5 minute read

HOW COLON CANCER CHANGED MY LIFE

How Colon Cancer CHANGED

my LIFE By Davis William Atkins

 Davis William Atkins, the son of Len Atkins and Norma DavisAtkins, shares this personal reflection on his father’s passing from stage IV colon cancer at age 48. Ms. Davis-Atkins is now advocating for earlier screening.

My family is planning on moving to a new home. I’m switching schools. We’re planning a family trip to Florida. I’m looking to the horizon with excitement, as my life is taking new turns. Then it happens out of the blue: my Dad is diagnosed with colon cancer. The only things running through my mind are “How did this happen?” and “Why did my dad get picked by the cancer monster?” So many emotions run through my entire body—I’m angry, sad and confused all at the same time. It’s like in the movies when a character starts to spin more and more until they get so dizzy, then the screen turns black.

I was at the Wilson County Fair with my parents, a friend of mine and his parents. I was playing around with my friend until my Mom told me that my Dad was having pain. I noticed he was holding his side. He had more pains more often after that; weeks later we found out he had cancer. At the time, I didn’t care much because my Granny had previously had breast cancer and she survived, so I figured the same would happen to my dad. I was only 12 at the time, so I figured cancer was like a cold that would come and go. During one of my Dad’s hospital visits, the doctors told us his tumor was shrinking. My family and I were happy, and I believed everything was going to be alright.

Then a month later, my parents and I left the doctor’s office crying because the doctors told us the tumor had grown and spread, and there was nothing else they could do. The entire car ride home I remember laying my head on my Dad’s lap and crying.

The next few months were rough for me because I woke up every morning in constant fear that my Dad would be gone. I had to watch a man for whom I had the utmost respect—who carried me in his arms, who loved me more than anyone in the world, who I saw as “Superman”—become eaten and consumed by cancer. The one thing about it is that he always kept his optimism.

The morning my Dad died, I believed that my life was over. I never thought it would happen to my family, but it did. Afterward, it was like I had gone through a transformation with all the therapy sessions, the depression medicine, the hate I felt toward my family, that people I did not even know kept apologizing about me losing my Dad, and the multiple doctors’ appointments I had regarding my own health. I felt lost, and with all the changes going on in my life, I had no idea who to talk to or what to do with myself.

One day I realized that my Dad would want me to move on with my life and become the greatest person I could be. It took some time to put my life back together, but with help from my Mom, aunt, uncle and grandmothers, I figured out my life piece by piece. I have many ambitions, starting with the colleges I want to apply to/attend, because I am hoping to make my Dad proud. I carry my Dad’s name with pride, knowing I am going to make him and my entire family proud.

I am now 17 years old and, as I have gotten older, I have discovered more things. I had a colonoscopy when I was 13, and my Mom had to explain to me why I was having a procedure like

that. At first, I thought it was pointless, but now I realize the importance of it. The whole point was to keep me safe for the future. What we hadn’t realized before was that my Dad had cancer for a long time and had never gotten checked out because he had no symptoms and was not old enough for a colonoscopy; my Mom and doctors did not want to make the same mistake with me. I now believe this is a good thing for me and it could be for a lot of other people, too. The point of getting that procedure early, from what I understand, is that it can keep someone informed and updated on whether they may have cancer hidden in their body, especially for people with cancer in their family.

Sharing Norma Davis-Atkins and Davis William Atkins’ story is a collaboration of ACG’s Public Relations and Minority Affairs and Cultural Diversity Committees.

"...I woke up every morning in constant fear that my Dad would be gone. I had to watch a man for whom I had the utmost respect—who carried me in his arms, who loved me more than anyone in the world, who I saw as Superman— become eaten and consumed by cancer."

HOW DID NORMA DAVISATKINS’ STORY COME TO ACG?

Renee L. Williams, MD, FACG, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, Chair, ACG Minority Affairs and Cultural Diversity Committee

Ms. Davis-Atkins sent me a very touching email in which she revealed that her husband had died a few years earlier from colorectal cancer at the age of 48. She was interested in advocacy and wanted to know if I had any advice. I immediately contacted her via telephone because I wanted to speak with her directly after reading her email. She mentioned that she wanted to get more involved in advocacy and felt that if her husband had been screened at age 45 he may still be alive today. She shared that it was only a few months from diagnosis to death and he left behind their son, who was 12 years old at the time. I spoke to her about my role in the College and asked if she would be comfortable sharing her story via social media to promote earlier screening in African Americans and screening in general. She agreed, I put her in contact with our media team, and the rest is in the graphics.

 Download and share the graphics:

bit.ly/Atkins-Age-45-Rec