Clinton Clark III, 33, esophageal cancer, Bellingham

In early 2020, it became difficult for Clinton to eat. It was during the pandemicand much harder at the time to see a doctor, so it took a while before he was able to get checked out. In January 2021, Clinton was diagnosed with esophageal cancer that metastasized into his lungs. His treatment included six months on a feeding tube, chemotherapy and radiationtreatments. In summer 2021, he received an esophagectomy and now comes in forchemotherapy every other week. He will continue these sessions for the foreseeablefuture. The American Cancer Society estimates that there will be about 22,370 newesophageal cancer cases diagnosed (17,690 in men and 4,680 in women) in 2024. Esophageal cancer is more common among men than among women. Thelifetime risk of esophageal cancer in the United States is about 1 in 127 in men andabout 1 in 434 in women.