When Stomach Pains Lead to a Colon Cancer Diagnosis

#coloncancer
Alec Gunn is a healthy, health-conscious pastoral counselor with no history of cancer in his family. So when he felt the first stomach pains after lunch in 2019, he wasn’t thinking colon cancer. After a drive to the emergency room, a CT scan, and a colonoscopy, the cancer was confirmed. His family provider referred him to UVA. Along with colorectal surgeon Charles Friel, MD, Alec describes his physical and spiritual journey through treatment.

Find out more at: https://uvahealth.com/services/colon-...

Transcript

Alec Gunn
I'm from Waynesboro, Virginia. That's where I was born and raised. My father was in the
military, in the army. So I followed in his footsteps and went to the army. I worked as Commandant of Cadets at Fishburne Military School for about six years. And during that time, that's when I felt a strong call into counseling and chaplaincy. That's where everything really begins.

Dr. Charles Friel
When I met Alec, Alec was just a regular, healthy-looking young man. And I think that's the scary part about colon cancer sometimes is that it can be growing inside of you and you're just not aware of what's happening.

Alec Gunn
After I ate lunch, I started feeling like a pain in my stomach. I drove myself to the emergency room.

Dr. Charles Friel
His doctor referred him for a colonoscopy, at which point he was found to have a colon mass in his descending colon. He then had a CT scan, which demonstrated a mass in his liver as well, which was therefore consistent with stage 4 colon cancer.

Alec Gunn
The news, my wife almost fainted. Luckily, I had a family provider, and she said, "These doctors at UVA are going to do a great job with you. This is where I want you to go." And so she squared that away. Dr. Friel and Dr. Zaydfudim, great guys, a blessing, a blessing to my family.

Dr. Charles Friel
We came up with a comprehensive plan that was unique for Alec's situation. And we were able to work with our community provider, and we were able to provide him with some chemotherapy in an environment that was more comfortable for him, right near his own home. Anybody who has colon cancer always runs the risk of having a recurrent disease. And unfortunately, that risk is a bit higher with people with stage 4 disease. Nevertheless, we frequently cure people, and our expectation is that Alec will be cured. I'm happy to report, he just had a CAT scan just last month, and that he's completely free of disease at this point.

Alec Gunn
I had to believe and I had to hope. Those were the things that got me through and have sustained me.