RINCON, Ga. — After weeks of grueling cancer treatment and a journey that tested his body, spirit and faith, Rincon Mayor Kevin Exley is headed back to his office at city hall and his full-time position as senior director over fleet services for the city of Savannah.
On Monday, Exley will be back in the offices, just days after ringing the bell at Lewis Cancer & Research Pavilion in Savannah — a tradition that marks the end of chemotherapy and radiation treatment.
“My doctor says I’m cancer-free,” Exley said. “Now I just have to monitor it over the next five years and make sure it doesn’t come back.”
Exley, 54, was diagnosed with head and neck cancer earlier this year after experiencing a persistent sore throat that lasted for two months. When antibiotics didn’t help, a CT scan revealed a mass at the back of his throat.
“It was shocking and overwhelming,” he said. “My first thoughts were about my wife and kids — are they going to be OK? Do I have enough life insurance? You go into protect mode.”
Within two weeks, Exley began treatment at the Lewis Pavilion. He turned to his faith immediately.
“I gave it up to God,” he said.
At least he thought he did.
He remembered a pivotal moment early in his journey, when an older nurse told him, “If you're still worried, you haven’t really turned it over to God. That’s when I stopped trying to do everything myself.”
A Battle in Three Phases
Exley began chemotherapy on May 29. After two weeks of intensive treatment, he was left exhausted and in pain.
“Very strong chemo,” he said. “When I was done I just stared into space. Very, very tough.”
Radiation followed — five days a week for seven weeks. The treatment severely burned the inside and outside of his neck. He went 27 days without swallowing or eating and eventually requested a feeding tube.
“My neck burned like the worst sunburn you can imagine,” Exley said. “It would just blister up and heal, blister up and heal.”
He said it was exhausting getting up every morning, driving the 15-20 miles to Savannah for treatment just “to get punched in the face.”
He lost 50 pounds and even the hair on the back of his neck and parts of his face.
“Silver lining was I didn’t have to shave,” he said.
Phase 1, he said, was finishing chemo. Phase 2 was completing radiation. He rang the bell to mark that milestone.
Now comes Phase 3 — managing nausea, thick mucus and a slow recovery of his strength. He’s still using a feeding tube, but grateful to be regaining energy.

Faith, Family and a Village of Support
Throughout his treatment, Exley kept working — determined not to neglect his mayoral and Savannah duties.
“I promised myself I was not going to disengage,” he said. “I called regularly into Savannah and talked with my administrative assistant and maintenance manager. As far as Rincon, I never missed a meeting. I attended both June city council meetings — I just had to double up my pants twice, but no one could tell.”
The emotional toll of treatment was heavy, but Exley says one conversation with a colleague helped lighten the burden.
Rincon Police Chief Jonathan Murrell offered support and perspective, especially after losing his own brother to cancer.
“He told me, ‘Don’t worry about nothing. Just get well,’” Exley said. “That meant the world to me.”
Exley said his recovery would not have been possible without the people who rallied around him. His wife, Kelli, and children — Brandon, 21; Julia, 18; Samantha, 17; Alice, 15; and LeAnna, 27 — were by his side every step of the way.
His daughter Samantha, who wants to be a doctor, helped care for his feeding tube.
“I’m the cook in the family, but I couldn’t cook,” he said. Friends and neighbors stepped in with a meal train to keep the family going.
He gave special recognition to Rincon Councilman Tim Milner and his wife Lisa, Mayor Pro Temp Mona Underwood, and neighbors Lynn and Tara Childress.
“But really, everybody poured out to help me,” he said.
Exley said the journey has changed and inspired him. He plans to start assembling care packages for cancer patients and delivering them to the oncology center.
His advice for others facing a diagnosis or caring for someone who is: “Allow people to help. You can’t do it yourself. Give it up to God. Talk with people who’ve been through it. It’s inspirational. And you learn tips that doctors don’t always tell you.”
Though the scars — physical and emotional — remain, Exley is grateful to be back.
“I’m stronger every day,” he said. “I’m just thankful.”
As he looks ahead, he does so with renewed faith, a deeper appreciation for community and a heart full of gratitude.
On the day he rang the bell, Tara Childress sent him a Christian song for inspiration — “I Looked Up” by Sons of Sunday. Exley sat outside and listened quietly, letting the music wash over him.
It was a moment of stillness, reflection and emotion — the kind that marks not just the end of something hard, but the beginning of something new.
And in that moment, after months of pain, prayer and perseverance, Exley didn’t need words to know: he had never walked alone.