Delphos Resident David Clark knows what it means to protect and serve his country as well as his local community. Being a Delphos Police Officer as well as an army veteran, Clark has faced many challenges in his career. But no training could prepare him for the news he would receive from his doctor.
In December of 2012, he was in for a routine X-ray, when medical professionals found several suspicious spots on his lungs. He adopted a "wait and see" approach.
Just five years later in 2017, Clark was informed that he had lung cancer.
"They said it was some kind of cancerous tumor in the right lung. So, I really did not know what to do at that point, call my wife, my kids, or anything. I was kind of in panic mode." said Clark.
Clark says his world was spinning, after focusing on the public safety in his duty as a police officer, he has to shift his focus to himself.
"I was told to think outside the box, go the treatment center, I know it seems like it is very far away, because if you don't get healthy, you can't help anybody else."
After seeking a second opinion, he was connected with the Cancer Treatment Centers of America in Chicago, Illinois. It was there that Clark says an interaction with staff made him feel at ease about the whole process.
"Like your drowning in the sea and someone throws you a life preserver," recalled Clark. "It kind of got me back to reality and out of that panic mode."
After rounds of radiation, chemotherapy, and immunotherapy in 2017, he became a lung cancer survivor. Now, he lives life as a police officer for Delphos, and is enjoying life with his wife of over 40 years, children, and grandchildren.
"Right now I am at that four year mark, and right now there is no sign of malignancy," Clark said. "Everything has been going good. I am back to work and all kinds of things."
And he says that he want's everyone to be careful when it comes to cancer and to seek help if they suspect that something is wrong.
"If you have something going on, and feel something is not right, go get it checked. Because if it is cancer and they detect it early, they are going to get on that and get rid of it."
