compliment his wife’s baking skills, greet his three puppies, or make sure someone in a similar position as himself is feeling supported.
A 12-week Cancer Survivorship Program, Livestrong has sessions in the fall and spring. The program helps to build muscle strength, stamina, flexibility, endurance, and overall confidence and self-esteem.
A massive plus for many participants is the camaraderie and relationships formed through the program.
Byron Jackson settled into his retirement from the City of Mansfield Utility Collections in 2021.
Not very far into it, he had a funny feeling in his mouth, almost like part of his tooth broke off. After dentist and primary care visits, he was sent to a specialist where they discovered cancer on his tongue. At St. James in Columbus, surgery took place.
“Thank God I didn’t have any chemo afterwards,” Jackson said.
His wife signed him up to participate in Livestrong at the YMCA.
“I love that we come into the room, we sit down, and we discuss how we’re feeling. We share information about what’s available in Mansfield for people our age or going through what we’re going through. And then they take us out and we exercise. It’s just unbelievable,” Jackson said.
“The people don’t go off and leave you. If you’re walking slowly, they’ll go do their lap, but then come back and talk and walk with you, you know? That’s what I love.”
Despite the physical challenges and mental turmoil that cancer brings, both Metzger and Jackson are showing not only immense perseverance towards their illness, but a sense of higher gratitude for their lives as a whole.
If you or a loved one is interested in Livestrong, visit the YMCA’s Livestrong page for more information. The 2024 fall session starts on September 10th.
“I advise anyone that has a loved one recovering from cancer to come to Livestrong, it really helps,” Jackson said.
