DOUG'S COLORECTAL CANCER REHAB

In September 2021, my father was diagnosed with rectal cancer. He couldn’t have radiation because of his history of radiation with previous prostate cancer, so the only treatment option was surgery. He had multiple organs removed, a permanent colostomy placed, and a muscle from his leg removed and grafted to another location to help tissue heal. His hospital stay, which was supposed to be 5 days, turned into almost a month, due to many post-operative complications including infection and blockage of his new colostomy, meaning he couldn’t eat or pass anything through his new system, requiring placement of a tube in his nose to deliver nutrients. He didn’t eat for almost 3 weeks and lost over 20 pounds. Thankfully, he turned the corner and began his road to recovery. He had a lot of love and support from his family throughout his course, including his persistent physical therapist daughter who made it mandatory to walk a minimum of 7 times a day. 🏃🏻

Once he was discharged from the hospital and had all his drains and catheter removed, my dad re-started his training with me 1-2 times a week. He has worked his butt off (pun intended) to regain his strength, balance and endurance. 💪🏻We also include dancing in our sessions 🕺💃 to get the blood flowing and body moving in different ways, and because it’s fun and he enjoys it! I wanted to share a little bit of his journey through a very scary time and a year of hard work to get back to doing the things he loves – fishing, gardening, and traveling. I am lucky to be able to help him and share this time with him, and I hope that he can be an inspiration to those who may be struggling with similar experiences. He turned 80 this past March 💜❤️💜