Hello. I’m Jonathan. I was diagnosed with stage IV colon cancer in April of 2020 in the ER right at the height of the first COVID pandemic. The ER doc might have been an alien judging by the space suit and the number of anal probes I have had to endure in the last two years. Since then, I have had almost constant chemo and a surgery to remove the mass in my colon and seven tumors from my liver. The largest was the size of a baseball. I have no idea how that even happens. Wendy says I must have a high tolerance for pain.
Before my career in public health, I was a fitness instructor and Personal Trainer but let my habits slide when I started graduate school. Since my diagnosis, I have continued to become more sedentary. My only exercise is moving around the house now. Last spring, I took the dogs out for a walk around the neighborhood at least a few times a week but chemo has really limited how much physical activity I can do. I have to count my spoons, take lots of breaks and stay on top of my nausea medication if I want to accomplish something big.
I look forward to the program and will increase the amount of movement I do by tackling some projects around the house.