10 minute read
Cherish the moments
by Kate Noet
Caleb Svenby waits for the ‘all clear’ after Stage 3 cancer
Calab Svenby didn’t notice anything. neither did his wife, Val, but friends, family and co-workers saw a change in him. Medford residents Calab and Val welcomed a baby girl Cecilia into the world in January 2019 and fell into a routine of work and raising a baby. Between work and Cici, they barely had time to take a look in the mirror. Had Calab done so, he’d have noticed what others mentioned. near the end of summer Calab had lost 30 pounds and instead of a healthy tan gained from a summer of landscaping work, he instead had a pale com-
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plexion.
Six days before Christmas, Calab saw the doctor. He had cancer -- Stage 3 colorectal cancer.
Doctors found a 12-centimeter mass on Svenby, which sent him and his young family through a whirlwind year filled with apprehension.
Svenby started treatment in January -- 25 days of chemotherapy from Jan. 16 through Feb. 19. then the worldwide COViD-19 pandemic hit, throwing yet another wrench in the Svenbys’ lives.
His surgery date to remove the affected parts of his large intestine and rectum continued to be postponed until finally he went in april 30. He spent four days alone in abbott northwestern Hospital before returning home.
“With COViD, there were no visitors,” Calab said. “My wife couldn’t even come up to see me. that was tough to be essentially there by myself.” it was tough on Val, too. She couldn’t go on doctor visits with Calab, ask pressing questions she had or gauge a doctor’s reaction to a question or how they answered a question.
“i’m kind of the type of person, i wanted to know everything,” Val said. “i was asking the doctors a lot of
questions. i have notes in my phone. He’s just a ‘go with the flow’ type of guy.” as a couple of 30-year-olds who just married in 2017 and had their first child earlier in 2019, life events came up fast.
“to have to think about him potentially not being around was tough,” Val said. “now, i’m grateful for every minute we have. it affects me every once in a while.”
Val’s father, David, dealt with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma a year prior to Calab’s diagnosis. She knew exactly what Stage 3 cancer meant when the doctor classified Calab’s case as such. When Val reflects on the initial diagnosis now, she remembers how she imagined life for the couple’s daughter Cici if treatment didn’t go well.
“My daughter loves her dad. everything is about her dad,” Val said. “that crushed me more, that’s what made it hard, having her. Having her put things into a different perspective. even when he was in the hospital she constantly asked for him. it sucked, it really sucked.”
Calab’s grandfather suffered from colorectal cancer as well and though undiagnosed, Calab’s grandfather has a hunch that his father died from the same issue. Calab’s diagnosis prompted the rest of the family to get tested to see if they carried any genetic predisposition to colorectal cancer. the results came up negative for them. after Calab returned from the hospital with an ileostomy bag, he dealt with lifting restrictions and couldn’t do the usual father-daughter activities around the house.
“She really wanted to jump around and play,” he said.
Surgeons removed 26 centimeters of Calab’s rectum and large intestine to remove 26 of 29 lymph nodes they found. He spent the next six weeks recuperating before resuming weekly chemotherapy treatments. then in august he returned to abbott northwestern for surgery to remove the ileostomy bag. He finished his last round of chemotherapy two weeks before thanksgiving. Calab and his family had plenty to be thankful for following his treatment and the support they received from the Medford community.
an outpouring of support
each year the tigers touchdown Club, Medford’s football boosters, hold a “Sack Cancer” night during one of the football games. Calab, a 2009 Medford grad and former football player, became the obvious choice as an honoree. CONTINUED NEXT PAGE
Calab Svenby is pictured from his hospital bed following surgery to treat colorectal cancer. his daughter, Cici, is pictured on the left. (Photo courtesy of Calab Svenby)
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- Calab Svenby
“He’s a town favorite,” said tigers touchdown Club Secretary/treasurer Sara Markham. “We knew he needed a favor.” the Svenbys have deep roots in the Medford area. Calab grew up in the community with his older brother ty and older sister nicole. Calab’s parents, Scott and Jackie, grew up in the area and his grandparents have lived in the area for decades. the ties to the football team and tigers touchdown Club were obvious, too. ty serves as an assistant coach with the team while Markham has been best friends with nicole since fi rst grade. Markham’s brother, Jake elzen, is best friends with Calab. Meanwhile nicole used to babysit for another tigers touchdown Club board member Janita Paulson. Calab works for nagel Sod Farm and nursery in Medford where others in the community have gotten to know him through his landscaping work in the spring and summer. He’s often the fi rst person people call when they need a hand with something, Markham said. to be on the receiving end of help has been a humbling experience for Calab and Val. “it’s baffl ing thinking about and talking about what the whole community has done for us and our family,” Calab said. Since many in the community and on the booster club board had a personal connection with the family, they felt additionally invested in helping out. events like online bingo, donation boxes around town and a coin drive at the elementary school took place to help the Svenbys. in the end, members of the Medford football team presented the family a check for $15,393.26 nearly a year to the day after Calab’s fi rst visit to the doctor. the bingo night netted $4,280 on its own while the coin drive brought in around $2,500 and the three drop-off donation boxes gathered $7,559.07. Sales of t-shirts and hats also contributed toward the fundraising total. the amount of money raised by the coin drive at the elementary school stunned Calab, Markham said, to say nothing of the fi nal tally. When Calab
Calab Svenby rings a bell at a clinic following treatment for colorectal cancer. Svenby underwent surgery twice to treat his Stage 3 cancer. (Photo courtesy of Calab Svenby)
Calab Svenby and wife, val, along with daughter Cici, pose for a family photo. Calab spent much of 2020 receiving treatment for Stage 3 colorectal cancer. (Photo courtesy of Calab Svenby)
did hear the final fundraising amount he became teary eyed, Val said. it was just one of the few times Calab welled up throughout the whole process.
trusting the doctors
Calab remained strong throughout treatment by relying on the advice of doctors. He trusted his doctors even though his mind could have ran wild imagining different scenarios. He did become emotional one other time that Val recalls. it came when doctors informed the couple of the possibility they might not be able to have more children as a result of the radiation and chemotherapy. there were tough days during treatment. Because of the treatment, Calab developed a sensitivity to anything cold. even on hot summer days an ice cold beverage remained out of the question. everything had to be room temperature. nausea and fatigue set in at other times. Fatigue irritated a typically restless Calab while self-administered injections to boost his white cell count drained him due to the side effects.
COViD-19 compounded concerns about Calab’s health. the family had to isolate carefully. Val, who works with the Faribault school district, worked from home but also had to run all the errands for the family to prevent Calab from any exposure to illness with a weakened immune system.
“it took a toll on her. She made it through strong, she had faith in the doctors and the surgeons,” Calab said. “She was really caring after i came home. anything i needed, she dropped what she was doing to help. She had a lot to deal with. take care of one baby and then you take care of the other.”
Leaning on family
Val grew up in Faribault where her parents David and lupe still live so she could rely on them to help when she needed a hand with errands or with Cici. Val and Calab could also call upon his folks or his brother ty, who lives nearby, too.
getting a meal dropped off helped ease the burden on Val but talking with ty helped reduce the strain on Val and Calab’s relationship.
“Calab’s brother is pretty much as close to Calab personality-wise,” Val said. “i’d look to him for advice. it was kind of a Calab perspective without having to get into a fight with Calab.”
Val and Calab approached his diagnosis from different perspectives at times. Val wanted to ask a lot of questions after studying colorectal cancer and having dealt with cancer treatment before with her father. She kept meticulous notes from his appointments and instructions he received from doctors while Calab sometimes didn’t want to face a barrage of questions following an appointment because of fatigue from treatment. ty ended up driving Calab up to the hospital in Minneapolis for both his surgeries. there’s likely not a landscaper around more excited about the spring and summer than Calab. after missing large chunks of time at work last year and remaining limited to what he could do while at work, he’s looking forward to a semblance of normalcy at work this year.
He’s still not completely cleared by the doctors to say he’s cancer-free, yet. He will follow up with routine Ct scans to make sure the cancer hasn’t spread to his kidneys or lungs.
Doctors have told the couple that he won’t receive an all-clear announce-
ment until five years after the initial diagnosis. in the interim, Val and Calab are cherishing the moments together and with family and friends. When they first met seven years ago, Val pictured herself living life in a big city, but Calab’s patience and appreciation for the outdoors has rubbed off on her. the family spent many hours outdoors at parks this past summer to get out of the house. now those hunting or fishing trips don’t sound so bad to her. after initially waiting to see the doctor, Calab has become convinced that it’s better to be proactive about any medical issue.
“i came to the realization, even if it’s minor, go in right away,” he said “there’s no sense in waiting. You’re only hurting yourself and prolonging the outcome. it could be nothing, but it’s better to go in and find nothing.”
- Calab Svenby
Colorectal Cancer Symptoms
Colorectal cancer may not cause symptoms immediately, but if it does, it may cause one or more of these symptoms: •A change in bowel habits, such as diarrhea, constipation or narrowing of the stool that lasts for more than a few days; •A feeling that you need to have a bowel movement that’s not relieved by having one; •Rectal bleeding with bright red blood; •Blood in the stool, which might make the stool look dark brown or black; •Cramping or abdominal (belly) pain; •Weakness and fatigue; •Unintended weight loss
