27-Year-Old Man Shares His Story About Having Stage 4 Cancer and COVID-19 To Raise Awareness
When he was in college, 27-year-old Evan White occasionally noticed some blood in his stool. It took place sporadically so he did not think too much about such an infrequent occurrence.
But two years after graduation, when he noticed his energy had declined, White visited his doctor and admitted, the diagnosis shocked him.
In a news report about his condition, the young man recalled saying, "How the heck did I have colon cancer at 24," his age when he was first diagnosed with the illness.
The only thing he knew, White, from Dallas, shared, was that his condition is common in older people. The young man added, he was thankful for surgery and treatment that he turned "cancer-free for a year."
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In July this year, aside from stage 4 cancer, Evan White-faced another obstacle in life when he tested positive for COVID-19.
His Cancer Recurred
In February last year though, scans revealed that White's cancer recurred, and this time the condition was stage 4. The 27-year-old said he was sharing his story to inspire others to see should they feel something wrong.
He added, being able to discuss things with a doctor "can help catch some of this stuff" before it develops and worsens.
White went through surgery and six months of therapy without any evidence of the disease. After he received his clear diagnosis, he asked around 50 people to join him "for a bar crawl" wherein he also sold T-shirts so he could raise funds for colorectal cancer.
Following the successful first bar crawl, White began planning the next with the hope of exceeding the $500 he raised in 2019.
The scans showed White had lung cancer. And, while the bar crawl raised $20,000 the reappearance of cancer meant he needs to face indefinite chemotherapy treatment to prevent cancer from spreading further.
Then, in November last year, he underwent another surgery for some of cancer to be removed but three months after the operation, he said, "doctors noticed it grew again."
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Dealing with COVID-19
The young man shared how everyone was concerned with how fast cancer showed up. However, since he has been on chemotherapy again, he added, "Everything has been stable," and "it has been a positive sign."
Then, in July this year, aside from stage 4 cancer, he faced another obstacle in life when he tested positive for COVID-19. While he had been on quarantine, as much as possible, he still tested positive for the virus, along with his parents and girlfriend, Katie Briggs. Symptoms were mild, he said, but the infectious disease delayed some of his scans for a little bit.
What happened to his life after college may have been what this young man hoped for, he said, he has remained positive. White recently asked his girlfriend who he met a couple of days prior to his first chemo session, to marry him and the latter said yes.
Just because he has cancer, he said, does not mean he can no longer do big things or live his life anymore. Referring to his girlfriend, he said, he doesn't know where he would be if he didn't have someone to help him "go through stuff."
It may be a struggle, but the cancer patient shared he appreciates the little things in life. Undoubtedly, he said, his life "has been a roller coaster."
And when it comes to cancer, he continued, it does give him a totally new perspective in life "especially when they tell it spread to your lungs."
White has chosen to focus on just enjoying all his time with the people he's around and living every day. "That's something I had never done before."
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Oct 14, 2020 08:20 AM EDT
