After surviving stage IV colorectal cancer, Reginaldo is an advocate for screening
One year after a devastating stage IV colon cancer diagnosis, Reginaldo Lusiak-Reyes is cancer free. Looking back on a year filled with both fear and hope, Reginaldo is enthusiastic about sharing his story and advocating for preventative screenings.
“If we can prevent what happened to me for even one person, that’s huge,” he said.
During the summer of 2021, Reginaldo visited his primary care doctor with concerns over stomach pains. They were attributed to anxiety due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and he was given medication to manage his symptoms. However, his symptoms did not go away or improve.
As a healthy, active 50-year-old, Reginaldo had never had a colonoscopy and was one of many people to postpone such preventative screening during the pandemic.
“The pains got worse as the year went on,” he said. “But I still didn’t think too much of it. I pushed off the important things.”
In February 2022, Reginaldo’s stomach pain became unbearable. He rushed to M Health Fairview Southdale Hospital, where a CT scan revealed a 7-centimeter tumor in his colon.
Support meant everything
Reginaldo was quickly scheduled for surgery at M Health Fairview Southdale Hospital, with the intention of removing the tumor. During the procedure, however, surgeons discovered that the cancer had spread into the muscle around his colon. Removing it surgically was no longer an option. Instead, surgeons fitted Reginaldo with an ileostomy bag to address the blockage in his colon caused by the tumor and allow him to eat and drink normally while they planned for treatment.
“Coming out of surgery was eye-opening,” Reginaldo said. “In that moment, you’re just bombarded with information.”
Because the cancer had spread, Reginaldo would require three months of chemotherapy to try to shrink the tumor before another surgery could be attempted. M Health Fairview Oncologist Jessica Lee, DO, worked with Reginaldo and his then-partner, Jeffry Lusiak-Reyes, to develop a care plan. She was also a source of comfort during those initial overwhelming moments.
“With metastatic disease, there’s a lot to consider,” said Lee. “I always give the patient as much time as they need.”
With a huge journey ahead of them, Reginaldo and Jeffry decided to take another huge step together ― getting married before the first round of chemo.
“As my husband, he was also my biggest caregiver,” Reginaldo said. “He really sustained a lot of information and could convey it to family and friends. I couldn’t do this without him.”
Caregiving wasn’t something Jeffry could have prepared for, but he instinctively dove headfirst into being a confidant, advocate, and compassionate voice while finding new ways to care for himself and their relationship.
“I found myself at the center of everything but not in control of any of it, so I had to learn to adapt quickly.”
With Jeffry by his side, Reginaldo responded well to his first six rounds of chemo, which reduced his tumor to 5 centimeters in three months. His second surgery would be a highly specialized hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) procedure with Wolfgang Gaertner, MD, chief of colon and rectal surgery and associate professor with the University of Minnesota Medical School.
Specialized surgery provides hope
Gaertner removed the affected parts of Reginaldo's colon while applying “hot chemo” directly to the cancer cells in his muscle. This procedure requires highly trained providers and the kind of well-mounted infrastructure for cancer care that we offer at M Health Fairview University of Minnesota Medical Center.
It’s also an especially difficult procedure for patients. In addition to chemo, Reginaldo underwent “prehabilitation” therapy to prepare his body for the 11-hour surgery. Several factors are involved in determining whether a patient is a candidate, including weight, heart health, the patient’s response to earlier chemotherapy, and the amount of cancer spread.
“This surgery is like a marathon,” Gaertner explained of the HIPEC procedure. “You don’t just show up to run a marathon without preparing.”
Reginaldo was lucky: Generally, he was in good shape, and his cancer had not yet spread to surrounding organs, meaning he would likely benefit from the HIPEC procedure. He also maintained a positive outlook during his cancer journey.
“The result was that I was cancer-free after that surgery and I was on the route to recovery,” he said. “Dr. Gaertner and his team saved my life.”
Looking to the future for change
Stage IV cancer has a high chance of returning, so Reginaldo and Jeffry continue to work with his oncologist, Jessica Lee, on preventative care to reduce that risk.
“Dr. Lee has become our friend and confidant,” Jeffry said. “She's shown us such love and made us feel like we are her priority, taking as much time with us as we need to answer all our questions, even if we've asked them 10 times before or we’ve asked her to walk us through the plan once more as she guides our course.”
“I know that I have to be a friend, but I have to be honest and realistic with my patients,” Lee said. “I feel like we have a sacred bond that, despite all of it, we stay very hopeful.”
Reginaldo finished his 12th round of chemo on Dec. 28, and he and Jeffry celebrated the new year with a trip to Oahu. Though he’s grateful his latest scans show no signs of recurrence, he knows there’s still work to do. The American Cancer Society recommends average risk men and women begin colorectal screening by the age of 45. However, some groups like Latine and African American people have lower rates of screening.
“I tell everyone I know to get themselves screened,” Reginaldo said. “My aunt had colon cancer. I’ve lost friends from colon cancer, but there’s still this stigma about it, especially for men and minority groups. I’m sharing my story because that needs to change.”
Visit our website to schedule a colonoscopy, or call our endoscopy scheduling team at 612-624-9709, option 2.
