MountainView Hospital amplifies survivor’s voice to promote early detection amid growing risk for younger patients
In recognition of Colon Cancer Awareness Month, MountainView Hospital is sharing the powerful story of a 47-year-old Amargosa Valley man who was diagnosed with Stage 4 Colon Cancer. John Gadbois says by the time he knew something was wrong, the cancer had spread to his liver. He says he’s lucky to be alive and credits Dr. Garrett Friedman, a colorectal surgeon with Las Vegas Surgical Specialists at MountainView Hospital.
Dr. Friedman says it’s quite common for people to be relatively asymptomatic when they’re diagnosed because colon cancer sometimes is referred to as the silent disease in the sense that by the time colon cancer is bothering you, it’s very late in the game.
That’s why it’s so important to get screened starting at age 45 even if you have no symptoms. The symptoms often are abdominal pain, rectal bleeding; especially the painless rectal bleeding that’s unexplained. Other symptoms include bloating and vomiting, especially when it lasts for a long period of time.
Transcribed video:
:00 JOHN: The team here at MountainView pretty much saved my life. I had just had my 47th birthday and I just literally, I woke up one morning and felt horrible. I had pretty violent hiccups, pretty severe indigestion, wasn’t really able to keep food down, very weak. About four months later, I simply, I just collapsed the work one day. It was obvious something was very wrong with me.
00:29 JOHN: And at the hospital, they did a CT scan, and they found a 8-centimeter tumor in the sigmoid of my colon. And unfortunately, it had spread to my liver. DR FRIEDMAN I remember very clearly telling John about his stage 4 colon cancer diagnosis, and he was clearly shocked. And I think in that moment, you think a million different thoughts. JOHN: The very first thing I thought was like in the video game when it flashes, game over, on the screen, that’s what flashed into my head.
1:05 DR. FRIEDMAN: When John was admitted to the hospital, he wasn’t doing very well. He had a cancer in his colon that had invaded his bladder. It was causing an intestinal blockage and also spread to his liver. But also we provide that message of hope and that message comes in the form of this is a treatable thing even when it’s stage four and we have a process and we’re going to walk you through this process and this plan step by step and that helps to relieve some of those concerns, and that way they can walk the path with you. It’s life-changing for everyone around you. It’s not just the patient who gets diagnosed with colon cancer, it’s the patient’s entire family, it’s their support system, it’s everyone that loves and cares about that person. We want you to be fully recovered, back to your life as much as possible.
01:45 JOHN: I’m grateful for every day when I’m not in pain. The first thing I do in the morning, I thank God for giving me one more day on planet Earth. I’m very grateful that I can still be a dad and a husband. I’m very grateful for the care that I received here at Mountain View Hospital. I don’t think I would be here today if it weren’t for my care team.
About MountainView Hospital:
MountainView Hospital is a state-of-the-art, full-service medical facility located in the heart of northwest Las Vegas. With a dedicated and talented staff of employees and outstanding physicians, MountainView Hospital is recognized for high patient satisfaction and for providing quality and compassionate care to our community since 1996. MountainView features nationally recognized programs including a top cardiovascular and thoracic center and integrated cardiology clinic, and the renowned Las Vegas Institute for Robotic Surgery. MountainView is the only hospital in Nevada to offer bone marrow transplants. The Sunrise Health Medical Education Consortium, based at MountainView, trains the next generation of physicians and surgeons for our community.
MountainView is a member of the respected Sunrise Health System consisting of Sunrise Hospital, Sunrise Children’s Hospital, Southern Hills Hospital and several surgery, diagnostic imaging, urgent care centers and three freestanding hospital based emergency rooms, offering a complete range of specialized and technologically advanced services.
MountainView Hospital
3100 N. Tenaya Way, Las Vegas, NV 89128
