Scott Davis and Yvette Davis

00:16 Hello, the Scott Davis. I'm 51 years and 11 months old. Today's date is June 7th, 2016. We're here at Cancer Treatment Centers of America and I'm with Capri which is my beautiful bride.

00:40 I am Capri Davis. I'm 49 years of age. It is June 7th, nineteen 2016, and I am also at CTCA Newnan and I am here with my wonderful husband.

00:57 I want to ask you a question Capri first off.

01:03 What do you remember about when I propose to you from your point of view?

01:09 All that gets really out of control. Sometimes it was really nice moment. I just wish I was dressed appropriately for the moment. I was not remember remember little differently is Y2K and you were at the Spectrum Spectrum. That's right, and we were both on call for the Y2K crash of 2000 that were supposed to just devastate the planet and we were on super high-end call. I had picked out perfect ring and tried to plan a secret dinner and sneak everything in cuz it was who argue was a New Year's Eve. We're home. We had our cell phone sitting there waiting to go and I both came home. Everything's good and I'm like an all-right, you know, let's see what we can do and I tried to keep you.

02:09 Up and going and you were fully dressed. We're both home from work and I will dress in the kitchen and I'm cooking and I said I take for New Year's and you're in the kitchen and I cook filet mignons and a couple of different vegetables a nice Caesar salad and we sat down and balls getting close to dropping. The phone hasn't rung. I'm thinking this is great life is good. This is wonderful. And you said, you know, it's getting late. I'm tired and it's close to midnight. So I don't think that I want to stand these clothes anymore. I want to get comfortable.

02:53 &

02:55 But I couldn't say anything because it would give it away. So I just sat there and just washed you slowly going to the bedroom and the next thing I know you came out with that Mumu. Well now it was a gift and I had to wear it but I just glad with cows and chickens on it. It was ugly truth about your little fuzzy shoes and sat down and I'm still sitting there in my nice clothes thinking when the ball dropped it midnight. Mm. I asked you to marry me and you were like, yes, and then the second thing you were like, why did you let me change and I'm like, well if I said anything you knew something was up. Why would I keep you dressed all you did?

03:45 But it was a wonderful experience.

03:50 We've been together for 16 years.

03:54 &

03:57 Is almost but it was it 2 years ago down. I had the cancer.

04:09 How do you look at life differently now than before? I was diagnosed from your point of view.

04:16 Well, I don't I don't think I take things at face value anymore of some reason so it's okay. It's not a problem. I'm doing a double check on everything because you just don't know and it's the same thing when we found it you had cancer because when you're first diagnosed it was like, oh well, if you know not a big deal. You know, what will look at everything and see where it goes from there. And you and I were going to California at the time we can't start trip because it really is important the primary way is to take nothing for granted.

04:56 And nothing is guaranteed.

05:01 Are headaches a gift?

05:04 The other thing is don't assume anything.

05:08 And don't ever pass up an opportunity. That's the one thing. I remember before, you know, you're doing your job. You going to work you come home. You take care of the house. You feed the pups.

05:20 Fix dinner you go to bed you wake up the next day and then at some point in time someone would say hey look, you know, we're all going to go to someplace after work today. I knew darn well that you could go and you were just I don't know if I have the opportunity and it presents itself I go because you cannot rewind time you can't get that spot back. So make sure you take advantage of it if it presents itself and you have the opportunity to go and you can go why not. It's like this past weekend when we were four wheeler riding. We had a blast and we've stayed out a little longer than we thought we had planned on going four-wheeler ride and remember a couple of beers you some steak at night and we haven't even loaded up the four wheeler.

06:20 And I always thought why not so we stayed over that night woke up the next morning and party continue to have breakfast at a wonderful time and got home at a decent hour the next day and didn't miss a big did Mister beat. I mean really it didn't it was actually extra fun for doing that to in the morning from putting everything up woke up I missed church, and so now we are able to do everything we need to do and have more fun.

06:58 Let me ask you this if you

07:04 How did how did this change you as far as your perception of illness and and health and stuff from your point of view with me? I think with a diagnosis alone. It was pretty devastating to begin with and we really didn't expect it.

07:25 In our journey, we saw some doctors and maybe very excited about her. We're not as helpful as you want and but we ended up here and everything changed. We had that good help. We had people we could talk to they helped us with all the processes that you had to go through the nurses were fabulous. I mean, we learned a lot from the experience we know me is to

07:51 I guess starting with it when I first got noticed like diagnosed. Like you said we didn't think it was a big deal with that move on and then as time moved on what we thought was a little cancer turned out to be stage 3 and then the doctor said I remember he said we'll get it all in the in the operation. Remember the door on New Year's Eve. No less that was happy New Year to me and us and then was in a month later. We had to go back in after the surgery and the doctor was going to tell us you know what he found and everything was good. And when he said, oh, yeah, by the way, we found three lymph nodes affected. You got to do chemo remember the look on my face not happy.

08:46 You said nothing about chemo and then I was like, okay, then the other thing that I remember he said I wouldn't have the ileostomy and he was trying hard to make sure you didn't have a really awesome and it woke up with right. That's correct. And I was like every time I turn around.

09:13 I try to get my hopes up and if there's being squished and in that the thing that got me the most was The Depression. That's what really hard time of the depression is bad, but I can tell you you just you can't you're the one that helped me.

09:33 Not stop fighting

09:35 One step at a time.

09:41 Keep going wake up. Keep going and I was out of work. I was just home laying in bed couldn't even get out of the bed. I mean a year before remember. I was working out in the gym at 4 Five Guys working out where you are. We were kicking butt and taking names enjoyed it a lot.

09:59 I can barely pull my pants down to get going to the bathroom and it's just amazing how quick stuff changes and how

10:09 I don't know.

10:11 I just got really depressed. But yeah with you sitting there beside me and I'll remember you come to work. There was many a day. You came home.

10:21 And I rushed in the door and now are you okay? Okay, and then you had Sherry come over a couple times to check on me.

10:28 We got some good friends there Randy and Sherry Sherry is a stay-at-home nurse. That does consultations over the phone, I think.

10:40 She come over we would call her and come over she check on me and she got really upset had to carry me to the doctor white twice.

10:50 It was not a good time. But I mean once once we work through everything and understood how to deal with everything it got a little bit easier. It was like I take two steps forward and someone will punch me in the face not go to an amp steps back and have to get back up by the time I get back on my feet again. I'm punched in the face again with something else.

11:13 Then I have lost 52 lb and the doctor said if I lost what three more he was going to put a feeding tube in and I already had an ileostomy food. I couldn't taste anything.

11:25 Cuz my taste buds were gone.

11:27 And I was just like all I told him I said Doctor I said be no appetite and then food tastes like wet cardboard, what would you do?

11:35 May as well you got to eat, okay?

11:39 I think I started to realize how bad it was when we went in. Remember we saw my father in the hospital.

11:50 Brian we did

11:54 My father had a stroke two years prior and he was back in the hospital cuz he had had some complications. And remember we went saw him early that morning, dead. We were all very tired and about 7, which felt like noon by then. I said are you hungry? And you said I'm starving so we went downstairs to the little Hospital.

12:32 And the bacon was cooking. It was fresh the eggs. They had met fresh grits ahead.

12:41 She walked in there sat down and we went to the line and ordered and I had scrambled eggs grits. I had the link sausage and a biscuit you ordered.

12:53 Scrambled eggs the hash browns and bacon. This is awesome to see and be awesome and I put the first spoon in my mouth and I could not tell if I was tasting spoon or food. I couldn't taste a thing and I got really upset. Remember. I remember you looked at me and said what's wrong and I said, I can't taste anything you said. Well this bacon is too salty. You should have it cuz you can taste those salt remember so I said, okay, so I gave you my patty sausage and I got the bacon and when I bit into the bacon

13:38 And then I got really upset and you said we just got to eat most spending time with you, you know, one of our big loves was cooking.

13:56 That's true. Love to cook for.

14:06 You know, how can you cook if you can't even taste the food that you and I?

14:11 But it got better 85 to 9% of the food now.

14:24 Baby do jalapenos but everything else you're doing pretty well with.

14:29 Let me ask you this question.

14:33 About our marriage and stuff. We've been married for 16 years. We both have been divorced once.

14:43 General moly are nice. She's 22 23. She's probably get married soon, and I got to thinking about.

14:51 What advice would I give her having looking through the lens of a 2nd marriage having the first one failed you two, what would you tell her don't rush take your time? You don't need to rush down the aisle. You need to take your time and know what you want before you make that big jump.

15:10 I guess I would tell her make sure you stand.

15:15 Close and don't waver from your principles your core principles.

15:21 No thing I would say is be honest to yourself and to your partner 100% where that's good bad ugly. Tell him the truth all if you only have one person you tell the truth to make the other person that's that's with you. That makes sense because you're lying to yourself.

15:43 I guess the couple of other things would be you know.

15:48 Love and all that stuff. You got to like them first you dig deep enough. You got to at least like them.

15:56 Love spell time like that's true.

16:06 And like you said take your time. Don't rush anything. There's no it's not a race. Not at all. You take your time and make sure that's the person you want to spend your life with. Yes. I talked about everything good bad ugly Religion kids.

16:24 Trips to Disneyland road trips to wherever I may you talk about everything because it's going to be an important point in time. That is true.

16:33 You might be prepared for everything but

16:36 At least you'll have talked about most of the stuff and then that way a lot of things won't be surprises.

16:43 Got that right. I think if we both didn't did that the first time it would have been one marriage is supposed to do and that did not work. You can't do that. You have to be yourself. If you changed then they don't know who they're married to it's true and then all the other ensuing things that that went on it just did with it spiraled out of control. It was a mistake on my part in her part. And we also just rushed into it like you said cuz I was made a promise to myself I wouldn't get married before I was 25 and I didn't and then next thing I know all my friends are getting married and I'm thinking I need to get married.

17:26 Now that I'm right.

17:32 Play live through it. We just talking about marriage and stuff. We talked about religion. What you believe in God, right?

17:46 What do you think you'll be like?

17:49 What's your what's your idea? What do I think the Lord will be? Like, I think you'll be very understanding.

17:57 He's got to be if he's here with us. Now. He's he's got to help us through everything.

18:05 I believe firmly in prayer.

18:09 Because I'm here talking to you now. Otherwise, I probably wouldn't be here.

18:16 And you know people ask you know, what do you think heaven is like I think

18:23 You have to look at the opposite of it.

18:26 I think he'll is coming back and having to do this again.

18:32 Heaven would be you passed and you're onto the next one.

18:36 The next Journey that's my idea of it. I mean I guess reincarnation would be hell.

18:44 &

18:45 Heaven would be you did it right. You got it. You got an A+. So you're on to the next one and you're free to be who you really want to be without any constraints. I don't know if you're going to meet all your family and friends. I don't know if that's part of the deal, but I would hope there's something more than this because this is kind of this has been a struggle a lot of people see a good time a lot of people not so good time.

19:13 We're all going to have to pass at some point in time. And I would think that the more you struggled here.

19:20 Seizure would be on the next one. I would hope very prepared for what comes next this illness. The cancer has changed my perception of

19:37 Human

19:40 Like I do like I do with my volunteer work and stuff. I can I'm compelled now to do it. I mean, I've been giving a gift and I've got to pay it back and pay it forward and paid more than it was given me. I've got to talk to a lot of patience and that's good. I need your help.

20:04 I it gives me a great inner peace to know that at some point in time in my conversation with someone. Maybe I gave them something they didn't know and they can use and help someone else with it or help themselves, but it might be an hour and a half a conversation in 2 minutes worth of that. They were able to benefit that to me is is worth it because they can use something before.

20:30 Very good thing. I would have known a lot more questions to ask and more intelligently ask of what's going to happen. Why are you doing this? What is that for instead of just

20:51 Just accepting the process me now all of a sudden and his things are coming at you left and right and you got to make some decisions quick. In the meantime, you're dealing with the fact that someone told you you just got cancer.

21:14 In the first words out of everyone's mouth is like remember that day at work. I'm sitting down and you know Rumor Mill at work is faster than the internet and I can't tell you how many people came up on man's God. I'm so hurt. Sorry to hear you got cancer, you know, my my uncle had colon cancer and and he died and I'm like and that's supposed to help how ya might not an inspirational something positive. Just keep it to yourself and you know it. People just don't know what to say when you you tell him no way out. By the way. I got cancer they don't they don't system. I think my response now if someone told me they had cancer was like, you know, I'm I'm with you if you need anything. Let me know. I'll help you all I can let me answer questions for you because they're going to need to know going down that road. What kind of

22:14 They want to be assassinated.

22:17 I wouldn't tell him how I understand how you feel. If I had never had cancer. I'm not going to tell someone I don't know because I don't is like the other people would tell me, you know, oh, I'm so sorry about the the chemo. You know, how I can only I can imagine what you feel like that be about the best and let you know if you don't understand unless you sat in that chair and had that stuff pumped in you you don't know, you know, I don't know maybe that's just selfish of me to think like that, but

22:48 The flipside would be like if someone had had a a broken leg that was in horrible shape. I'd never tell him that you know, I understand how you feel. I've never broken my leg. I wouldn't know so much.

23:02 That's not true. And I guess I was kind of rude to some people at work when it finally got under my craw did that and I apologize to him but at the time I was not really happy is if you don't understand if you're not sat in the chair, if you haven't had cancer if you haven't had so much they look you've got if you don't do the surgery, you've got it baby 12 months to live and you don't understand you have a point. That's very accurate.

23:32 Call me ask you this question.

23:36 Did did you regret anything during this?

23:42 What happened and what you did with me and with us and I didn't regret what we did but I wish that at the time because we didn't know what to expect. We made better decisions on things going forward because we didn't know what to expect. I mean we were, you know, I'd never had this happen before didn't know how to deal with it. So for the doctor said we're like, okay. Okay. I regret the most is not asking real questions exactly. You want to know specifically that's right.

24:15 But had my best interest in mind, which I'm sure they did but you have to ask questions to double-check to make sure it is truly. The best is remember the first doctor when I had my biopsy came back. She said she found something took 10 biopsies that she wasn't sure what it was. It sure wasn't sure what it was since you get back with us and 5/7 about a week before she called me back a week and she said celebrating we're very excited but then we didn't realize that nothing stopped the symptoms kept on that's right.

25:04 And I do something wrong and then going on something's going on here and she was like what?

25:12 She said that should have stopped two days after your colonoscopy. And I said no it has gotten worse. And she said well you need another colonoscopy and I said, okay well wind up. She said your insurance won't pay for it until February. So we'll do in February and this is October. I'm not going to do that. Remember I paid for it and she called us two days before Thanksgiving getting ready to leave.

25:47 And told me oh, yeah, by the way, we missed it. It was cancer.

25:52 We had to cancel the trip to see your aunt and uncle she talks to go on with our trip but you and I didn't want to do that without about was at refund and we called him. They understand everyone understood. I think the hardest phone call I made was when I called my mom.

26:25 Rihanna

26:28 Because I was it there was two years probably seen dad had the stroke in 2011. This is 2014 yet. Three years part of that. My father had a you know that she was dealing with that. And our oldest son is just calling to tell her he's got going answer for my mom's point of view. It was pretty devastating.

26:50 She was really upset about that. The whole family had to round up and running around her to keep her from.

26:58 Getting extremely depressed.

27:01 But we did it we did it and then before for Dad. I was able to tell him that I was cancer-free. Remember time. He was worried about me. I told Dad don't worry about me. I'm standing right here. And you said you have your surgery and I seek out and you eat it all up and it was

27:25 December and he passed away in April. So I was able to tell him that I was cancer-free as of that time. That was a good thing.

27:38 Can I get.

27:44 But you know.

27:46 Looking back on it now everything you went through and your visit with your father. I mean, you've had things happen that made you feel better about everything. You've come full circle with this journey.

28:05 Completely paralyzed on the left side. He can literally raise his leg and his right arm. And that was it had to be taken in and out of the bed. He had to be fed changed all that stuff and I guess part of the fight that I got with the fight that he had because if he was able to fight that and stick around then I guess I had to fight to stick around 2 cuz it's really easy to give up.

28:39 Really skiing up

28:45 Were you ever upset with me during the

28:49 I wasn't upset with you. I was more concerned with trying to find the doctors that would work with you and actually help you with this journey because we had some doctors that you know, when we decided we're going to do a 2nd want a second opinion. They're like, you know, you don't we don't need to do that. But just another ancillary like we are you don't need to talk to anybody else. You just need to stay here emo in Columbus and then I had my second chemo and that's when I went to the ER. Yes. I thought you're having a heart attack. Yes, and then when I talk to the doctor about it after that.

29:30 He said oh everything's fine. He goes your body while I commit to it and then the third time I was back in the ER remember?

29:37 And after that one I was thinking of myself if this is going to continue I'm just going to start chemo.

29:46 It was a do you need to keep going it really was we spent a lot of time in and out of emergency rooms. I saw Cancer Treatment Centers and I talk to that lady online and

30:06 She said yeah, you know and when she took all my information she goes we can line up an appointment and I was like, no, I'm not so sure.

30:13 And I went and spoke to the doctor at the the infusion of the oncology department in Columbus.

30:22 Am I test was remember me telling you that I said my test is this if I tell that doctor that I'm looking at a 2nd opinion and he encourages me to get a second opinion, but he truly has my right if he gives me any Flack about it.

30:38 Then obviously there's something else at play here right that room and I sat there and he did a little exam and I said Doctor need to ask you a question right before you left and he goes, okay. I said I'm thinking about getting a second opinion on the chemotherapy.

30:55 And he said okay, that's good. Where you going to go? And I told him the Cancer Treatment Centers up in Atlanta and his exact words were well, it's 141. You're not going to do anything for you there that they're not doing for you here. And if you truly want a second opinion you have to go to a

31:16 Cutting Edge or research and Apples to Apples if you go somewhere else is there doing the same thing we're doing here and I said, why don't I don't understand. How could that be?

31:36 He goes, well then if you want to waste your time go up there. Remember you said that Mom was no no no. No, you stay here and Columbus. You can't go and I said flies that she goes your family's here. Your brothers and sisters are here. And I said, well, that's not the reason for me to be here. This is my cancer. Not yours and I need what's best for me that's cracked. They're not going up there. I'm going up there and she goes well you do what you got to do and I came up here and I was scared to death the first day the second day. We was like, okay. Alright, this is okay and by the third day, what were we thinking?

32:19 Why we had to move so quickly to get here now.

32:29 And she said okay fine do what you got to do. And remember she apologized to me after all this time. She goes she was sorry that she said she was biased about the fact that she had all her friends here and she was thinking that family would cure stuff. She says no doctors to your stuff and

32:47 And it was such a great experience here. I mean shoot you weren't having to go to the emergency room. Every time you did it dose of chemo. His room down in Columbus was one huge room and everybody stared at everybody.

33:04 And I could smell other people eating chicken when I was sitting there getting sick and then other people over there playing and and I was like and when I came here everyone had a private room and I just wanted to me it was just it to me. It's a private think some people are not that way to me. It's a private thing. It's my cancer and I don't want to you know, Vienna, you know, that's true. It was you and me and we have the little lunches you brought those little elves things with the

33:40 Drinks and stuff in it

33:43 Whatever you need really good and then they listen to me here. I told him I was having some problems and night instead of sitting in the chair shorter. I actually sat in the chair longer and they infused smaller doses are only free time and that's what got me through this.

34:00 See if they were good decisions decisions.

34:06 Very important places

34:09 I'm just glad you were here with me to.

34:12 Who is partnership?

34:19 Diagnostic together

34:28 Sure. Sure.

34:40 My mom is Jerry Davis and my dad is Charles Davis.

34:49 And we got married on my dad's birthday, which is first.

34:53 It was fun cuz I had a birthday cake and everything for

35:07 For New Year's

35:10 Yes computers.

35:17 I worked at a place called Wheelabrator and LaGrange.

35:22 & Capri you were with I was with Spectrum the store stores the convenience stores have computers.

35:38 Believe it or not. We don't work on computers. Can we can we don't have it all song Just Let it Flow. What's funny even though we work for a company? We work on computers. We don't touch computers. So it was funny. I was talking to my mother the other day and she says You must be really tired from work on computers instead. We never touch a computer. We don't see the computers. We don't do anything on this music instead of the keyboard stuck letting me attach computer. So I said well,

36:13 So there's beers out there. We just don't see them.

36:17 It works out and we like what we do.

36:26 Can you tell me a little bit until Capri little bit more about your volunteer at the basic certification?

36:35 I

36:37 Once I got done with the treatment here and started my upward Journey towards health. I was just so Overjoyed about the fact that I was able to make this journey. You were giving me the strength to come through it.

36:55 I just wanted to share what I had experienced with someone else.

37:03 You had a great journey with that because you've talked to so many patients and they've been so helpful. I was sitting in a chair one time and I asked someone I said, is there any way to do can I volunteer for something matter? Can I help in any way and they said yeah, I think the lady's name is like Jenny or something like that. And I said, okay, so I broke down my name on a piece of paper in the next thing. I know I'm getting a phone call.

37:32 I think it was Jenny that that talk to me and she said yeah, we we have a full program and she set me up for training and I had to go through online training and then that was really fun. And I was so nervous the first phone call.

37:47 You're a good talker though. You should be nervous. You are someone with anything anything. I mean, just what's the cancer? Like? What was chemo like what how do you eat? What's not just any questions because

38:09 Damn, I don't know what they need and I've been through it and I'll tell him honest if I can't answer your question. I can't but most of the time they're just want to know how did you make it on your mate? Give him the helping hand that they don't have right now and they need that volunteering. I've spoken to.

38:27 36 people now so far and I'm looking forward to hopefully help him a lot more.

38:36 I think it's been a really good journey for both of us with it and it makes us stronger too.

38:53 Get over it and move that knowledge to someone else and help them not get depressed. That makes me feel better. It just it just makes me feel great.

39:06 That was good when we can help.

39:08 It's a very wonderful thing.

39:13 I just wish I had someone to talk to when I was going through when you first started.

39:18 So now you're able to help everybody else and that's a wonderful thing.

39:22 Do my part pay for it? That's right pet for.