You would think that, after 22 years in the U.S. Navy, a veteran deserves a break. But like a baseball game, life doesn’t go as planned for many, and it didn’t for Dan “Dry Dock” Shockley. But this isn’t a story with a sad ending. Yes, it starts with a dire diagnosis, continues with surgery, and contains an ostomy. But it’s a story about how Dan’s diagnosis fueled his patient advocacy to help others extend their lives as he has extended his. Attitude Can Kick Things up a Notch Shockley retired from the U.S. Navy at age 43. By 50, a colonoscopy found 100 polyps embedded in his colon, rectum, and anus. One polyp had even grown into a mass. His only possible symptom? He’d lost 14 lbs over the previous year. But that was hardly surprising: he’d been working two full-time jobs. Surely that caused the weight loss? Unfortunately, no. The mass had caused an 80% blockage in his ascending colon. Had he not had his colonoscopy, he would never have discovered the polyps, his body’s only true warning signal. His doctor immediately suspected a rare hereditary colon cancer syndrome that could only be confirmed through genetic testing. Called … Continue reading When Life Throws You a Curve Ball: Adapting to a Rare Cancer Syndrome