Anthony sits patiently at the Cancer Care Centre waiting to get labs drawn. It’s his fifth cycle of chemotherapy for his stage 3 colon cancer diagnosis. Sadly, Anthony is used to waiting patiently. Once Anthony first noticed symptoms, four months passed before he was referred to KCMC for further investigation. Starting at a local district hospital, he was told nothing was abnormal, and was treated for an amoeba for two weeks. From there, Anthony went to two other hospitals, only to be told nothing was wrong. Despite this, Anthony knew that his symptoms were abnormal, so he came to KCMC for a more thorough investigation. At KCMC, a colonoscopy was done, which showed a tumor in the large intestine. A biopsy was taken, and after more waiting, and further imaging, the final evaluation revealed stage 3 colon cancer.
It took a month for Anthony to fully accept the diagnosis. However, after many discussions with the oncology doctors and his wife, he decided to proceed with the recommended treatment.
Anthony consistently shows up to the clinic every two weeks to receive another cycle of chemotherapy. He has twelve cycles to complete, and is currently on cycle five. His treatment plan involves a chemotherapy that runs over 24 hours, which means he must stay overnight at KCMC. Despite the intense chemotherapy schedule, he continues to remain positive and is grateful for the care he has been given at the Cancer Care Centre.
He continues to respond well to the chemotherapy – Anthony’s family and friends don’t even see him as being “sick” because he looks so good! He has been fortunate to have support from his family during his treatment, and has even made some dietary lifestyle changes.
Five months into his treatment, he continues to wait patiently for blood tests, clinic appointments and chemotherapies to finish. And of course, Anthony waits and hopes for a clean bill of health at the end of this long, difficult journey.
