Novelist James Houston Turner has been receiving "sweet sixteen" anniversary wishes from all over the world, but his journey has not been easy.
(1888PressRelease) October 25, 2007 - "The last sound I remember before the anesthetic took effect was the metronome of the heart monitor," recalls James Houston Turner, whose latest geopolitical thriller, The Identity Factor, has just been launched on Amazon.com. "The tumor was the size of an orange. It was spreading quickly. If I lived, I knew life would never be the same."
Turner's operation lasted over eleven hours, and during that time, half of his mandible was surgically removed. A new jaw bone, fashioned from hip bone, was grafted onto what remained of his mandible and the area was covered with a "skin flap" then vascularized with vessels from his arm. Skin from his thigh was then grafted onto his arm. Muscle and arteries from his other arm were later used to reconstruct his face. "I felt a bit like a Legos man," quips Turner: "interchangeable parts."
He is able to quip because in spite of the odds against him, he survived after having been told if he lived eighteen months, he would probably live to be 100. That was in 1991, so he happily reports he is well on his way toward that goal.
The tragedy is that the Kansas-born novelist was refused medical help in San Diego, where he was living at the time. "When the doctor found out I had no health insurance, nor the $200,000 needed for an operation, he said, "sorry, pal, can't help you," and walked out of the room. He just left me there, sitting in the examination chair." However, being married to an Australian, James was able to fly to Australia where for $17,000, a team of surgeons was able to save his life.
James has agreed to talk about his ordeal on internet radio with fellow long-term cancer survivors Brenda Michaels and Rob Spears, at 7:00am Pacific Time, October 29. Listeners from around the world can tune in by visiting www.conscioustalk.net and clicking on the "listen live" button at the top of the page. A schedule of corresponding times can be found on the Appearances page of James Houston Turner's website (www.jameshoustonturner.com).
"Those facing cancer, or who have friends and family who are, need to know it can be beaten," says Turner. "My journey has not been easy, but I've done it."
Novelist James Houston Turner has been receiving "sweet sixteen" anniversary wishes from all over the world, but his journey has not been easy. 
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