Victor’s Cancer Journey

Victor C., a firefighter for the City of North Port, FL for more than 15 years, was 46 when he was diagnosed with stage IV colon cancer that had progressed to the liver and lungs. 

He was in charge of 18 and 19-year-olds at the firehouse and was constantly trying to keep up with them. As time went on, he noticed this becoming harder. “I was feeling fatigued and just thought it was age creeping up on me,” he says. 

Firefighters are well known for their higher-than-average cancer rates due to toxic exposure. Because of this, Victor received a comprehensive annual physical each year. Known as ‘Life Scans, these physical exams are often successful in the detection of cancer.  

An ultrasound of his whole body identified a suspicious lesion on Victor’s liver. “I went to walk-in ER at Northport. Doctors there told me I possibly had cancer. Then I was referred to a Medical Oncologist who made the diagnosis.”

Victor received his first chemotherapy treatment one day before Hurricane Ian struck the west coast of Florida in September, 2022. Today, several surgeries later, Victor is receiving chemotherapy through two ports. One port is used to administer traditional chemotherapy and the other is a newer technology called a hepatic artery infusion (HAI) pump placed by GenesisCare surgical oncologist Dr. Mark Bloomston who specializes in complex GI cancers and advanced liver and pancreas procedures. 

Able to compare the traditionally administered chemotherapy to the more targeted chemotherapy he receives directly to the liver through the HAI pump, Victor reports not feeling the typical side effects with the HAI pump that he does with traditional chemotherapy. “It doesn’t feel like you’re on chemo at all,” he says. Meanwhile, the chemotherapy going to the liver is up to 400 times the dose that can be delivered to the rest of the body.

With support from his family and colleagues, Victor finds joy in the small wins he gets along his treatment journey. “It's not going to happen all at once. Every time I go in for a scan, I look for small victories. Little victories. That’s what it’s about.”

Has also made numerous lifestyle and dietary changes to help his liver regenerate on its own. He no longer eats red meat and stays away from processed meat. “They’re gone, they’re just not in my life anymore.”

When he first learned about the innovative HAI pump technology, Victor said he was open and willing to try anything his doctors recommended. “I had no hesitations. You have to listen to and trust the experts around you. That’s why they’re in that field,” he says. “I’m having good results as far as my blood count numbers and how it’s attacking the cancer.”

When asked what advice he’d give others in his situation, Victor says, “a cancer diagnosis is not the end of the world. You just have to fight it. Everybody’s situation is different. Don’t give up. Fight it. That way you know you did everything you could possibly do.”