Cancer
That five letter word that nobody ever wants to hear, yet it seems like everyone knows someone who has heard it. Nobody thinks they are gonna hear those words about someone they know, or even worse, themselves. On February 11, 2014 Dr. Darren Keller at Sharp Memorial Hospital told Norman Pokorny that he was being diagnosed with colon cancer. What started as a routine colonoscopy led to Pokorny being told news that would change his life forever. Pokorny immediately asked the doctors whether this was something that would kill him. There was no response.
“I felt my heart sink I was so scared.” -Norman Pokorny
What people often do not think about is how difficult it is to tell your friends and family about the diagnosis. You essentially are forced to relive one of the worst moments of your life over and over again in telling the numerous people in your life who care about you and your well being.
“Having to tell everyone was very difficult but all of the support I received helped a lot” -Norman Pokorny
Many people begin to think the worst about the situation. Understandable, as cancer is a deadly disease. Pokorny, however, saw this too as a road block, but not one that he could not get around. It was not the first major adversity to come into Pokorny’s life so in a way he knew how to handle himself and remain as positive as possible.
The eight hour surgery was successful and Pokorny felt incredibly grateful for the surgeons who worked to save his life. He was then told that he would need to stay in the hospital until his colon started working again.
However, it was not all sunshine and butterflies. You miss a lot in life when you are forced to stay in the hospital. One of these events was his son’s birthday. Months prior to the diagnosis, Pokorny got his son tickets to the Harlem Globetrotters, the basketball team known for putting on a theatrical performance. The plan was for Pokorny to take his son to the game for a classic father son bonding experience. Doctors had initially told Pokorny that he would be able to attend this but due to medical complications he was forced to stay in the hospital. The phone call telling his son that he would not be able to take him was a difficult one to make.
“I felt horrible. When you are stuck in a hospital you use plans for when you will be released as motivation so it was hard to not see them come to fruition.” -Norman Pokorny
All of that did make finally being discharged from the hospital that much sweeter. On February 26, Pokorny was discharged and the first thing he decided to do was eat a cheeseburger and fries from McDonalds. Usually a very healthy person, Pokorny decided to splurge as for the previous weeks his diet consisted of broth, popsicles, and jello as the surgery removed eight inches of his colon.
“You learn a lot from this sort of thing, about yourself, your friends, and your family” -Norman Pokorny
For the first time it was clear to him that every lap around the hospital and every jello cup was worth it. He was a survivor.
Today, Pokorny gets tested every five years for cancer polyps yet none have been found. He is cancer free and stronger than ever.
