By Creighton Coleman
In August 2023, my wife got a call from our family doctor, Dr. Imran Ahmed at Scripps San Marcos, and he told her that the age for colonoscopies had been lowered from age 50 to 45. My wife told me I better go get checked right away. Mind you I had no symptoms that I know of, but I agreed I should probably go.
When I got my orders to get the colonoscopy, I had spent the day before drinking an elixir that would clean me out (this is the toughest part of the colonoscopy experience, which isn’t that bad).
I met Dr. Mazer Ally at Scripps Jefferson in Oceanside. He prepared me for what I was about to experience and I felt at ease. As they rolled me back to the surgical room, I was passed out from the twilight sedation. During the procedure, I woke up and saw the screen and there was a mass Dr. Ally was concerned. I fell back under and he came into the recovery room to explain to us he found something. I can tell by the look on his face that he was concerned for both me and my family. He said they would send out a culture and get the results back the following Monday.
Monday comes along and Dr. Ally tells us that the mass is cancerous. Of course, my wife and I were devastated and had to rely on our faith in God and his healing power. He made us a little more at ease once explained that we would not be in this alone. I would have a team of doctors and staff working to heal me.
The most important advice he gave me was to “STAY POSITIVE and KEEP POSITIVE PEOPLE AROUND YOU.”
He set me up with my scheduler, Diana Ansalert at Scripps. She was amazing! She helped organize all of my MRI, CT Scans, doctor appointments, etc. She was a huge advocate for me.
So my team of doctors was Dr. Darren Sigal, head of oncology; Dr. Norber Kased, radiation oncology; Dr. Robert Brookover, surgeon, and Dr. Mazer Ally, gastroenterology.
All of these doctors and their staff were amazing and handled me and my family with care.
It was now time to tell my kids and my family. First I told my son Kennth. He is one of the strongest people I know. He held his composure and made sure I was doing the little things to get me back to health.
Next, I had to call my youngest, my daughter Alexis-Giovanni. She lives in Oakland working at one of the colleges. The pain I felt when we faced-timed her and she broke down walking back to her dorm destroyed me! My mom and dad were equally concerned, but they knew God would prevail.
As for my wife Kewana, she is my rock! She held it together until “Forever” by Robert Glasper, PJ Morton and India Arie came on…we both cried so hard and agreed that was the last time we listened to that song and cried. We agreed to be honest and stronger than ever.
Our faith was rooted in Jesus, but we were heartbroken nonetheless of the possibility of me losing this battle.
The first doctor I met up with after the colonoscopy was Dr. Brookover (the surgeon). He gave me a local camera exam and explained to my wife and me what he was looking for. He said he could feel the tumor with his finger (graphic but necessary to the story). The camera exam was very uncomfortable, but that is better than not getting into all the info to give me the best care. Dr. Brookover told us how the radiation and chemo would work and in the end, gave us two options:
a) determine if surgery is needed and do surgery (a traditional method of care) or b) watch and wait if nothing is found (a new form of treatment since chemo and radiation could get rid of the tumor).
The next doctor I met was Dr. Kased at the Scripps San Marcos MD Anderson Cancer Center. Dr. Kased was great. He was to head up the radiation treatment and let my wife and I know that I was dealing with Stage 3 Colon Cancer in the rectal area. He and his team gave me revolutionary radiation treatments from October through November. I was blessed that my family would accompany me on every visit (wife, mother-in-law, father-in-law, sister-in-law, etc.). He explained there would be some sunburn effects from the radiation and it did. I was burned from my navel down to about 4 inches down. The skin came off like a bad sunburn, but it recovered fast. At the end of this journey, I was able to ring the bell as my radiation treatment was complete. The front and back office staff were amazing!
Ringing the Bell for completion of Radiation Therapy:
This was a huge win for God, myself, and those who love me. I was so nervous about sharing what was happening with me with the world on Facebook. The one thing that gave me strength was to let the men know to go get tested and not let fear or pride get in the way. If you don’t do it for yourself, then do it for the people who depend and love on you! The doctor told me that if I had waited until the old approved age of 50+ to get a colonoscopy I probably would have died.
Thank you to the doctors and staff at Scripps MD Anderson San Marcos. You guys make a difference!
Next, I was to start my chemotherapy. I received my chemo from Dr. Sigal at the Scripps MD Anderson Clinic in Encinitas. My chemo was from December through February. Dr. Sigal was heading the entire team on my treatment, and progress. Dr. Sigal was very thorough in his explanations of my progress. I would see him on Wednesdays before my chemo treatments. After visiting with Dr. Sigal, I would get my chemo treatment in the chemo ward in the same building.
Chemo treatment would take roughly 4 hrs. And they were on Wednesdays. They would send me home after treatment with a small chemo pump and pack that would last me until that Friday. The team at the Encinitas Chemo ward took very good care of my family and I. I found out fast about some of the side effects of the chemo.
a.) Nerothopy in the hands, feet, and mouth. You cannot touch, drink, or air breath anything cold. I made the mistake of drinking a Gatorade on my way out of treatment and my throat closed up. I didn’t panic but went back inside where the nursing staff took care of me. I also forgot and tried to grab some ice out of the freezer and I thought razor blades cut my hand. I soon learned to wear gloves.
b.) You have to control the constipation. My suggestion is to mix Mirilax with tea every morning. They call it the “Poo-Brew.” The sooner you get your bowels under control the better. There would be nights I would be on the toilet crying my eyes out. Drink room-temperature water, electrolytes, and tea. Trust me!!!
c.) Get someone to come with you. It’s a long process and good company helps. Thank you to my family who came to entertain me.
d.) Bring snacks, a book, or something to watch movies on if you go by yourself.
Ringing the Bell for completing Chemotherapy:
I decided to share this new win with my friends on Facebook. I cried like a baby…I am so grateful. This race was coming to a close, but my emotions were all over the place. Thank you to the entire staff at Scripps MD Anderson Clinic in Encinitas. You are amazing!
Now, I have just got my results from the most recent MRI and CT scan and found the tumor completely gone. HALLELUJAH & Amen!!!
I just saw Dr. Brookover and had to do another manual and local camera scan. Like I said before, this process is very uncomfortable, but that is better than dying because of my pride. The doctor found no evidence of the tumor so he let me know that I could do the “Watch and Wait” without surgery. This means at least over the next 5 years I would have to see him for a camera scan every 3-4 months accompanied by an MRI and CT scan.
I want this to be a letter of HOPE for anyone having to deal with cancer. Please get checked and invest in your health! And please don’t let PRIDE get in the way of the life you are meant to live. I am truly blessed. God is good. I am glad my wife made me go. I get an opportunity that some don’t get dealing with cancer and for that, I am truly grateful.
Thank you to all my family, friends, Fluidra family, doctors and staff, and Walker Chapel A.M.E.
