In his high-stakes profession as a security executive, Rich Mason has never been a stranger to resilience. But at age 50, the concept of resilience suddenly became very personal.
While swimming at Virginia Beach on the July 4th holiday in 2023, Rich noticed a sore on his tongue. Chalking it up to his stressful job and frequent occurrence of ulcers, he didn’t think much of it at first. But when it didn’t go away, he wisely took action and made an appointment with his dentist for evaluation. “You’ve got to be a strong advocate for yourself,” Rich says.
The dentist knew something wasn’t right and referred Rich to his primary care provider at Riverside Hayes Medical Center, Family Nurse Practitioner Megan Vocu, who then referred him to Camil Correia, M.D., with Riverside Ear, Nose and Throat Physicians and Surgeons in Newport News. That fall, a biopsy, followed by a series of PET and CT scans, led to the diagnosis of a rare and aggressive stage-three tongue cancer.
Dr. Correia, an award-winning, fellowship-trained head and neck cancer surgeon who specializes in advanced treatments specific to this type of cancer, recommended the surgical removal and reconstruction of two-thirds of Rich’s tongue, plus chemotherapy and radiation therapy. “The thought was that we’re ‘rare and aggressive’ too, so that’s the approach we took,” Rich says. “We hit it three ways. I tell people, ‘Don’t feel bad for me — feel bad for cancer.’”
To Rich, Dr. Correia is a hero, especially for spending 16 hours at the operating table with him. Not satisfied with the first round of surgical margin, she worked well into the middle of the night until she was sure that all cancer cells were removed. “God bless Dr. Correia,” Rich says. “I think the world of her, and the community thinks the world of her.”
Previously, Rich assumed that if cancer ever came his way, he’d need to travel to one of the country’s renowned cancer treatment centers. But when he received a local referral and researched the credentials and experience of Newport News native Dr. Correia — which include an undergraduate degree from Yale University; a medical degree, residency and medical ethics fellowship at the University of Chicago; and a head and neck oncological and reconstructive surgery fellowship at Northwestern University — he was easily convinced to seek care at home. “It was an absolute blessing that this was right in my own backyard,” Rich says.
Another invaluable source of support during Rich’s cancer battle has been Oncology Nurse Navigator Renea Acree, MBA, MSN, RN, whose role is dedicated to assisting Riverside patients diagnosed with head and neck cancers. “Renea is someone that knows what you need and knows how to get it done,” Rich says. “This is such a powerful resource, and Renea gets a hug from everyone in my family every time we see her. She’s just amazing.”
After Rich’s glossectomy surgery, he received seven weeks of chemotherapy under the care of Medical Oncologist Magi Khalil, M.D., and 30 days of radiation therapy under the care of Radiation Oncologist Erik Stickney, M.D., both at the Riverside Middle Peninsula Cancer Center in Gloucester, a short drive from his home in Hayes. Along with his wife and their four children, Rich celebrated the completion of treatment in February 2024 with no further evidence of cancer.
Reflecting on the process, Rich describes three “H” stages. “First, you go through the ‘hell’ phase, and then a period of ‘healing’ and then there’s this victory celebration, the ‘hail’ piece, that we’re in right now,” he says. During the course of his treatment, Rich kept a sense of humor and positive attitude, which he believes are essential, and found it incredibly helpful to become armed with research, data and information related to his condition. Impressively, he also stayed busy by co-authoring a book on U.S. maritime strategy, Zero Point Four, recently featured during a congressional hearing.
After Rich’s curative treatments were complete, Dr. Correia performed a second surgery to adjust the size of Rich’s new tongue, which dramatically improved his speech. Therapy will continue to improve the functions of speech and swallowing, as well as the lymphedema caused by having more than 70 lymph nodes removed. Rich’s body is gradually regaining energy, and he is already back to work, taking meetings and calls and using what he refers to as his “new voice,” which sounds a little different than before.
Rich’s inspiring new voice talks a lot about grit, grace and gratitude — three things that got him through the past year. “Grit is putting a military mindset to it,” he says. “It’s about a mission, and you just have to buckle down and do it. You also have to give grace to yourself and the people around you, because there are moments when you just feel like giving up.
“And I have so much gratitude for my tribe. I couldn’t have made it without my wife. They say, ‘for better or worse,’ and you really don’t think you’ll ever get tested on the ‘worse,’ but man did she step up as a life partner. I’m fortunate that she could be an advocate and witness in key meetings about my care.” Rich is also incredibly thankful for the outpouring of love and support he received from fellow security professionals, friends and family through visits, meals, encouragement, humor and more.
Without a doubt, Rich considers his specialized care team at Riverside Health a crucial part of the tribe that helped him beat a serious type of cancer. “The relationship I had with these professionals was a type of camaraderie,” he says. “We had a common sense of mission and purpose. They weren’t just getting their jobs done — but done in a way that you feel like family. When you walk or drive in to a Riverside facility, you see signs that say, ‘We’re caring for you as we would for our own family,’ and I really felt that. It’s true.”
To learn more about Head and Neck Cancer click here.
To learn more about Head and Neck Cancer screening and other preventive screenings visit riversideonline.com/getscreened.
While swimming at Virginia Beach on the July 4th holiday in 2023, Rich noticed a sore on his tongue. Chalking it up to his stressful job and frequent occurrence of ulcers, he didn’t think much of it at first. But when it didn’t go away, he wisely took action and made an appointment with his dentist for evaluation. “You’ve got to be a strong advocate for yourself,” Rich says.
The dentist knew something wasn’t right and referred Rich to his primary care provider at Riverside Hayes Medical Center, Family Nurse Practitioner Megan Vocu, who then referred him to Camil Correia, M.D., with Riverside Ear, Nose and Throat Physicians and Surgeons in Newport News. That fall, a biopsy, followed by a series of PET and CT scans, led to the diagnosis of a rare and aggressive stage-three tongue cancer.
Dr. Correia, an award-winning, fellowship-trained head and neck cancer surgeon who specializes in advanced treatments specific to this type of cancer, recommended the surgical removal and reconstruction of two-thirds of Rich’s tongue, plus chemotherapy and radiation therapy. “The thought was that we’re ‘rare and aggressive’ too, so that’s the approach we took,” Rich says. “We hit it three ways. I tell people, ‘Don’t feel bad for me — feel bad for cancer.’”
To Rich, Dr. Correia is a hero, especially for spending 16 hours at the operating table with him. Not satisfied with the first round of surgical margin, she worked well into the middle of the night until she was sure that all cancer cells were removed. “God bless Dr. Correia,” Rich says. “I think the world of her, and the community thinks the world of her.”
Previously, Rich assumed that if cancer ever came his way, he’d need to travel to one of the country’s renowned cancer treatment centers. But when he received a local referral and researched the credentials and experience of Newport News native Dr. Correia — which include an undergraduate degree from Yale University; a medical degree, residency and medical ethics fellowship at the University of Chicago; and a head and neck oncological and reconstructive surgery fellowship at Northwestern University — he was easily convinced to seek care at home. “It was an absolute blessing that this was right in my own backyard,” Rich says.
Another invaluable source of support during Rich’s cancer battle has been Oncology Nurse Navigator Renea Acree, MBA, MSN, RN, whose role is dedicated to assisting Riverside patients diagnosed with head and neck cancers. “Renea is someone that knows what you need and knows how to get it done,” Rich says. “This is such a powerful resource, and Renea gets a hug from everyone in my family every time we see her. She’s just amazing.”
After Rich’s glossectomy surgery, he received seven weeks of chemotherapy under the care of Medical Oncologist Magi Khalil, M.D., and 30 days of radiation therapy under the care of Radiation Oncologist Erik Stickney, M.D., both at the Riverside Middle Peninsula Cancer Center in Gloucester, a short drive from his home in Hayes. Along with his wife and their four children, Rich celebrated the completion of treatment in February 2024 with no further evidence of cancer.
Reflecting on the process, Rich describes three “H” stages. “First, you go through the ‘hell’ phase, and then a period of ‘healing’ and then there’s this victory celebration, the ‘hail’ piece, that we’re in right now,” he says. During the course of his treatment, Rich kept a sense of humor and positive attitude, which he believes are essential, and found it incredibly helpful to become armed with research, data and information related to his condition. Impressively, he also stayed busy by co-authoring a book on U.S. maritime strategy, Zero Point Four, recently featured during a congressional hearing.
After Rich’s curative treatments were complete, Dr. Correia performed a second surgery to adjust the size of Rich’s new tongue, which dramatically improved his speech. Therapy will continue to improve the functions of speech and swallowing, as well as the lymphedema caused by having more than 70 lymph nodes removed. Rich’s body is gradually regaining energy, and he is already back to work, taking meetings and calls and using what he refers to as his “new voice,” which sounds a little different than before.
Rich’s inspiring new voice talks a lot about grit, grace and gratitude — three things that got him through the past year. “Grit is putting a military mindset to it,” he says. “It’s about a mission, and you just have to buckle down and do it. You also have to give grace to yourself and the people around you, because there are moments when you just feel like giving up.
“And I have so much gratitude for my tribe. I couldn’t have made it without my wife. They say, ‘for better or worse,’ and you really don’t think you’ll ever get tested on the ‘worse,’ but man did she step up as a life partner. I’m fortunate that she could be an advocate and witness in key meetings about my care.” Rich is also incredibly thankful for the outpouring of love and support he received from fellow security professionals, friends and family through visits, meals, encouragement, humor and more.
Without a doubt, Rich considers his specialized care team at Riverside Health a crucial part of the tribe that helped him beat a serious type of cancer. “The relationship I had with these professionals was a type of camaraderie,” he says. “We had a common sense of mission and purpose. They weren’t just getting their jobs done — but done in a way that you feel like family. When you walk or drive in to a Riverside facility, you see signs that say, ‘We’re caring for you as we would for our own family,’ and I really felt that. It’s true.”
To learn more about Head and Neck Cancer click here.
To learn more about Head and Neck Cancer screening and other preventive screenings visit riversideonline.com/getscreened.
