A North Carolina man is celebrating successful cancer surgery in an unusual way: by seeking world record status for the tumor doctors removed from his abdomen.

The News & Observer of Raleigh reported that Eugene Tyner of Pikeville has applied to the Guinness Book of World Records for the status of heaviest cancerous kidney ever removed. In a four-hour surgery, doctors removed the kidney, which had grown to the size of a cantaloupe because of a huge malignant tumor. At 332 grams (about 11 ounce; 16 oz. = 1 lb.), the tumor weighed more than twice the normal weight of a kidney.

The 31-year-old former prison guard said he's pursuing the record to solidify his victory over the cancer that nearly killed him.

Sources: News & Observer, and Daily Telegraph http:// www.newsobserver.com and http:// www.dailytelegraph.com.au

Overcoming life's obstacles is always a reason to celebrate. If you know anyone who's survived cancer you can understand how sweet the victory can be.

Here at the office we have a salesman who survived multiple myeloma, a type of blood cell cancer, and I'm happy to report he's doing great. We threw a celebratory lunch for him when he returned to work, and part of his personal affirmation of victory was to run in an annual charity marathon that raises money for cancer research.

Mr. Tyner has every reason to want to affirm defeating what could have been a fatal illness and having the cancerous kidney removed. Furthermore, I believe his pursuit of a world record is completely justifiable.

The largest tumor removed currently on record was performed in Argentina this past August, at a hospital near Buenos Aires. The 56pound growth was removed from a 54-year-old woman's womb during a four-hour operation. That's the typical weight of a 4-year-old child!

Even though Mr. Tyner's cancerous kidney may pale in comparison, his victory is still huge. It's the personal triumph that he shares with his friends, family, and co-workers that's better than the status that any world record could ever provide.

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