Resetting his life

Wray survives cancer, walks the Alps to find himself

Today’s article is brought to you by Freedom Financial.

Terry Wray knew 60 was coming up quickly. He didn’t like the fact that he was out of shape, and he wanted to do something about it. So, he started walking last year. The decision literally saved his life.

“I knew I would be turning 60 this year,” said Wray. “I got this wild idea that I wanted to hike the Alps. I read an article about these trails in Slovenia. I’ve always had this thing for off the beaten path vacation spots. I don’t like to go to the common, touristy spots.”

Terry Wray in the Julian Alps, September 2022.

Wray started researching the trip and soon became obsessed with the idea of walking the Alps. It became his birthday present to himself. He hit the trails in Kokomo to train.

“I try to walk every day,” said Wray. “I use the trails the city put in. I m a huge fan of them. I think the trails are one of the best things that has happened to Kokomo in a long time. I know previous administrations got a lot of flak for them, but it is good for the community.

“I see people from all walks of life, all ages, on the trails every day, biking, walking. I use them a lot because it is a great way to get out in the community. I use it as my mechanism for getting back into shape.”

On his journey to better health, however, he found something strange.

“Just about a year ago, I had started noticing a lump in my neck area,” said Wray. “I went to the doctor to have it checked out. He said he didn’t think it was anything to be worried about, but just to be safe, he sent me to an ear, nose, and throat doctor.

“That doctor looked at it and said he didn’t think it was anything to worry about, but just to be safe, he did a biopsy. On my 59th birthday, Oct. 15 of last year, I got the call that it was cancer.”

The tumor originated at the base of Wray’s tongue and expanded until it protruded from his neck. Wray said that he discovered the tumor because of his efforts to improve his overall health.

“That’s when it showed up,” said Wray. “I think it was probably hidden by when I was more overweight. I started changing my lifestyle, and that’s when I noticed the lump.”

Wray was rushed into treatment within two weeks of the diagnosis, and he spent the remainder of 2021 receiving radiation. The treatment itself wasn’t bad, Wray explained. It was the recovery from treatment that knocked him down physically. And the idea of having cancer knocked him down mentally.

“I did not think it was cancer,” said Wray. “I just thought it was one of those weird little medical things that I could go in and get taken care of. Instead, it turned my world upside-down. One phone call.”

Fortunately, the radiation treatment was successful. The tumor was eliminated quickly, and Wray began the road to recovery. As he finished treatment, the idea of walking the Alps stayed in Wray’s mind. It was still a goal, even if the cancer had scuttled it initially. His doctors and family were wary about his ability to endure such a trek.

“I wanted to get back to being my old self,” said Wray. “I spoke to my oncologist about it, and she said, in a very nice way, that I needed to prepare myself for the possibility that I may not be ready for it. As supportive as my wife had been, she also said I needed to prepare myself for the fact that I might not be able to do it.

“That became my motivation. That got me out of the house and out walking every day, and there were days that I definitely didn’t feel like going for a walk. I thought of the trip and getting in shape.”

With a clean bill of health from his doctors and a lot of determination, Wray made his dream trip. He flew to Slovenia on Sept. 9. An outdoor adventure company planned the trip for him, established the route he would take, and made the arrangements for his stay each evening.

“This was the kind of hiking trip where I didn’t have to take a tent or shelter with me,” said Wray. “I just hiked from village to village or mountain hut. The company even took care of transporting my luggage. All I had to carry with me was my backpack and what I needed for each day.

“They dropped me off and the trailhead and told me to call if I needed anything. I had an app with the route so I could make sure I was on track. But I was by myself in Slovenia on a trail. So, I started hiking up the mountain.”

Wray said he was a bit nervous the first day as he got his bearings and learned to use the app, but any trepidation he harbored faded away as he witnessed the beauty of the Alps.

“It was a perfect day with perfect blue skies,” said Wray. “It was so beautiful that it was almost overwhelming. Picture ‘The Sound of Music.’ It was like that in a lot of places.”

He walked nine miles the first day; almost all uphill. And it nearly got the best of him.

“The one problem with walking in Kokomo is you can’t train for nine miles of walking uphill,” said Wray. “There are no hills for me to practice on; at least not like that.”

Wray spent his first evening in a mountain hut. He described it as a hostel, where several other hikers also were staying. He met people from all across Europe and even fellow Americans.

“I met a group of hikers from Puerto Rico, and I spent a couple days with them,” said Wray. “The six of them were restauranteurs. Since September and October are hurricane seasons, they just board up their restaurants and travel the world.”

Two of the Puerto Rican restauranteurs Wray met along the trail.

What impressed Wray about the people he encountered was their friendliness. Even though the hikers were from Italy or Germany or England, they treated him as if there were no differences between them. And his Slovenian hosts treated him the same way.

“What I learned was that the world is a pretty accommodating place,” said Wray. “Here I am, an American. I don’t know their language. I’m not sure of their customs. But everyone was great. And everyone I met; it didn’t matter what country they were from. Everybody tried to accommodate each other. It reaffirmed my faith in humanity.”

Wray needed to reaffirm faith in himself as well. He walked between eight and 14 miles each day through mountains, forests, alpine meadows and valleys. It was time alone that he desired and sometimes dreaded.

“You do get a lot of time to yourself,” said Wray. “Obviously, you are concentrating on the trail, but you do get to think a lot. Part of the reason I wanted this trip was to kind of reset my life. It had been a tough year. Besides the cancer treatment, I also had some after-effects from long COVID. I had myopericarditis, or inflamed muscle of the heart.

“It worked. I came back feeling refreshed and positive. It’s only natural for your mind to start racing and worrying about the worst possible outcomes. The trip took that away and helped me think about what I had gone through and to be thankful for everything I have, the support I received. I thought on how to be a better person, a better husband, a better father, a better friend.”

Wray credited strong support from his family and his workplace for making his struggle easier to bear. With their help and understanding, he felt his journey through the ordeal went as well as it possibly could have. And the best news is, the cancer hasn’t returned.

“I just had my check-up in September, and everything looks good,” said Wray. “The doctors are happy, but I’ll keep visiting with them every three months, just to make sure the cancer is truly gone.”

The only thing left for Wray to do, then, is plan his next hiking trip.

“I’m definitely hooked; I want another trip,” said Wray. “But next time, I want to do it with someone. Originally, I was going to take my wife for this trip, but we decided that this was a trip I needed to go do solo. But as I walked through the woods and watched them open up to these beautiful mountain vistas, I wanted to turn to someone to share that.”