My Latest Adventure; Two years later

The Lewis County Herald - 8-13-24

At this time two short years ago, I hadn’t thought about chronicling the experience of being diagnosed with cancer and our first-hand accounts of the treatments and the road to recovery afterwards.

Tammy and I were awaiting the results following a colonoscopy my doctor had ordered following an inconclusive non-invasive test.

That test was included in a thorough wellness check-up to make sure I was current on all my shots and immunizations and that there were no health issues as I approached my 60th birthday.

The doctor who performed the colonoscopy had told us he encountered a “mass” from which he acquired a sample that would be sent for testing.

The follow-up where we would learn the results of that testing was scheduled on my birthday.

It was on my birthday we learned the mass was an adenocarcinoma. The doctor suggested we waste no time in scheduling some further testing and a visit with a surgeon.

With the testing soon completed, we traveled to Lexington and met with the surgeon. He gave us the best and worst scenarios and, even after reviewing all the test results, said there were details he wouldn’t know until the procedure to remove at least a portion of my colon was underway.

We gave him the authorization to do whatever he believed was necessary.

He took a small notepad from his pocket and gave us the earliest availability for the surgery to be scheduled. It would be September 27.

I had thought about journaling the process we were about to go through to share with readers of The Herald.

Dave Taylor, a friend with whom I had served on the board of the Kentucky Press Association, died three weeks before my surgery was scheduled.

Dave was a journalist with the Hancock Clarion in Hawesville and was diagnosed in May 2021 with Stage 4 esophageal cancer that had spread.

He continued to attend KPA meetings, between his treatments, and we generally sat near one another.

Dave wrote regularly about the journey following his diagnosis and placed the bar high for journalists with cancer.

He said he had received many positive comments on the series and had been told by more than one of the readers that his story prompted them to be more vigilant in protecting their health.

Dave’s series of columns during his battle with cancer was recently published in book form. “What I Learned from Dying” is available at Amazon.com.

Tammy and I discussed the idea and the decision was made for me to share my story as it unfolded. We didn’t know what direction it would take or how many chapters there might be.

I am truly blessed to still be writing about this journey two years later.

Briefly recapping the significant events . . .

The surgeon determined during the operation the best course of action would be to remove my entire colon and give me a short-term ileostomy.

Several days later he called with the post-surgery test results.

“The lymph nodes were negative. All 23 lymph nodes were negative so it was a Stage 2 cancer and we’ve achieved clear margins,” he said.

I was referred to an oncologist and, after some testing, it was determined that chemotherapy would not be recommended as part of my treatment.

Nearly five months after the surgery (on Valentine’s Day of 2023), we went back so the surgeon could reverse the ileostomy.

It was during that surgery he discovered an unexpected mass “the size of a mango.” He went out to where Tammy and the support team gathered in the waiting area to inform them of the discovery and that the procedure would take longer than initially planned.

I learned later from his notes that he was initially concerned the mass was cancerous and the original cancer had spread. It was later determined to be scar tissue from the initial surgery.

Since then, I’ve had several follow-up visits with my various doctors and have worked to spread awareness about the importance of screening for colon cancer and that, if diagnosed early, colon cancer is not a death sentence.

My cancer was discovered through a screening not prompted by any symptoms or family history. I had neither.

The screening was performed because it is recommended for people my age (and younger). It wasn’t my first screening. It was my first screening that indicated further testing.

I also have no doubt that prayers have been answered. We are truly blessed.

There are no words to describe how thankful and blessed we are. The support from our family, church family, friends, coworkers, and the community has been tremendous.

We frequently hear from those who have followed along on this journey. The positive comments reaffirm our decision to share the details of our experiences.

I am often asked to serve on boards and committees. I received a request last week to serve as a patient advocate on the board of a proposed project to elevate cancer care for Kentuckians.

If grant funding is approved by the National Cancer Institute, the multi-year project will be led by Markey Cancer Center Director Dr. B. Mark Evers. The project will focus on disparities in lung, colorectal, and head and neck cancers among our Appalachian citizens.

With Tammy’s blessing, I readily accepted the invitation as a cancer survivor.

There are some challenges to living without a colon, and I’m still making adjustments.

A follow-up CT scan is planned soon. The results will be compared with a baseline scan taken earlier to see if there are any notable developments.

Statistics show that after a first colon cancer, 80 percent of recurrences happen in the first two to three years.

I’ll wrap up this update with the advice to take advantage of health screenings. I have no doubt that by the time I realized I was having symptoms, the cancer would have spread beyond my colon and my prognosis would have been much different.

Visit cancer.org/getscreened for cancer screening FAQs, including information about how to schedule a screening test, how to afford screening with or without insurance, and more.

If you missed any previous installments, and would like to catch up, you can find them all at www.denniskbrown.com.