Jim Zervanos, a teacher and writer from Bala Cynwyd, had only recently become a father when he found himself facing a medical emergency, writes Brian Taff and Heather Grubola for 6ABC.

Just one hour after taking a selfie with his 1-year-old son on August 16, 2011, he ended up in the emergency department.

“All of a sudden my head and neck started to swell up with backed-up blood flow,” he said.

An x-ray showed that one of his veins had narrowed slowing down blood flow. The doctors weren’t sure what was causing it but said doing a biopsy could be fatal.

The condition itself was also life-threatening so Zervanos prepared himself to say goodbye to his family.

Just when he thought all hope was lost though, Dr. Albert Pochettino said he could remove the affected vein and replace it with a graft.

“I said, ‘So there’s hope.’ I couldn’t imagine it. And he said, ‘There’s always hope,” Zervanos recalled.

While the surgery was a success, Dr. Pochettino discovered a lymphoma tumor was causing the narrowing of the vein.

Zervanos underwent successful chemotherapy treatment and now 10 years later, he has written a book about his cancer journey.

In “That Time I Got Cancer: A Love Story,” he celebrates not only the love of family and friends through his harrowing experience but also the amazing relationships he had with his doctors. And most importantly it is a story about the power of hope.

Read more about Zervanos’ life-changing experience at 6ABC.

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Listen to Jim Zervanos discuss his memoir.