Daniel Davis Talks About His Cancer Diagnosis And The Importance Of A Colonoscopy

• Local businessman Daniel Davis talks about his colon cancer diagnosis and the importance of a colonoscopy.

Episode Transcript

(00:01):
And today we're talking with Daniel Davis, a local entrepreneur who I guess many
people probably know you, Daniel andhave worked with you in business, worked
with you in the community. You'vebeen very active in the community. And
thanks for coming to by today.Well, I appreciate you having me,
And yeah, I'm the pizza guy, so I was until I retired a

(00:21):
few months ago. But I likeyou pizza. I appreciate it. Ed.
We wanted you to come by today, and you asked to come by
also because I wanted to talk aboutsomething. You've had some things happen in
your life in recent months, andI know you want to talk a little
about that. You're very open aboutit, which I appreciate, and you

(00:42):
really have some words of caution forfolks. Tell us a little about what
changed in your life in the lastsix months. Well, Jim, it's
really been the last four weeks.Actually, I you know, four weeks
ago, Oh, I was worriedabout it was getting ready for deer season
to start, and not sick.Didn't feel bad and nothing wrong with me,

(01:03):
just doing all my normal stuff thatI do and had a few symptoms
that were not would not have beenrelated to anything that I would think were
bad, But went to the doctor, started getting checked out and found out
that I have stage four colon cancer. You know, when you say that,

(01:25):
it's kind of weird for me toeven say that because I don't look
like I have cancer. I feelperfectly fine. I'm healthy, I can
do anything I want as long asI'm not hooked up to a chemo machine
right now. Well, yes,you're right, you look absolutely healthy and
other than maybe a few symptoms atfirst led to the doctor that you wouldn't

(01:47):
have even connected the dots to,so you had no symptoms, you felt
just fine. Yes I did.It was you know, it was things
that you could easily put off assomething else, you know, very very
simply. And you know, hadI had a kolonoscovy when I should have
had. My appointments were during COVIDand different things happened. But you know,

(02:12):
it seems like a kolonoscopy is theone thing that people have the easiest
time of putting off, and it'sthe only one hundred percent way to know
that you don't have a pre cancerouspolyp or cancer. Well, as we
were talking off the air, Istalled on mine and have a history,
family history of cancer. Finally doctorsort of pushed me into it, and

(02:35):
now I'm a believer. Nothing wasfound the first time, couple of polyps
a second time, which may haveturned into something bad. I don't know
how to have not done it,But you're right, it's very easy.
Just it's I guess a little distastefulto us the ways and they've changed a
bit, but the things you haveto drink, or what you have to
do, and just the whole generalidea, it's easy for people to put

(03:00):
off and you don't know then whatthat's going to lead to. Right,
And the biggest thing that I wantpeople to know about the colonoscopy is a
lot of the stuff that people worryabout are in the past. It's come
so far. I mean, nowthey have pills, you don't have to
drink all the stuff. I mean, if you do have to drink it,

(03:22):
it's not that bad. And thereare ways to do it, do
things ahead of time that make itthat much easier. But I can tell
you right now that the day Ispent preparing for the colonoscopy and having it
was the easiest thing I've ever donecompared to what my job ahead of me
is what you're doing now, andit is just a real lesson for folks.

(03:46):
And I know that's what you wantto impart, that you need to
go ahead and do this. Andfor most of us that have insurance,
it's really not even that expensive.This is a test that's covered largely by
insurance. It is literally you preparethe evening before you do it and you're

(04:08):
finished. If you schedule an earlyappointment, you're finished by nine o'clock exporting.
And yet we put this off,and you know, I guess this
could have certainly made a critical differencefor you and for so many others.
Well, and I you know alittle bit more about the colonoscopy. But

(04:29):
the thing that I like the mostabout it is when you have that procedure,
if they find something, they takecare of it right then. So
if you have a poll up thatcould one day turn into cancer, they
take care of it right then.You don't have to come out talk to
your doctor, then go back anddo another procedure. You're done and then
they'll tell you when you come back. But yeah, I mean it's hugely

(04:51):
important. I mean, the agenow has been dropped to forty five and
it's interesting. I didn't know that, and because so many more young people
are getting colon cancer earlier and earlier, and possibly it has to do with
what we eat, but it's hugelyimportant, especially if you have cancer in

(05:13):
your family of any sort. I'mparticipating in a genetic study at MD Anderson
too. They're trying to isolate geneslike they have for breast cancer and other
cancers. And doing these tests isyour first and your biggest fail safe.
And again, it just comes backto that, and that's what we certainly

(05:35):
want to emphasize today. It comesback to going in and having that test.
And as you say, the technologythe test has changed. Most insurances
cover much of it. It canbe done locally. You don't have to
go to Houston or go anywhere tohave it done, and it makes all

(05:56):
the difference in the world. Iknow when I had mine the first time,
no polyps, second time, somepolyps, as you say, removed,
given a clean bill of health andtold now I get to do I
think every three years, right,because they change the interval depending on what
they find. But you know,you don't know what would have happened had

(06:19):
I not done that or had othersnot gone forward and done that exactly.
And that's I mean right now.I mean, you know, when you
find out you have cancer and youstart calling all your hunting buddies and fishing
buddies and your friends and your familymembers and telling them what's going on,

(06:39):
you know, that's pain that you'rebringing to them. Yes, you may
have to be going through the fight, but you're also bringing that pain to
those people. You know, takea little bit of discomfort, do the
colonosopy and save your friends and familythat pain. I have eight friends so
far. When they call me andsay, hey, what can I do?
Can I drive you to this?Can I drive you to that?
I'm like, you know what,if there's one thing you want to do

(07:00):
for me, go get a colonoscobyif you haven't had one, and tell
anybody that's forty five and up togo get theirs. And so far I
have eight commitments, and Doc said, hey, you're doing better than me.
But that's the thing I want toimpart to people is if you're listening
to this, I may not knowyou, but make that commitment and pick

(07:21):
up that phone and make that phonecall. Make the phone call and go
ahead and get it done, Andcertainly in many cases you don't have to
do it for some years later,and sometimes you're going to have to do
it a little sooner. But ifyou have to do it a little sooner,
then you were really fortunate to havehad it done when you had it

(07:42):
done, because oh yeah, somethingthere. I'm fifty six years old.
I shouldn't even be worrying about thisright now. Was that your first calls?
That was the first one after itwas already discovered that I most likely
had colon cancer? And I tellyou, it makes you feel like I
don't want to say a fool,but it makes you. It makes you

(08:03):
feel like, man, I shouldhave done a little better job at this,
but I'm not. I can't godown that road because of the fight
I have ahead of me. Theonly thing I'm going to do is that's
my job now, and I'm goingto do it just like I've done every
other job in my life. Youknow, fight and win. That's right,
absolutely, But wise words to thosewho've not had a colonoscy, who've

(08:24):
not checked their health, who tendto put things off, don't put things
off. Oh yeah, and checkingyour health, I mean, that's the
other point I did want to makeis I went, I did all my
tests, I did all my bloodwork, I did all those regular things
I did, you know, allthe other tests that they have for that,
But there's not a test out therethat's one hundred percent like a colony.

(08:48):
You know, that's an important pointtoo, because I know there are
some other tests or things out therethat you hear discussed in the marketplace.
And certainly we're not physicians, butI've had a doctor tell me that that,
yes, there's some other things outthere, but nothing, nothing is
going to be any better than thecolonoscopy. And as you said, they

(09:09):
can take immediate action when they're doingthat. Any other test then leads to
having to do that. So thisis the one stop shop. I mean,
you know you can be done forlike you said, depending on what
they find, you can be donefor a year, five years. I
mean, the doctor's going to tellyou how long before you have to do
another one. But it's the firstone that's so important to set the baseline

(09:31):
for where you're at. Talking withDaniel Davis today, and I really admire
your willingness to be open about whatyou're facing, and I know you're going
to do good in your fight.But I really admire your openness and your
desire to let people know that,Hey, if you don't want to be
in your shoes, quite possibly,go ahead and get that test, and

(09:54):
then when you say you come backfor one, go back for it.
That's right. I figure if Ican get ten people to commit to getting
the colonosopy that hadn't and I'm ateight right now, that I'll prevent somebody
from getting cancer, and if Ican get twenty, I might save somebody's
life. Absolutely, thank you forsharing your story with us today. I
appreciate it. Jim