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Convinced colonoscopy saved his life, King George man tells others to get one by age 50 Date published: 4/8/2008 By Robert Hedelt GLENN Valdez tells everyone The same test might not have saved my father from dying of colon cancer in his early 30s. But I hope it will keep me from from suffering a similar fate as I continue to outlive him. I met the 61-year-old Valdez, a King George resident who works My gastroenterologist, Dave Monahan of Fall Hill Gastroenterology Associates, encouraged me to share Valdez's story. His hope was that it would encourage others to get screened by age 50 for this type of cancer. If detected early enough, it has a very high survival rate, over 90 percent in certain cases. About 15 months ago, the tall, physically fit man, who came to this country from Trinidad to play soccer, felt he was in perfect health. He ate right, played soccer well into his 50s and didn't have indication that polyps were growing in his colon. Though he has worked in the medical profession for years--first as a medic in Vietnam--he didn't feel the need for a checkup. "I was as healthy as a horse, but my wife was always telling me that I paid insurance but never used it," he said. "She told me that I should get this colonoscopy, that I was really past due for it." He scheduled a visit to Monahan's office, and a colonoscopy soon followed. Valdez's procedure found several polyps, one of which was cancerous. "You think you're ready for everything when you work in medicine, but that's a hard thing Soon after, Valdez had surgery to remove the cancerous section of the colon. Valdez said he healed fairly quickly. He's feeling good again, "If I had waited much longer, and this cancer had kept growing, I probably wouldn't be here today," he said.
Date published: 4/8/2008
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