North Texas man reflects on his journey after beating cancer 3 times
FORT WORTH – The 31st annual Cowtown Ball is on Sept. 27, raising money for the American Cancer Society. One of their volunteers, Todd Kackley, reflected on his story of survival before the event.
Sometimes cancer makes you miss the small things in life, Kackley said, like a cup of coffee or your favorite meal.
"All I could think about was going to get a cheeseburger, and the doctor came in, and he had this real serious look on his face, and he said, I don't know how to tell you this, but you have cancer," Kackley said.
That was in 2019.
Then you start to worry about the bigger things, like your daughter's wedding.
"Her first response was, 'Should we accelerate everything so dad can walk us down the aisle?'" Kackley said.
With an aggressive treatment plan, Kackley beat the cancer, but in 2022 it had returned and metastasized to his lungs.
"At that point, I started another series of treatments, which included surgery, chemo and radiation," Kackley said.
He fought through again, and it paid off. Two months after finishing treatment, his daughter took his arm on her wedding day.
"The first look, like when I had to turn my back and she walked up to me, that was... that was incredible," he said.
It's a moment that he'll remember for a lifetime, but Kackley's cancer fight was not over yet.
"To my surprise, here in 2024, I was rediagnosed with some additional tumors in my lungs and went through a series of radiation to treat that," Kackley said.
Since his first diagnosis, Kackley has been working with the American Cancer Society and wants preach the importance of early detection.
He was experiencing symptoms months before his first diagnosis, but waited to see a doctor.
"I actually deferred getting checked until later in the year when I thought it was more convenient," he said.
But he hasn't given up.
"I just recently had my surveillance check-up. Everything looks good," said Kackley.
Now he is enjoying both the little and big things in life, like watching video of the toast he gave at his daughter's wedding:
"When Isabella was younger, she would read the last chapter of a book first, so she was not surprised by the ending. My dear Isabella, I hope you enter these future chapters of your life, like a wonderful story a wonderful story that you cannot put down, taking time to enjoy the chapters as they come. With this story, you cannot read ahead. Embrace all of the wonderful moments, love, surprises, adventures that lie ahead for you. I love you. Here's to new chapters – a toast," he told his daughter in his speech.
"Gets me every time," he said.
