Cancer & PeaceI am a 20-year cancer survivor. My NY doctors call me a medical anomaly.
In 2015, I had a 5% chance of living for 2 years. I was then sent home in 2017 to contact hospice and do an end-of-life journey. God intervened. My journey began in 2005 at the age of 43 with a diagnosis of high-grade urothelial cancer. At the time, my six children ranged in age from 17 to 2. God, what is happening? In 2005, Memorial Sloan Kettering in NYC performed a radical cystectomy/prostatectomy (removal of bladder, prostate, and part of the ureter).
The cancer became metastatic in 2015, discovered during my 14th surgery: a 10-hour surgery at Lenox Hill Hospital in Manhattan with three surgeons. I have had over 50 surgeries (ongoing), including one of the first impressions at Lenox Hill Hospital in NYC. In 2017, I was put on a brand new immunotherapy treatment that did not have final FDA approval yet. I have had 7 years of immunotherapy infusions, 6 recurrences, radiation, chemo rinses, and countless scans, tests, etc. I also struggle with Stage 3 Chronic Kidney disease due to the cancer.
I have been advised twice by a major cancer center in NYC to go home and contact hospice. God intervened. I believe I continue to live to work out Christ’s purpose in and through my life. I use a Christ-centered 12-step recovery program (Celebrate Recovery), Emotional Healthy Spirituality (see Resources), and other tools to develop a healthier inner life to handle the wall of cancer.
This Site is dedicated to anyone facing cancer or any wall they are up against.
Cancer & Peace Audiobook
Listen to the full audiobook now exclusively on cancerandpeace.com
Meet the Founder
Peter Scalzo
On this site, you will find a link to his book on Amazon or click the free Audio book. The book “Cancer and Peace, My 15 Year Journey” was written 6 years ago in 2019. For the past couple years, Peter has been exploring topics on a podcast with one of his friends who also shares his affinity for being a Christ follower, participating in Recovery, and engaging in the inner journey (See Resources below). This site also contains many talks that he has given in many venues. Peter believes that peace, meaning and purpose can be fellow travelers even with a dire diagnosis. He believes that God has wired him with emotions and feels encouraged to express them (including the tough ones of fear, anger and sadness). Jesus has been Peter’s anchor in the storm as he has received end of life diagnoses and been labeled a terminal cancer patient for over 10 years now. To learn more, click the link to see Peter’s Story.
Resources for the Journey
Cancer & Peace Podcast
Join a 20-year cancer survivor still on the journey as the host of the Podcast with his friend, Sean Stewart, a fellow recovery participant acting as the Podcast’s facilitator.