colorectal cancer: cancer 'is a complicated disease that chooses its victims at random'

when this b.c. man found out he had colorectal cancer at 77, the possibility of dying never crossed his mind because he believed the early diagnosis gave him an advantage.

by maja begovic

published may 05, 2022

last updated feb 19, 2023

5 minute read

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5 minute read

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just in time: cancer 'is a complicated disease that chooses its victims at random'

the right mindset can help a person going through the experience stay mentally strong, but sometimes, the cancer wins despite the affirmations. getty

forty-five years ago, “william” (we have changed his name due to his request for privacy) moved to canada from the united kingdom, and he spent his career in the aerospace industry in british columbia. a few months prior to the start of the pandemic, he was diagnosed with colorectal cancer, a disease that affects more than 26,000 canadians annually. men appear to be slightly more at risk for colon cancer, but family history, smoking, obesity, heavy alcohol consumption and having polyps all appear to increase the disease odds. the canadian cancer society recommends that people over 50 get screened for colon cancer every two years – a fecal occult blood test is a non-invasive stool sample test that can catch the cancer before it becomes symptomatic. while patient experience may vary, the five-year survival rate for localized colon cancer appears to hover around 90 per cent, but drops to 70 per cent if it has spread regionally, and to 14 per cent if the cancer has reached other distant parts of the body, including the brain. the earlier the cancer is found, the better the outcome for the patient.

william didn’t have any risk factors for the disease, and he never experienced any symptoms. the cancer was caught early, but the diagnosis came out of left field. being involved in many sports, such as hockey, soccer, and rugby, as a life-long athlete with unwavering mental toughness, william fearlessly took on the cancer. this is his story.

this story has been edited for length and clarity.

i was rather phlegmatic about my cancer diagnosis. admittedly, it came as a surprise, but it didn’t render one of those out-of-body experiences that you often hear about. perhaps my english roots fuelled my stoic attitude or maybe it was an athlete’s mindset that led me to the perspective that cancer was nothing more than an opponent that i knew i could tackle.

i learned that i had cancer soon after a colonoscopy, in the fall of 2019. my long-time family physician reached out and shared the news with me as soon as she received the results, and later we had a lengthy discussion about what to expect and what treatment would look like.

the results of a routine blood test i had done for something unrelated to cancer must have raised concerns for my family doctor and it might have led her to request additional testing — a stool sample and a colonoscopy, which was done at lion’s gate hospital in north vancouver. when the results came back, i was referred to several specialists, including a surgeon who would later operate on me. i felt relieved that the cancer was in its early stages, and that chemo — the standard line of treatment for colon cancer — was likely not required. this was fortunate, as i didn’t have to think about how my body would react or whether the side effects of such treatment would sideline me or hinder my progress and daily activities.

up until the colon cancer diagnosis, i was perfectly healthy. i had been involved in sport from an early age, and i continued to exercise and stay active long after my playing days were over. the people around me were certainly concerned for me and about my diagnosis, and perhaps some of them were perplexed by my ability to carry on with life. in a way, i was indifferent to it — not because i had made peace or surrendered to it, but because i knew that cancer could be beaten.

don’t get me wrong — cancer is not something that anybody earns or deserves, and i’m certainly not implying that it can be swiftly solved with a stoic or positive attitude. the right mindset can help a person going through the experience stay mentally strong, but sometimes, the cancer wins despite the affirmations. it’s a complicated disease that chooses its victims at random, and it can be both cruel and untimely. at 77, i didn’t want to have cancer, but when i learned that i did, my life never flashed before my eyes, and i never thought about whether i would die from it. i reckoned that because the cancer was caught early, i had advantage over it.

all i really wanted was bacon and eggs

my operation went very well, and because it was minimally invasive, on the second and third day after surgery, i was up walking around the ward, and i was discharged from the hospital on the following day. the doctors put me on a special diet while in the hospital, but all i really wanted was to eat a plate of bacon and eggs. to my relief, i was able to resume my old eating habits not long after returning home.

exercise and fitness have always been my priority, and even as a child, i played every sport you could imagine. i believe that my lifestyle and positive attitude played a role in my successful outcome, but i am also very grateful to my family doctor and the medical team at lion’s gate hospital who looked after me. there are relentless demands on medical professionals today and a great deal of effort is required so that patients like me don’t ever feel the extent of that burden. i appreciate all the effort that was made for me.

i am often asked whether cancer was some sort of a catalyst for change in my life, and i must admit that while it didn’t affect my lifestyle or my attitude, it did change my outlook. i don’t put off anything anymore. whatever it is that i want to do it, i find a way to make it happen, and i’ll happily share that advice with others. from here on, i plan to enjoy each and every day, be thankful for what i have, and yes, continue to be active.

in life, timing is everything. looking back on my experience with colon cancer, i realize that the diagnosis, surgery, and treatment happened rather quickly for me. we often hear of the problematic red tape or the long delays that some patients encounter, but fortunately, that was not my experience. i am thankful to the extraordinary team of doctors who acted quickly and gave me my future back.

maja begovic is a toronto-based writer.

for more information about colorectal cancer and to connect with others, visit colorectal cancer canada, the colorectal cancer resource & action network and the canadian cancer survivor network.

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