Charles Fulkerson

In 2018, Charles was involved in a serious car accident and ended up totaling his truck. After being released from the emergency room, the hospital kept calling him for the next few months asking him to return for a follow-up because they found a “spot somewhere.” He said, “I didn’t think it was a big deal and didn’t tell anyone. Finally, a doctor called me on his personal cell phone to see if I would answer. I’m so thankful I did, because he said that I needed to be seen immediately for testing.”

Charles was diagnosed on Thanksgiving Day with Stage IV Renal Cell Carcinoma. It was the rarest kind and he was given less than a year to live. He said, “I was in shock. No one in my family had ever had cancer, but I was determined to beat it.” He admits the road to recovery was long and hard. He had a reaction to his first chemotherapy medication and had to take a break from his treatment for five months. He’s had numerous stays in the hospital, including two nursing homes. The last time he was in a nursing home was during COVID and he even contracted COVID while he was there. “The pandemic made it feel like a prison.” He also received infusions every 21 days from December 2018 to April 28, 2022. He said that was the most difficult part of his journey. But April 28 was the day he finally had surgery to remove his kidney and the surgeon said that, from his standpoint, he was cancer-free. The treatments worked!

Charles now has more time to go fishing, attend church picnics, play cards, and watch sports. He said that he is a survivor thanks to “a strong mind, positive thinking, and prayer. Now that I’m in remission, I can see my grandkids grow up and spend more time with my siblings and my daughter.”

Charles’ daughter is Nikki Kendall, an Inside Sales Rep at Onco360. He said, “because of her job, she has helped me find quick access to my medicine and medical treatment. She also keeps my medicine straight, schedules appointments, sets up rides, and handles all the paperwork and phone calls. Without her, I wouldn’t be here.” She has been by her father’s side since he adopted her when she was eight years old. Charles said, “I thank the Lord for my daughter. Who would have thought that even though I saved her, she ended up saving me too.”