Back on Water Skis Six Weeks After Treatment for Stage 4 Rectal Cancer

You could say Dawn Gearheart and her husband, Mason, are obsessed with water skiing. “There’s something about the thrill of running the course, then making it harder next time,” Dawn Gearheart says.

This adventurous spirit was an asset when she had a good result from a home-based colon cancer screening test but found out after a colonoscopy three years later, she had stage 4 rectal cancer. That started a slalom of therapy that turned Gearheart into a survivor of cancer and brought her back to the life she loves after 2 ½ years.

Already a Lehigh Valley Health Network (LVHN) patient for routine care, Gearheart met with hematologist oncologist Maged Khalil, MD, with Lehigh Valley Topper Cancer Institute. Her clinicians, which Gearheart refers to as her “A team,” included colorectal surgeon John Park, MD, surgical oncologist Jeffrey Brodsky, MD, and radiation oncologist Alyson McIntosh, MD.

“Stage 4 cancer often requires complex treatment strategies that involve various specialties, including medical oncology, radiation oncology, surgery, palliative care and nutrition,” Dr. Khalil says. “A multidisciplinary team ensures that all aspects of a patient’s health and treatment are addressed.”

Gearheart wanted Dr. Khalil to know her and her “why” for getting better. From Dr. Khalil’s view, this is what personalized treatment means. “Every case is unique,” he says. “Involving patients in discussions about their treatment options and incorporating their preferences and values can lead to more empowered decision-making.”

Gearheart’s treatment started with chemotherapy. The goal was to shrink the tumor to preserve the anal sphincter muscle and the ability to use the bathroom normally. That was combined with radiation, then Gearheart would undergo chemotherapy again after recovery from surgery.

Initial testing showed that Gearheart’s cancer had spread to her liver and that she would need liver surgery. She had done her research and was confident with her current clinicians, especially knowing that LVHN is a member of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Alliance. However, she complied with her family’s request for a second opinion. “The surgeon I saw at the other hospital agreed with everything we were doing, so I stayed at LVHN,” Gearheart says.

Dr. Brodsky removed the right lobe of Gearheart’s liver, with radiation also happening in that time frame. After that came 12 weeks of recovery, then the final three courses of chemotherapy. “In June 2022, we removed the tumor from her rectum and performed an ileostomy, an opening in the belly that’s a temporary drainage for waste,” Dr. Park says. “The waste is collected in a pouch.”

Six weeks after the ileostomy, Gearheart headed for her happy place, and water skied (with the pouch in place) across her favorite lake to the surprise of her friends and family. Twelve weeks after it was conducted, the ileostomy was reversed. She utilized LVHN’s cancer nutritional program to wean herself back to a regular diet and took advantage of counseling offered by LVHN for anxiety, brought on by her illness.

“Dawn is being followed closely with regular exams, scans, circulating tumor DNA testing and labs,” Dr. Khalil says. “She is doing great physically and emotionally at almost three years.” Reflecting on her experience, Gearheart is motivated to share an important message.

“I went from being OK to stage 4 cancer in three years,” she says. “My message is: Don’t trust the at-home test, get the colonoscopy. No one likes the prep. But that prep is a whole lot better than chemotherapy, radiation and surgery.”