It's simple, in Jan. of 2004 at the age of 43 I was diagnosed with Stage III Colorectal cancer. I was given a 60% chance of surviving past 5 years, a 100% chance of having to undergo major surgery that would probably result in a permanent colostomy, loss of bowel control and possible impotence among other things. To say the least, I was shocked and in a state of disbelief.

Four months previous we had moved into a brand new big beautiful house (with a big payment to match) and more importantly we had added sister for my son at about the same time. Here I was with a fabulous and wonderful wife, a great eight year old son and now a new baby daughter. All I could think of was them, what would happen to my precious family? I couldn't have cancer, I didn't have time!

A cancer diagnosis at such a young age left me with a feeling of loss of control of my future. At first I was shocked, then I became angry, then I decided to take back control of my future. From that point forward I learned everything possible about the disease, the traditional methods of treatment as well as the alternative treatments. I took into account both western and eastern medicine practices, and any number of inspirational stories of others struggles and their methods of fighting the disease.

I learned that to have the best chance for the best possible outcome, I had to align myself with the best doctors, the best facilities, the latest treatments and the most noted spiritual leaders and philosophers. In short I would have to prepare like the Samurai Warriors of old. Complete physical and mental preparation for the battle ahead. Those who embrace the preparation have the best chance for success in the upcoming battle. Those who fight with honor and dignity win the respect of their opponent, and tilt the battle in their favor. In short I had to become a "Cancer Warrior".

My first preparation was to change my mind and thought patterns. I had to learn to believe in the power of meditation, prayer and our unique ability to manifest that which we focus on. This is not some new age hocus pocus, it is centuries of learning shared by spiritual leaders of all faiths and persuasions waiting for all of us to become enlightened to the possibilities it affords us. I used a daily ritual of morning and evening meditation/prayer (and still do to this day) as the bedrock of my learning and preparation. It was the first part of and the most essential part of my education and life changing process.

Because of my medical diagnosis, I could not believe the cold hard facts of medical past experience with my condition. To do so would have been to give up control over to the outcome which I was not willing to do. I had to believe in my ability to manifest the outcome I desired, no cancer, no surgery, no nothing but a healthy restoration to my previous state pre-cancer.

As I began stage two of the learning process, I tried to align myself with the best possible facilities and surgeons available to give myself the best chance medically to do well if the surgery became necessary. (While I was beginning to believe I could control some of the outcomes spiritually, I knew I had to cover all the possible eventualities) The setup of western medicine practices is unique to say the least. While I believe we have the best medical system in the world, learning to navigate it successfully to get the best care is difficult and daunting.

I was referred to the first surgeon for my condition by the diagnosing physician. He was a Gastroenterologist that I was referred to by my family physician. Since most of us don't have a guy for surgery (for instance I've got great fence guy, a great yard guy, a great painter in my rolodex, but no colorectal surgeon!) I took his recommendation and scheduled a visit. The surgeon said it did not look as bad to him as first diagnosed and that he felt he could remove the whole tumor transanally (through the anal opening, to much information I know!) without major surgery.

What a relief this was to me! I could not believe my good luck and fortune. All of the sudden I was not facing major surgery or the prospect of all I previously mentioned as effects of the surgery! Not only that, if tests showed it had not spread, my surgeon thought I might be able avoid any radiation or chemotherapy! I was on top of the world and feeling great!

We scheduled the surgery as soon as possible and I proceeded to tell anyone that would listen that it looked like everything would be fine, just a little outpatient procedure and my nightmare would soon be over. How lucky was I! I felt so fortunate to have such a fine surgeon that could take care of this so efficient and spare me the horror stories of chemo, radiation and major life altering surgery.

The morning of the procedure was routine, everyone in high spirits and I had my beautiful wife, my sister and father (who are both cancer survivors) with me for support. The procedure was only to last about forty minutes. After about two hours my family began to wonder what the hold up was. My sister and father, both who have had extensive experience with hospitals and surgeries felt something must be amiss but did not want to pass on their concerns to my wife. When I finally came out of recovery and we set down with the surgeon for a post procedure discussion, he dropped a bombshell! It was like being hit with a left hook from a prime of his life Joe Frazier! Not only was he unable to remove the whole tumor during the procedure, he discovered that it had nearly penetrated the colon wall and feared it may have spread to other organs. I was shocked, speechless and had no reply. Still loopy from the Anesthesiology, I barely got out any questions about where to go from here. I could not believe that his pre-surgery optimism and assessment could be so wrong? How could he have missed this and furthermore led me down a path of hope that left me so crushed now?

After a little recovery time I realized where the flaws in the system were. With no idea how to choose a colorectal surgeon, I had relied on the only doctors I really ever had any contact with, my family physician and his referred gastroenterologist. I now had to re-think my surgeons skill level and competency. I knew I had to find a real expert, a doctor's doctor, someone who a physician in dire circumstances would trust with their own body.  I began polling everyone I knew asking for referrals to quality doctors they had come in contact with. Most of the people I asked were gracious enough to call their own doctors and ask for referrals to the best they knew.

My father spoke to his bladder cancer doctor in Atlanta, GA (my home town) and received a very personal and glowing recommendation for me to a highly skilled and respected surgeon whom his doctor described as the only surgeon he would allow to operate in on him if he needed surgery in this specialty area.

The next day my sister in law in Houston, TX 850 miles away had a client who was a physician tell her that he knew of one of the best surgeons in that specialty located in Atlanta. Turned out to be the same surgeon! Talk about synchronicity! I was beginning to feel fate was intervening and helping with the decision process. (never ignore life's way of trying to tell you something, listen carefully to what may seem to be random occurrences!) I scheduled a consultation with Dr. Jay Singh in his Piedmont Hospital office that day.

From the moment my wife and I set down to talk with Dr. Singh, I knew he was the competent professional I needed. My wife and I had decided before the appt. to wait and make a decision after we had talked together about it. We were gun shy from the previous experience and quite frankly I don't think I could handle another letdown of the previous proportions!

During the course of our meeting with Dr. Singh, I knew I wanted this man to be my surgeon. After our discussion he asked would we like him to handle my case and I blurted out yes. I was a bit concerned about what my wife would say when we left. As we walked down the hallway leaving his office I was apologizing profusely for not talking about it first with her but she stopped me and said she knew he was right and was glad I had asked him to work with us.

The treatment plan outlined by Dr. Singh was scary and the possibility of all the risk factors were still there. He felt that I should undergo pre-surgical radiation and chemotherapy in the hopes that it would shrink the tumor and maybe give him a 20% chance of being able to save some function and prevent a lifetime colostomy. The odds were not good, but at the time he felt it was our best possible chance.

Dr. Singh exhibited total professional competence. He was straightforward, explained everything in detail all the while with an air of expertise and  a comforting compassionate manor that made me okay with the challenge. I will forever be indebted to one of the world's truly exceptional practitioner's of medicine for helping give me the courage and determination needed to fight the battle. Make no mistake about it, when you have cancer you are in a battle for your very life and way of existence. You better have the best troops possible to fight with. 

I began a six week period of simultaneous radiation and chemotherapy designed to shrink the tumor. I went for radiation treatments Mon- Fri and carried a battery operated pump with me at all times that continuously kept the chemo in my blood stream. It wasn't exactly fun, the side effects sucked, but you do what you have to do to win. Period. No whining, no quitting you just do it.

At the same time I began intense spiritual and physical focus to fight the disease with every weapon available. Meditation, visualization, prayer, exercise and diet all became part of my armament. I was ready for the fight and quite frankly I began to relish the opportunity cancer had afforded me to grow personally. I was ready to kick some cancer butt!

After completing the six weeks of treatment and taking two weeks off, Dr. Singh wanted to do a review of the tumor with a scope to plan how he would do the surgery and to see what effect if any the radiation and chemotherapy had had on the tumor. The procedure is similar to a colonoscopy where both the doctor and the patient can see the tumor area.

Needless to say there was some apprehension on my part, I had worked hard, done all that I could think of and now was the moment of truth. No one including me could have anticipated what the eventual outcome would be. At no time in any of our discussions had the possibility of avoiding major surgery ever even come up. It was happening whether I wanted it or not. There was no choice, the cancer would kill me eventually if I did not get rid it. All we were hoping for was that the pre-adjuvant treatment would shrink the tumor enough to allow Dr. Singh to restore full bodily function with time. If not, I would wear a colostomy bag for the rest of my life. Not unbearable considering how much my family needed me as the sole supporter, but at 43 I was not pleased with the thought.

As Dr. Singh began the procedure it is hard to describe my state of mind. I was surely apprehensive, hopeful but filled with determination to fight on no matter what the outcome. This bit of edginess had become part of my cancer warrior persona and was helpful in dealing with anything that might come up.

When we arrived at the tumor location with the scope, I did not see anything. This was not surprising because on a previous scope procedure I could not really see the tumor anyway. The doctor had to show where it was and what if looked like. For a few moments Dr. Singh was quiet while he moved the scope around trying to get a better view. I figured he was doing his planning for surgery and I keep quiet. Suddenly he said to his nurse, there is nothing there, it's gone! I was sedated and it took some time for that to register. I blurted out what? What do you mean it's gone? Dr. Singh chuckled and said exactly that, it's not there! He saw some scar tissue from the previous attempted surgery but no tumor!

This was so unexpected, I was overwhelmed! With the help of God, my wonderful doctors, my family and a whole lot of attempting to manifest my own destiny I had succeeded! A further PET Scan showed no cancer anywhere in my body. It was gone! It was so amazing. Dr. Singh contacted colleagues everywhere to see if anyone had the same response just from radiation and chemo on a Stage III colorectal cancer patient. Only two other people in the last 10 years that he could find had had such an overwhelming complete response to treatment. Needless to say, we cancelled the surgery!

Today nearly twenty month's removed from the first diagnosis I remain cancer free and each day is milestone for me. I can never look at life the same. Like they say at LAF, "cancer may leave your body, but it never leaves your mind"  Life is good, I'm taking control and working to become the best possible person I can be and to honor my "obligation of the cured". I want to use my experience to help others deal with their own challenges. My involvement with the Lance Armstrong Foundation has become my vehicle to give back and hopefully bring hope to others. Please consider donating to this fantastic foundation on my behalf at the link provided below. Remember, the money you donate may help the 1 in 3 Americans who will diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime. It may very well be someone close to you!

Click Above to Donate Now!!!