If I have learned one thing from being a cancer patient, it is to expect the unexpected.

Just when I think I’ve got this disease figured out, it throws me a curve ball.

In my last column, I wrote of my optimism that I had a chance at a cure through surgery. But the results of some very intensive scans were not the best. Previously undetected cancerous lesions are in a different part of my liver from the areas that were discovered last summer.

I learned March 17, that I would not be completely cured. I was disappointed, and I spent a few days feeling sorry for myself.

But not all was lost. Despite the unwelcome news, my doctors (I now see three different cancer specialists) and a panel of other Vidant medical professionals decided to proceed with surgery plans anyway.

First order of business will be an operation to remove a third of my right lung as well as a couple suspicious lymph nodes that show signs of cancer. During my first appointment with a thoracic surgeon, a date was set for the procedure: Friday, April 7. My optimism returned in full force.

I have been told I will be in a good deal of pain after the surgery, but I rather relish the thought of feeling that pain as it will be a sign that we are moving forward. I will most likely undergo some sort of breathing therapy since I am losing a significant amount of my lung capacity and a full recovery is expected to take several weeks.

But that’s not all.

Sometime in late May or early June (I’m hoping for the latter since that would mean I could finish out the school year), I will undergo a second surgery, that one addressing the cancer that has spread to my liver. While I won’t be completely cancer-free, my liver surgeon is confident that he can remove the bulk of the problem and also treat the remaining cancerous lesions.

That’s the plan as of now. But I’m learning to take all of this a step at a time.

The day I was first diagnosed — July 25, 2016 — was definitely a valley. Subsequent testing showed there were treatment options available, and I was told I would not be sent home to die. That, of course, was a high point. I hit another valley when I learned the cancer was a bit more widespread than expected, but undergoing these two major surgeries (even with pain and discomfort that will surely follow) will hopefully give me a new lease on life.

I’ve been told that patients frequently live for years after undergoing this form of treatment. So this isn’t over for me, far from it.

I’m thankful beyond words that these treatment options are available to me, and I’m thankful for the family and friends who have been there for me throughout this process. The members of my “work family” at Chocowinity Primary School have been amazing, making this journey easier than I ever thought possible. From covering for me when I have to be out for doctor appointments to letting me know they care about me, they bless me on a daily basis. I am forever indebted to these extraordinary folks. I’m proud to say that CPS has a sterling reputation in the field of education and, in my book, they top the list in the kindness department as well.

The staff plans to gather after school the day before my surgery for group prayer. That means the world to me.

This is also Relay for Life season. CPS, as usual, is participating in this effort and is honoring staff members who are cancer survivors and those of us who are still fighting the disease. In fact, a fourth grade versus faculty kickball game is planned for April 14 and has been dubbed “Kicking for Mr. Kevin.” And I plan to be there, will bells on, one way or another.

How can I not feel loved?

This year’s big Relay for Life celebration in Beaufort County is scheduled for May 5. My surgeon has assured me I will recovered enough to attend, with a few restrictions of course.

And I’m going to do something now I never do, and that’s to ask for money … not for me, but for ongoing efforts to find a cure or to at least improve treatment options for cancer patients.

Online donations can be made by visiting www.relayforlife.org and directing your donation to Chocowinity Primary. Checks may also be sent to me in care of CPS, 606 Gray Road, Chocowinity, NC 27817. Checks should be made payable to Chocowinity Primary with Relay for Life on the memo line.

As I face surgery, I wish desperately that other cancer patients may have the treatment options made available to me through research. Please pray for all of us who face this battle on a daily basis. May God bless you all.

Kevin Scott Cutler is a teaching assistant at Chocowinity Primary School and a frequent contributor to the Washington Daily News.