Wade Hayes uses his battle with cancer to raise awareness

But the fatigue, bleeding and pain were not, as he had assumed, caused by a hectic lifestyle and strenuous weight lifting. They were indications of what he was diagnosed with in the fall: stage IV colon cancer.

Hayes' initial reaction to the news was numbness.

"I'm still a young man," said the 42-year-old musician, who is originally from Bethel Acres. Hayes, known for '90s hits "Old Enough to Know Better" and "The Day She Left Tulsa (In a Chevy)," now lives in Nashville.

Hayes had no family history of the disease and wasn't yet 50, the age at which the risk for colon cancer increases and regular colonoscopies are recommended.

"My doctors looked at my blood work and said, 'There is no way you should have cancer, but you do.' "

Dealing with it

Hayes has had surgery to remove the cancer, which had also spread to his liver.

"I'm cancer-free currently," he said in a recent telephone interview.

But his whole life has changed. It was hard for Hayes to admit to himself that he had cancer and that he had to change his lifestyle.

After surgery, Hayes said it took a while for him to even be able to get out on his driveway.

"Now I'm taking short jogs with my dog," he said. "I'm in semi-shape, but I'll never be like I was."

Hayes hasn't been able to work much since his diagnosis. His most recent show was late last month with Randy Owen.

"It was really, really fun, but it did wear me out," he said.

Hayes' chemotherapy sessions, which he began in January and will continue until June, have also complicated his schedule.

"That's a lifestyle unto itself," he said of the treatment. "It's tough to plan a tour or concerts around your chemotherapy."

The treatment makes him feel lethargic and achy, similar to a flu, he said.

"It takes a few days to clear that out, to get to where you feel you can do something," he said.

Disease and prevention

Hayes' cancer was diagnosed late. At stage IV, it had metastasized, or spread. In fact, the cancer was discovered only after Hayes went to the hospital because of the pain caused by his tumor forcing his intestine to collapse in on itself, a condition called intussusception.

He's now working to keep people from reaching this stage and encourages anyone who has any "inkling" that something may be wrong to get screened.

"You don't have to be in the shape that I was in," Hayes said.

Rectal bleeding, abdominal pain, fatigue, unintended weight loss and changes in bowel habits - such as diarrhea or constipation that lasts for more than a few days - could all be symptoms of colon cancer, according to the American Cancer Society.

Colorectal cancer, which is often called colon cancer, is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer and third leading cause of cancer death in men and women in the U.S., according to the American Cancer Society. But it is also one of the most preventable forms of cancer.

"From the time the first abnormal cells start to grow into polyps, it usually takes about 10 to 15 years for them to develop into colorectal cancer," according to the American Cancer Society. "Regular screening can, in many cases, prevent colorectal cancer altogether. This is because most polyps can be found and removed before they have the chance to turn into cancer."

Other methods of prevention include maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

According to the American Cancer Society, studies have shown that many things can be done to lower the risk of colorectal cancer, including maintaining a healthy weight; eating more vegetables, fruits and whole grains; limiting the intake of red and processed meats; and increasing the intensity and amount of physical activity.

"People know what to do and what not to do," said Hayes of these healthy habits. "But doing it is the hard part."

For those in his same position, Hayes tells them to hang in there.

"It can get better," he said. "I'm getting stronger every day."

Original Print Headline: An education in cancer

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Nour Habib 918-581-8369
nour.habib@tulsaworld.com

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