Quick recap. In the Fall of 2022, Why You Do It, Part 2, I re-introduced you to the amazing background of Adam Keys, a Veteran wounded in Afghanistan, and Jessica Buchanan, an aid worker kidnapped in Somalia. Telling their stories of tragedy turning into a life of giving back. Then my own family’s tragedy of losing Dominic Bridgeman to cancer and his selfless act of creating the concept of Do It For Dom, Focus Foundation while in the hospital fighting for his life. His mission to raise awareness for early detection of cancer and raise funds for research in an effort that no other family has to endure what we have.
So, after losing my son, I made a promise to myself to get on top of my health. I take better care of my body by working out more, trying to eat better, and getting those medical things done, like yearly physicals and all those preventive testing and procedures. While in my yearly physical, I joked with my doctor, you can get off my ass now, I scheduled the coloscopy, and I am only 2 years behind. He then informed me that they changed that protocol to 45, so I was 7 years behind. Fast forward to the procedure, everyone always says that the preparation is worse than the procedure. After all, you get a great nap. I wake up and ask why the room is moving, and I am told that there are complications and we are on the way to the hospital. I came to again in ICU with a bag of blood, lucky to not have bled out. Apparently, they found a large polyp, removed it as part of the standard procedure, and sent it out for testing. My luck has it; there was a blood vessel going through it, and as you can imagine, once it was cut, the drama started. After a couple of days in the hospital, I was just happy to be alive. Then, the wait for the results and the worrying start all over again.
I will never forget the call from my GI doctor. He starts with great news, it’s not cancer, and it wasn’t even at the pre-cancer stage yet. Then he goes on to say, “I can’t tell you for a medical certainty that it would have turned into cancer, then he says, I’m sure it would have been cancer in not so far future.” That kind of news rocks you for sure, but I still feel extremely lucky that it all worked out. Fast forward again, working out, and I just feel like I can’t get in shape. After another GI appointment and more tests, I found out I had H-pylori. This infection can eventually cause stomach cancer. On to antibiotics, another colonoscopy, and a bonus endoscopy just to be sure nothing else is wrong.
I tell you this not to scare you from getting these tests done, but not to put these off. Remember, I was 52 when I started getting all this into perspective. I was 7 years late on one test and hadn’t had a physical in who knows how long. Remember what the GI doctor told me? This would have been cancer, and then we would be having a different conversation. If Dominic was here today, he would tell you he ignored symptoms and put things off. We live in a country with arguably the best medical care in the world. Don’t use the usual excuses, I don’t have time, I can’t afford it, it won’t happen to me, and the list goes on. This is a very short life; get the most out of it, and if you don’t take care of yourself for you, do it for your family and friends.
Dominic’s dream “Dad, I know what I want to do with my life when I beat this thing and get out of the hospital. I want to find a way to help others and their families going through this. Get rid of some of the stigmas that come along with certain cancers and medical conditions. Encourage people to get early and often checkups and be a motivation to those going through this journey.” We will be holding our 3rd Annual Music Festival on July 14th to do our part, to help reach Dom’s dream. There have been a lot of advancements in the treatment of cancer, but it will take more. This year’s recipients will be Cancer Support Community Greater Lehigh Valley & American Cancer Society. Please come out and enjoy a day of music, awareness and raising funds for research. If you can’t make it, please consider donating at doitfordom.org.
