Jim Boerma
My primary reason for creating this awareness campaign is to encourage people to treat indigestion and reflux disease very seriously.
In our society, heartburn is accepted as a “normal thing” that is easily treated with over-the-counter products such as Tum’s, Rolaid’s, Zantac, and others. Usually people who suffer from indigestion or reflux tend to have unhealthy eating habits – and that included me. Since my diagnosis, I have learned that many times, cancer simply isn’t preventable. But in the instance of esophageal cancer, there are a lot of things one can do to help reduce one’s risk.
Esophageal cancer is one of the most lethal cancers and it is usually diagnosed at advanced stages, when cancer has already spread to other parts of the body making treatment difficult and the prognosis poor. Symptoms typically don’t appear until late stages, and many people aren’t regularly screened for esophageal cancer unless there’s a strong likelihood that they’ll develop the disease.
My Story
- Male, 51 years old
- Happily Married to Veronica Moreno for 12 years
- Two beautiful children – Sofia 8 years old and Lucien 4 years old
- Employed with the Justice Institute of British Columbia – Project Manager
- Moved to South Surrey – British Columbia in March 2013 (great place to raise a family)
- Veronica took time off work to be with our kids
Ever since I was a child I have suffered from indigestion when eating certain foods (usually tomato based foods and wheat based products). In my 30’s I started having occasional bouts of acid reflux and over the years, the attacks came more frequent and more severe, so I started avoiding alcohol and I also stopped smoking. For many years, I took over the counter medications which helped treat the symptoms but did not cure my medical problem.
Back in 2013, I didn’t feel totally well. I had chronic acid reflux, I had gained considerable weight (bad eating habits) and I was not able to keep a rigorous exercise routine due to past knee surgeries. My annual checkups showed I had fairly good blood pressure, low cholesterol and my lab results were excellent. So my family doctor prescribed a daily dose of Nexium to control the acid reflux (Nexium is a PPI – Proton Pump inhibitors – which decreases acid and heals esophageal erosions). Unfortunately, the doctors did not order an endoscopic exam to evaluate the condition of the esophagus or investigate what was causing the acid reflux. I was not aware of the risks.
I had been taking Nexium for around two years; I felt better but my lifestyle pretty much stayed the same. Until one day in mid September 2014, when a piece of banana bread got stuck in my esophagus, causing me to choke. I had to rush to the bathroom so I could bring it back-up. The experience scared me as I was not sure what actually had happened. I originally thought that the food got stuck and just scratched my throat and farther down the esophagus. I did not want to tell my wife as I did not want to alarm her but as each week passed, it felt as though my swallowing was getting more restrictive and things just did not feel right.
On Thanksgiving Day (October 13 in Canada) I found out that my father was diagnosed with Barret’s Disease, usually a precondition to esophageal cancer. That night I did some research on the disease, since my father had also suffered from indigestion and acid reflux ever since I can remember. The information I read was not good news for me; I had all the symptoms of esophageal cancer, and it was then I talked to my wife. The next morning I scheduled an appointment with my family doctor; I was scared!
THE NEWS:
An endoscopy was scheduled for the last week of October 2014. While the procedure was fairly quick, they do give you a fairly strong anesthetic that takes a bit of time to wear off but what I do remember is how serious the surgeon looked when he was informing my wife and I that he had seen a very large tumor in the midrange of my esophagus and it looked cancerous. He told us that the tumor would have to be removed right away for any chance of survival. He said that he was very sorry but he could not give a diagnosis for treatment until further testing was done (results from biopsy, Barium Swallow, CT scan and a PET scan). What this meant was that I had to go through further testing to determine if I was a candidate for surgery. Veronica and I were devastated with the news; we have two small children (4 and 7 years at the time), single income household, and very little family support in the Vancouver area. Our lives suddenly halted, things were put into perspective, and it was hard to cope with what was happening. It felt overwhelming for the both of us to say the least…
ACCEPTANCE, WATING AND SHARING:
The first couple of weeks, after the endoscopy, were very emotional and frightening. We felt vulnerable and anxious to get test results. During the day, Veronica and I played mom and dad, but once the kids went to bed we connected at a different level, hugged each other and shared our feelings and fears. In retrospect, I think we did pretty well under the circumstances. We focused on what we could do to attain inner peace, keep ourselves grounded, accept our emotions and find inspiration to take action, and gain some feelings of control over the situation. The first decision we made was that I was going to start working on losing any fear that I may have of the disease and to accept it as something that is curable. We put all our personal affairs in order, organized our household, and worked on doing everything possible to improve my health starting right away. Since swallowing was an issue, juicing was a great option! I quickly lost weight and felt much better (we received a Vitamix from a dear friend who suffers from Barrett’s disease).
Within a few weeks all the testing was completed and it was time to meet again with the thoracic surgeon. It was confirmed that I had a well advanced type of esophageal cancer. The good news was that there were no distant metastases which would have made cure impossible. The not so good news were that testing showed some very minor activity in a upper lymph node near the trachea. It was decided that I would undergo a very aggressive pre-operative treatment of radiochemotherapy for a period of five weeks.
Breaking the news….. One of the hardest parts of dealing with a diagnosis of cancer, was having to share the news with loved ones but it was especially hard to approach our two young children. We wanted to protect them from fear and worry as much as possible. We decided to softly convey with them the family situation, as it was crucial to have their support and their prayers. We presented them with simple facts, trying to avoid picturing something worse and tried to build their sense of trust by letting them know how much we love them. Nevertheless, It was heartbreaking….. Lucien covered his ears and ran behind the couch and Sofia was confused and fearful about losing her father. We have learned that kids are amazingly resilient and it is essential to create a safe space to openly share our feelings.
We decided to tell some of our family members and close friends as it was important to develop a support network as we have very little family support in Canada. We were pleasantly surprised by all the concern and caring for our well-being and humbled by all the support that we started to receive. At work, people were very understanding, but it was clear that I would have to take a leave from my job. The stress level quickly escalated thinking about our financial situation.
Our community, our Parish a very profound meeting… For the sake of our family, it was important to share the news with the Pastor of our church, Father Glenn Dion. This meeting was profound as he shared his personal ordeal of how he became a long-term survivorship of esophageal cancer. The virtue of hope grows out of faith and is a manifestation of love.
We were very fortunate that a few family members and friends shared their personal experiences during their cancer treatments. We extend our special thanks to each one of them.
TREATMENT:
I started my chemo and radiation treatment on December 16 and finished on January 16. I had to go to the hospital every day and sometimes twice a day for a double dosage of radiation. Overall, the treatment was tolerable; everyone has a different reaction to the treatment. As with many expectations which rarely match up to reality, I seemed to have overestimated the effects of chemotherapy and underestimated the effects of radiation. What is interesting about this type of cancer is that the symptoms are internal. What I have found striking, is that most of our friends and family that see me comment on how well I look. And that is one of the major problems with identifying esophageal cancer. One doesn’t necessarily look like they are living with a lethal illness.
The doctors, nurses, support staff, and volunteers at the BC Cancer Agency were all truly amazing. Veronica’s parents, who are retired, traveled up from Ecuador to help look after the kids (and me!). It was great to have their support and we cherish the very special time that we shared over the Christmas holidays. Shortly after they returned home, Veronica’s Aunt Jacqui arrived from Ecuador to support us and spend time with our kids.
Recovery and Surgery… I am currently recovering from the pre-operative treatment sessions and I feel pretty good! I am able to eat “normal” food (the tumor has shrunk) and I have kept a very healthy diet. My surgery will take place on March 24 – a complete esophagectomy (complete removal of the esophagus) a very complex and life changing procedure. Doctors were clear that without this operation, the chances of survival are null.
WHAT WE HAVE LEARNED:
- Give back – sharing our story to create awareness and perhaps help someone else and prevent esophageal cancer. An act of kindness is a selfless act to assist or to cheer up an individual.
- Enjoy the present moment – Love is the profound unconditional acceptance of the way things are. One day at a time…
- Surround yourself with happy, fun, positive people – IT REALLY HELPS!!!
- In crisis, it is OK to reach out for help – It’s OK to be sad and scared.
- It can happen to anyone.
It’s difficult to express our gratitude to those who have held our hand as we embarked on this journey. We are blessed to be part of an amazing community and we also want to extend our thanks to those who will join us as we continue the next phase.
With love, Jim, Veronica, Sofia and Lucien
Brad Carlson will be doing his rappel in honor of Jim and his courageous battle against EC. Please consider supporting his efforts by donating through his fundraising page, the link to which is at the top of this page.
Rapeller:
Brad Carlson
Please consider helping me reach my goal by visiting my fundraising page at the link above. Why y...