About Casey's Fight

In late April 2023, our little world got flipped upside down. What started as a little tightness in my lower belly and a trip to my doctor turned out to be stage IV colon cancer diagnosis.

Since that appointment, our lives have been a whirlwind of information, education, determination, and team work all centered around a goal of becoming cancers enemy.

I’ve completed 22+ rounds of aggressive chemotherapy and have had 3 follow-up CT scans which have each showed that the sites continue to shrink and no new sites are forming.

Early on, I met with an individual with a similar diagnosis and I asked him for his #1 tip - “Do not give it a seat at your table.” So, we haven’t.

I am not cancer. I am not a made up clickbait statistic by whatever site has the biggest search engine marketing budget. Cancer is not my friend. It’s my enemy. So, we haven’t spoken about it much. We’re in the fight and we’re going to win - we’re not giving it a fucking inch.

My team and I believe that a reason I’ve been able to tolerate and rebound quickly between these bi-weekly treatments is my relationship with exercise, nutrition, and struggle. I’m very thankful for a life that has contained struggle, as it has prepared me challenging things. I am very thankful for being able to continue exercising (with few exceptions) throughout treatment thus far.

A former coach of mine had a quote that I think about every day. “What do we do when things go bad? The same we do when things are going right. It’s about Composure.”

We’re built for the fight.

This post is not a call for sympathy. We’re doing just fine. Life is good. This is a call to arms for my friends and family - Now is the time to make time. ❤️ Friends, Family, Forever.

March 2024 Update

“Cancer didn’t make me a warrior.”

This came to me on a ride in December.

You have to be a warrior before the sound of gun fire or the first spear is thrown. Your battle doesn’t make you a warrior. You battle because you are one already.

These gloves… man, they’ve been through it. The nosebleeds from my treatment, often come out of nowhere. Imagine the sight… 270lb tattooed, bearded ginger in spandex rolling at 21mph on a bike that weighs less than his ear lobes, with globs of Kleenex hanging out of both noses and blood covered American flag gloves. It’s happened…. Often since I started treatment. Wash the gloves, and more blood. But, that’s part of the game. That’s part of the journey.

The learning curve has been wild. Learning what my body can do today and then tossing it out, relearning again tomorrow. With this, I’ve had to keep my eyes pointed FORWARD. Away from the enemy. I’m out running the enemy, I know I am, so it’s needless to look back.

These blood soaked gloves are going on my wall, because we just turned a chapter.

After 9+ months of chemo... 20+ rounds of chemo, (and almost 2000 miles of cycling while under treatment), we didn’t quit pushing. 9 months with no solid long term plan from the medical side. We found ways to endure longer and continue on. Sometimes, you have to take the wheel and make your own plan.

Last week, I was approved by the surgical oncology board at Allegheny Health in Pittsburgh to have a procedure done, that if effective would leave me cancer free when I wake up. The cancer has been receptive to “first line” treatment (all sites have reduced in size) and have shown zero growth or spread over the 9 months. For this, they’ve agreed to plan on removing the tumors entirely via surgery.

We’re locked in for some dates in April (almost 1 year to the day from my original diagnosis) and they say they want me in the best physical and mental shape possible going into it. So that’s where I’ll be.

Thank you for the love and support. I’m posting this because you guys have kept me with my foot on the gas. Thank you.

“All I want to do is the most.” - Mac Miller

More updates coming soon. 👊👊