After years of enduring relentless waves of cancer challenges, mostly in private, I’ve decided to document my journey through photos, videos, and writing to share my story and connect with others amidst the chaos. I am doing this to help process what has happened, to compel myself to record the seemingly endless twists and turns, including life and death decisions, and, if I am fortunate, to inspire a few people to reconnect with their forgotten animal selves through movement and exercise🏃

• 2018-2019: Experienced concerning symptoms, including slight pain when urinating, dark stool, and subtle pain in the lower right abdomen.
• 2019: Intermittent pain while urinating continued.
• 2020: At age 48, requested a colonoscopy but was denied due to age. A year later, screening guidelines changed to age 45.
• March 2021: Severe abdominal pain led to an ER visit during COVID-19. A CT scan revealed a tumor in my colon and inflammation in the bladder wall.
• March 2021: Colonoscopy results were negative for colon cancer.
• April 1, 2021: Underwent a right hemicolectomy to remove the tumor.
• April 8, 2021: Pathology confirmed the tumor was colorectal cancer. A second surgery was performed to remove margins from the large and small intestines.
• April 2021: Told my children about the cancer diagnosis—one of the hardest moments of my life.
• May 20, 2021: Six weeks post-surgery, I hiked with my son in the Adirondack Mountains.
• May 2021: Reported level-10 pain while urinating. My concerns were initially dismissed as stress.
• May 2021: A urine cytology test suggested high-grade urothelial cancer.
• May-June 2021: Diagnosed with high-grade urothelial carcinoma (cancer in situ) after two cystoscopies. Began considering adjuvant chemotherapy for colorectal cancer (Stage II, T3).
• May-June 2021: Underwent three TURBT procedures to scrape bladder cancer.
• June 2021: Switched care from Kaiser Permanente to Johns Hopkins University after doubts about treatment quality.
• July-August 2021: Started BCG immunotherapy for bladder cancer but saw no improvement.
• September-November 2021: Began Gem-Doce chemotherapy for bladder cancer. A treatment scheduling error reduced confidence in my care team.
• September-December 2021: Concurrently received Oxaliplatin (IV) and Xeloda (oral) for colorectal cancer, alongside Gem-Doce treatment.
• January 2022: Gem-Doce was unsuccessful in treating bladder cancer.
• March 2022: Switched bladder cancer care to a new urologist.
• May 18, 2022: Underwent a radical cystectomy, replacing the bladder with a neobladder made from small intestines. Post-surgery complications included severe scrotal swelling.
• June 2022: Foley catheter removed; experienced recurrent (X4) sepsis, requiring ER visits and intensive care.
• July-September 2022: Continued physical activities, such as jogging and kayaking, while using a Foley catheter.
• September 2022: Received corrective surgery to address neobladder complications.
• March 2024: Urine cytology showed atypical cells.
• November 2024: Urine cytology came back as positive for adenocarcinoma or colorectal origin. This translates to metastasized colon cancer.
• November 2024: I run my the Philadelphia Marathon @ 4:18.
• December 2024: Surprise! The metastasized colon cancer was a mistake from pathology, but it appears that I now have recurrent bladder cancer, potentially in the upper tract ureter(s) and kidney(s).
• January 2025: JHU tumor board meets, waiting for results and guidance on my case.
• February 2025: I run the Rocky Racoon 50 Miler in Huntsville Texas.
• February 2025: Offered immunotherapy by JHU oncologist although later that option is withdrawn by a higher ranking onc. I am pissed. Everyone acknowledges cancer recurrence but becasue they cannot get eyes on it they are refusing to treat.
• April 2025: Met w/ Georgetown Lombardi Cancer Institute Team, they’re recommendation is a double nephrectomy. Oddly JHU tumor board recommends a wait and see approach. My main concern continues to be progression.
• March 2025: @ JHU surgery, Antegrade ureteroscopy w/ possible tumor biopsy/ablation. Surprise nephrology tubes are installed and I am not happy. Now I have to run an ultramarathon with tubes hanging out of me. Life continues to be brutal, deep down part of me is enjoying this.
• May 2025: I run the Highball to Thurmond 50k ultramarathon with the nephrology tubes coming from my kidneys and hanging out my back.
• June 2025: @ JHU surgery, cystourethroscopy, using holmium laser, w/ ureteroscopy.
• July 2025: Memorial Sloan Kettering surgery scheduled. MSK suspects lower tract involvement. Likely transferring care from JHU to MSK due to JHU conservative approach and perhaps fundamental misunderstanding of my disease.
• August 2025: Memorial Sloan Kettering surgeries, Cystoscopy, With Retrograde Pyelogram And Ureteroscopy (Bilateral) & Biopsy, Prostate, Stereotactic.
• August 2025: Finally received positive biopsy results, which revealed that I have cancer present in the ureters, renal pelvis, and prostatic urethra – unlocking therapeutic action.
• September 2025: I begin treatment with Padcev and Keytruda, a combination of targeted chemotherapy therapy and immunotherapy – that brings both uncertainty and hope.