In 2014, at the age of 44, I felt a bump on the right side of my neck that appeared out of nowhere. I felt the healthiest I had felt in years, but this bump truly concerned me. My father who is physician referred me to an ear, nose and throat doctor, who initially put me on ten days of antibiotics and steroid although nothing changed. I ended up having a needle biopsy and CT Scan, which led to the diagnosis of stage IV HPV related tonsil cancer.

As a husband, father of three, and business owner, the thought of dying, and leaving my family behind was terrifying. I ended up having a radical tonsillectomy, neck dissection (42 lymph nodes removed from the neck) followed by seven weeks of chemo, radiation and a feeding tube. Shortly after beginning treatment, I made videos to my three kids saying goodbye. Those videos went something like this, “one day you are going to get married, I am not going to be there, this is what’s important…” I made those videos over and over again, knowing that if they were the last things my kids ever heard from me, I wanted them to be perfect.

My cancer journey was painful and exhausting. I ended up with third degree burns and open sores in my mouth and throat with saliva so thick I couldn’t swallow it. I was gagging and choking 40-60 times a day, and in bed approximately 18 hours a day for a few months. I had radiation five days a week for seven week, and after radiation on Thursdays, I had chemo which took around six hours. I was truly exhausted, weak and in a lot of pain. I got through it all, knowing that what I was going through was All Temporary. I had tremendous support of family, friends and my medical team. I rang the bell, finishing treatment on August 11, 2014.

Being given a second chance at life inspired me to dedicate myself to advocacy. I founded SupermanHPV, because my friends called me Superman during chemo and, stating that I was tough like him. A few years after beating cancer, I launched SupermanHPV.com to provide inspiration and information for those diagnosed and/or researching HPV, the HPV vaccine and HPV related cancers. My goal is to have my cancer story shared in as many languages as possible, on all seven continents to save lives worldwide. I’ve shared my story across the United States and internationally in Ireland, Scotland and I am headed to Bangkok this year to educate parents, patients, and communities about the importance of the HPV vaccine. My mission is to eliminate the stigma surrounding HPV, encourage early detection, and ensure that generations of boys and girls are protected from HPV preventable cancers through advocating for gender neutral vaccination.

Through my advocacy, I’ve had the privilege to work with leading health organizations, lawmakers, and survivors worldwide. Each time I share my journey, my hope is that someone will feel less alone, and that parents will speak with their children’s pediatrician about the HPV vaccine.

If I could share advice with others, it would be this: if you have a bump on your neck that appears out of nowhere, or a sore in your mouth that is not healing or an uncomfortable feeling in your throat that persists, go see your ear, nose and throat doctor. Do not put it off.

Lastly, we can truly protect millions of boys and girls from HPV preventable cancers through increasing gender neutral HPV vaccination rates. As parents, I believe protecting our children is our main responsibility – please speak with your children’s pediatrician about the HPV vaccine.