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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Dec 2003
    Location
    Cardiff, CA
    Posts
    2,108

    Cancer and The Grand Teton

    Hey mags!
    I haven't been on here in a bit, but wanted to share some fun stoke...
    So, last July I was diagnosed with rectal cancer and it's been a hell of a ride. I was diagnosed at stage two, so it was caught relatively early (for a healthy 35 year old with no family history of cancer)
    On the first day of chemo/radiation I was a little shocked to see this picture at the end of the hallway...

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    Well, it's been almost a full year. I've done chemo and radiation, surgery to remove the tumor, ileostomy bag and chemo for 6 months, ileostomy take down surgery, infection, shitting my brains out, and now I'm exactly one month away from the eve of my summit! Oh yea, and no sign of cancer!

    Super excited!
    Should be a good crew too. Some good friends from my TGR days. Josh Nielsen, Aaron Hamby, Dave Hudacsko, Todd Jones, Brian McDonnell (who had the same cancer and treatment as I did.) and our Exum Guide is TGR photog Chris Figenshau.

    I've been posting updates on caring bridge if anyone wants to read more about it.
    Also on my instagram @tatemacdowell with the hashtag #TheMountainInTheHallway

    Anyhow, thought I'd share a positive cancer story. I hope to have a pretty awesome trip report to share with everyone!

    This is me training on the stairs at home in Cardiff, CA. I've been doing these for a year to get ready.
    Click image for larger version. 

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    Last edited by HotTate; 06-16-2017 at 07:25 AM.
    www.DeathCookieEntertainment.com

    Sometimes fear just means that you need to push your shins into the front of your ski boots and fuckin send it!

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Dec 2015
    Posts
    16,337
    way to go, ht. glad to hear it. you are one tough, surviving dude.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Oct 2005
    Location
    Wasatch
    Posts
    6,256
    I'm glad to hear you're recovering and that you have a fun goal coming up soon. Good luck! I'm looking forward to the trip report!

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Dec 2005
    Location
    Posts
    15,779
    Go man! Awesome story.

    Fuck cancer.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Apr 2002
    Location
    Impossible to knowl--I use an iPhone
    Posts
    13,142
    Wow, badass. Good luck on the Grand.

    Wonder if you feel like sharing how you got diagnosed? I assume you had some sort of symptoms and they figured it out? Wonder if it was a tough diagnosis given your age (also assuming this is pretty uncommon in younger people).
    [quote][//quote]

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Apr 2006
    Location
    SF & the Ho
    Posts
    9,296
    Change handle to HotTaint?

    Congrats on finishing treatment and good luck. As someone w height issues, impressed you are going grand! Good luck!

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Nov 2003
    Location
    Colorado
    Posts
    2,071
    Best wishes.
    "True love is much easier to find with a helicopter"

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Dec 2006
    Location
    crown of the continent
    Posts
    13,947
    Awesome!! Hope to cross paths when you're out here! Now start doing those stairs with a 35# backpack!!
    Something about the wrinkle in your forehead tells me there's a fit about to get thrown
    And I never hear a single word you say when you tell me not to have my fun
    It's the same old shit that I ain't gonna take off anyone.
    and I never had a shortage of people tryin' to warn me about the dangers I pose to myself.

    Patterson Hood of the DBT's

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Nov 2005
    Location
    Down In A Hole, Up in the Sky
    Posts
    35,358
    Slay it with those boys!
    Forum Cross Pollinator, gratuitously strident

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Nov 2003
    Location
    Vallee Teton
    Posts
    2,586
    awesome, HotTate!
    was stoked that you shared the Mammoth vid earlier this season

    https://www.tetongravity.com/forums/...Through-Cancer

    great goal to motivate and celebrate your recovery

    All the best!
    Last edited by hoarhey; 06-16-2017 at 11:01 AM. Reason: added link to thread
    Aggressive in my own mind

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Nov 2003
    Location
    Vallee Teton
    Posts
    2,586
    and bring back "This show socks!"
    Aggressive in my own mind

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Feb 2011
    Posts
    2,440
    Awesome you're better, sorry about the cancer in your butthole.

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Oct 2002
    Posts
    2,787
    Haha yes ^ this show socks should return!

    Thanks for sharing your story, good stuff to read and get some perspective when the rest of the news on the internet makes the world feel like its burning down... And good luck on your climb!

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Dec 2003
    Location
    Tech Bro Central
    Posts
    3,243
    Sounds epic, Tate. You're an inspiration.

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Sep 2004
    Location
    LV-426
    Posts
    21,125
    Keep kicking cancer's ass!
    Quote Originally Posted by powder11 View Post
    if you have to resort to taking advice from the nitwits on this forum, then you're doomed.

  16. #16
    Join Date
    Dec 2003
    Location
    Cardiff, CA
    Posts
    2,108
    Quote Originally Posted by Dexter Rutecki View Post
    Wow, badass. Good luck on the Grand.

    Wonder if you feel like sharing how you got diagnosed? I assume you had some sort of symptoms and they figured it out? Wonder if it was a tough diagnosis given your age (also assuming this is pretty uncommon in younger people).
    I'll definitely share! One of the good things is that i now get carte blanche to talk about assholes and shit for the rest of my life and it might help someone!
    I had been shitting blood for a long time and was misdiagnosed several times as having internal hemorrhoids. My stool started to get really thin, which started to make me think something was blocking the path. I eventually went directly to GI Surgeon and demanded a colonoscopy. She had a look in the office and confirmed it as definitely a hemorrhoid. Said I could live with it, but suggested that we could get rid of it during the colonoscopy. We should check the whole colon just to be sure. Turns out, that wasn't a hemorrhoid at all. Pretty crazy that I'd had several doctors listen to my symptoms and actually see the mass, but still didn't think it could be cancer.
    www.DeathCookieEntertainment.com

    Sometimes fear just means that you need to push your shins into the front of your ski boots and fuckin send it!

  17. #17
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    I-70 West
    Posts
    4,684
    Congrats Tate, look forward to the TR. Keep bringing the stoke.

  18. #18
    Join Date
    Dec 2003
    Location
    Cardiff, CA
    Posts
    2,108
    Quote Originally Posted by Tye 1on View Post
    Awesome!! Hope to cross paths when you're out here! Now start doing those stairs with a 35# backpack!!
    Going to start doing them with my 3 year old in the backpack. Like Yoda... If he'll sit long enough.
    www.DeathCookieEntertainment.com

    Sometimes fear just means that you need to push your shins into the front of your ski boots and fuckin send it!

  19. #19
    Join Date
    Jun 2006
    Location
    Ventura Highway in the Sunshine
    Posts
    22,431
    Quote Originally Posted by HotTate View Post
    Hey mags!
    I haven't been on here in a bit, but wanted to share some fun stoke...
    So, last July I was diagnosed with rectal cancer
    Two sentences not often associated, but good with with both.

    Maybe I'll see on that little hill, we are climbing it in August.

    I agree it is a constitutional right for Americans to be assholes...its just too bad that so many take the opportunity...
    iscariot

  20. #20
    Join Date
    Dec 2003
    Location
    Cardiff, CA
    Posts
    2,108
    Quote Originally Posted by mcski View Post
    As someone w height issues, impressed you are going grand! Good luck!
    I know! There was a lot of debating when I walked past it for the first week or so. But then the treatments got so fucking nasty that I was just like "Fuck it! I can be scared of heights and still end up dying of fucking cancer? That's stupid."
    www.DeathCookieEntertainment.com

    Sometimes fear just means that you need to push your shins into the front of your ski boots and fuckin send it!

  21. #21
    Join Date
    Apr 2002
    Location
    Impossible to knowl--I use an iPhone
    Posts
    13,142
    Quote Originally Posted by HotTate View Post
    I'll definitely share! One of the good things is that i now get carte blanche to talk about assholes and shit for the rest of my life and it might help someone!
    I had been shitting blood for a long time and was misdiagnosed several times as having internal hemorrhoids. My stool started to get really thin, which started to make me think something was blocking the path. I eventually went directly to GI Surgeon and demanded a colonoscopy. She had a look in the office and confirmed it as definitely a hemorrhoid. Said I could live with it, but suggested that we could get rid of it during the colonoscopy. We should check the whole colon just to be sure. Turns out, that wasn't a hemorrhoid at all. Pretty crazy that I'd had several doctors listen to my symptoms and actually see the mass, but still didn't think it could be cancer.
    Christ, that's even worse than I had thought it would be. My father narrowly avoided (probably) dying of skin cancer when he basically forced the dermatologist to remove a mole that the guy didn't want to take off--turned out to be malignant melanoma and required removing 15 square cm of tissue. I don't want to think everything is cancer/possibly fatal, but hearing stories like yours are worrisome. Good work finally getting to the right diagnosis--excellent that you managed to do it in time. Good luck again.
    [quote][//quote]

  22. #22
    Join Date
    Mar 2008
    Location
    northern BC
    Posts
    30,881
    Quote Originally Posted by HotTate View Post
    I'll definitely share! One of the good things is that i now get carte blanche to talk about assholes and shit for the rest of my life and it might help someone!
    I had been shitting blood for a long time and was misdiagnosed several times as having internal hemorrhoids. My stool started to get really thin, which started to make me think something was blocking the path. I eventually went directly to GI Surgeon and demanded a colonoscopy. She had a look in the office and confirmed it as definitely a hemorrhoid. Said I could live with it, but suggested that we could get rid of it during the colonoscopy. We should check the whole colon just to be sure. Turns out, that wasn't a hemorrhoid at all. Pretty crazy that I'd had several doctors listen to my symptoms and actually see the mass, but still didn't think it could be cancer.
    There are 4 "bag shitters" on my father's side so I get the scope every 5 yrs, I've had 3 of them, the scope is actualy not so bad but the prep is "shitty"

    yeah misdiagnosis, happened to my dad and recently my ski bro but the scope will finally show cancer when the prostate exam misses it ... get the scope
    Last edited by XXX-er; 06-16-2017 at 01:48 PM.
    Lee Lau - xxx-er is the laziest Asian canuck I know

  23. #23
    Join Date
    Oct 2005
    Posts
    11,736
    My mother had the same and beat it too. You just keep right on dominating anything you put your mind to, Tate.

  24. #24
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Location
    Teton Village
    Posts
    2,674
    Awesome!
    Ski Shop - Basement of the Hostel



    Do not tell fish stories where the people know you; but particularly, don't tell them where they know the fish.

    Mark Twain

  25. #25
    Join Date
    Dec 2002
    Location
    cow hampshire
    Posts
    8,295
    Nice Tate! Kicking cancers ass!

    You have a helluva crew to enjoy that climb with! Cherish every moment along with every step.

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