Meet Mr. September | Adam Benlon

September 9, 2012
Turning the calendar to Mr. September makes us smile anyway, but especially because we get to stare at Adam for the next month. Not only is his story of survivorship inspiring, but his jokes and humor make him extra fun. Enjoy getting to know this latest colon survivor!

The BASICS

Name: Adam Benlon Diagnosis: Stage IIIc colon cancer on  August 18, 2009 Age at Diagnosis: 29  

ON SURVIVING CANCER:

Where were you when you found out you had colon cancer?  I was laying in the hospital after my colonoscopy. What were your symptoms? Headaches, exhaustion, tiredness and extreme anemia. What did your treatment involve? Colon resection removed 2.5 feet of colon and the tumor. They couldn’t remove all of the tumor, so I had 5.5 weeks of radiation, wearing a chemo pump with 5Fu the entire time. Treatment for 5 days/week. 12 treatments of chemo (6 months). Worst thing about treatment? The numbness in the hands and feet. Going through it in winter; the cold sensation. What got you through cancer treatment? Any goals or mindsets that plowed you through? My wife and having a new baby at home. It was something to keep me fighting. Does cancer run in your family? Yes – my mom’s had breast cancer; brother's had melanoma and my grandmother had colon cancer. adam-benlon-colon-cancer-survivor

WHAT HAS SURVIVING CANCER TAUGHT YOU…

About your body? Trust your body; know when something is wrong. I knew something was wrong and they were trying to figure it out, but I should have been more proactive in doing some things.  About life? Enjoy every day. About family? You realize how much support you need to go through something like this, how important family truly is and how much people care about you. How is your health today?     Good, probably the healthiest I’ve been in a long time pre-cancer. Do you do anything now that you didn’t thanks to cancer? I work out a lot more regularly; I try to eat organic. Eat healthier. How has cancer changed your life for the better? It’s made me appreciate the small things in life. I used to be a workaholic, run with my hair on fire. Work 7 days/week, no breaks. Now I’m a lot more laid back than I used to be. Not as intense about certain things, used to be intense about job/work/business, and now what happens, happens. What do you hope your message and survival story will do for others? I hope it gets the word out there and encourages people to trust what they’re feeling. Don’t automatically assume everything is trying everything possible. Get second opinions. Really focus; know what your body is supposed to do. If things change, go find out why. If what they tell you doesn’t make sense, go get a second opinion.

RANDOM INFO ABOUT ADAM

Job?  District Manager at Toyota Collect anything?  Change – I always pick up pennies; I have 5-gallon bucket in my closet. Hobbies?  Anything outdoors – boating, working out, going to the gym every morning 5am, playing with my kids, spend all my spare time with them. I'm a car guy – don’t work on cars like I used to. But actually, I used to fish a lot too and do tournament fishing. I bought a boat before I bought a car. I'm also very patriotic. Where are you from?  Shawnee, Kansas Claim to fame?  I’m a professional comedian that never made it. Oh - and Betsy Ross is a long-lost relative of ours. Fist job? Worked concessions at a movie theater.