Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) shared a post on LinkedIn:
“In June 2021, David Wishart was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer at just 36 years old.
As former college runner and current avid cycler, David was constantly in tune with his body, and he knew something was off when the numbers he was hitting in training didn’t match up. Then came the abdominal pain.
A scan soon confirmed his diagnosis. David made the decision to travel to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) from suburban Philadelphia for treatment, under the multidisciplinary care of colorectal surgeon Dr. Julio Garcia-Aguilar, gastroenterologist Dr. Robin Mendelsohn, gastrointestinal oncologist Dr. Sree Chalsani, and hepatopancreatobiliary surgeon Dr. Michael D’Angelica.
‘I would not have made it this far without the incredible doctors, nurses, and support team at MSK,’ David shares. ‘They were there when I needed them the most.’
David’s initial treatment consisted of removal of the right turn of the colon and two nodules in the liver, and twelve cycles of systemic chemotherapy and three cycles of targeted hepatic chemotherapy (through a hepatic artery infusion pump). About 4.5 months after chemotherapy, the rest of his colon was removed. David’s scans have been clear ever since.
One thing he says he’s especially grateful for during this treatment: MSK’s support services.
‘MSK’s extensive patient services-like social work, peer support, and education-have been essential in supporting me, my wife, and my children during the invisible struggle of our cancer journey.’
David and his family were able to participate in MSK-led activities and therapies including patient gatherings, at-home art kits, and paint nights. He’s also helped raise more than $32,000 to support these services through MSK’s Giving site.
Today, David, 41, and Kaitlin live outside of Boston and enjoy family time with their son and daughter. Their daughter, who was born one month after David completed chemotherapy, has the middle name Sloan, in honor of MSK.
His advice to someone who is newly diagnosed, particularly at such a young age:
‘You have to trust your team. Whatever that team is. The group in the room has to be the ones that solve and figure it out, and MSK gave me that medical team.'”
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