Dan Foster remembers sitting with his primary care physician as they discussed the results from a colonoscopy. He was hoping his doctor was going to say the first diagnosis was a mistake. Just days before, Dan had been rushed to the hospital with pain that simply wouldn’t go away. Doctors ordered a colonoscopy, and it showed evidence of cancer.
Now Dan had the confirmation he was dreading: he had rectal cancer, and it was time to see a specialist right away. That’s when he turned to Mount Sinai Beth Israel’s Institute of Gastrointestinal Cancer.
In the offices of his surgeon, Dan came to terms with his situation. “”I needed a T.M.E.–total mesorectal excision,” Dan recalls. Although the surgery was still considered innovative at the time, Dan was confident in Beth Israel top notch team because they were teaching other surgeons how to perform the procedure. His confidence was shaken, however, when Dan learned what he had to do before the surgery.
“My surgeon told me he wanted me to lose 70 pounds, He said at my weight – I was 240 pounds – the surgery and the recovery would be difficult. It was April 1996 and my surgery was scheduled for that same September. I didn’t think I could do it.”
Nearly 150,000 Americans are diagnosed with colorectal cancer every year, and researchers say nearly half of those cases are preventable. A diet like Dan’s, that was rich in red meat and junk food, has been named as a primary culprit.
“I made some changes,” Dan says proudly. “I cut out the junk food and started jogging. The day of the surgery, I was 170 pounds.”
“I had 30 treatments of radiation. The oncology staff was as professional as the surgery team had been. Everybody was great—and they worked together to make me feel comfortable. I was treated like a friend. I expected support from my family and friends, but from the hospital staff? They see thousands of patients, but they always remembered me.
Inspired by his recovery, Dan wanted his second chance at life to stand for something special. He was determined to help others “get the same second chance that I had.”
So Dan decided to take a walk, but not just any walk. In 1999, in honor of National Cancer Survivor’s Day, Dan walked from the Montauk Point Lighthouse to St Patrick’s Cathedral, over 140 miles. It took him a week to do, and he raised $20,000 for cancer research from people who were inspired by his epic trek and shared his commitment to ending cancer. At the end of his walk, Dan was so moved by the support he received on along the way, “I felt like I could walk forever!”
And that’s just what he has done. Cancer-free for 13 years now, Dan and a team of dedicated volunteers organize walks and runs in his community of Gerritsen Beach, Brooklyn. Dan wants to keep the focus on staying healthy to prevent cancer, raising money for research and encouraging people to get colonoscopies.
Screening made Dan’s recovery possible, and government reports show more Americans are being tested regularly. But as Dan’s oncologist, Dr. Stephen Malamud says, “It’s just unfortunate it’s not higher.” Dan is now doing all he can to encourage screening.