John Dempsey, a resident of Munster, Indiana, began his long battle with cancer at the age of 52-years-old. Dempsey had no idea that receiving a colonoscopy as a preventative measure would begin a six-year journey with colorectal cancer. Dempsey underwent treatment for his cancer three separate times, most recently receiving intensive treatment from Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. Despite dealing with a diagnosis that would turn his life upside down, Dempsey maintained a sense of humor and a hopeful outlook which he attributes to his success with treatment.
The initial diagnosis came as a shock to Dempsey. As a policeman then, Dempsey had spent time maintaining his physical health. At first, Dempsey felt upset to have put in so much work staying physically well just to receive a cancer diagnosis. He would, in time, become grateful for his life experiences and choices before diagnosis.
“The nurses were all very friendly,” Dempsey said. “When I came out of the colonoscopy procedure, she walked by and looked down. I thought it was odd. When the doctor came in, he shut the door. When he told me the news, I was in shock. I had my oldest daughter with me, and I just started crying. It completely rocked my world.”
To treat the cancer after his first diagnosis, Dempsey received laser surgery out of Rush Hospital. The recovery from surgery proved easier than expected, and within a month, Dempsey was back to work and life as close to normal as could be. For the next year, Dempsey would proceed with life as normal.
At his yearly scan, Dempsey received the news that his cancer had returned. Dempsey struggled with some anxiety because of this, but he had a game plan and they knew how they would treat his cancer. Dempsey would receive six weeks of chemotherapy and radiation, and then undergo surgery to remove any cancerous cells. The most challenging part of this go-around for Dempsey was learning to adjust to having an ostomy bag.
“When I woke up from my second surgery, I was in the dark recovery room alone,” Dempsey said. “When I woke up with that bag, I was screaming. The first year with this new bag was a tough adjustment, but after about six months, it had started to become a part of me. I did learn to embrace it. With my family especially, I'll make jokes about it. I’ll go up to my nephews and lift my shirt and make funny comments. My father always said, even when he was dying of cancer, ‘Always keep your sense of humor.’”
After his second cancer treatment, Dempsey again returned to life as relatively normal. He played in a bagpipe band, Bagpipes & Drums of the Emerald Society. When Dempsey began to feel pain in his lower back to the pelvic area, he went to the hospital again to receive a biopsy.
Dempsey’s third diagnosis was a much more difficult journey. The surgeon he had seen at Rush Hospital was not able to perform surgery on Dempsey this time. Dempsey had to return to the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. After a team of specialists was consulted, it was determined that surgery could be performed to remove the cancerous tumor Dempsey was suffering from and maintain a 10% chance of reoccurrence.
The surgery would come with side effects on his quality of life, but through this hardship, Dempsey learned just how important his support system was, and how his life experiences had led up to his survival.
“The kindness that was shown to me was unbelievable,” Dempsey said. “My treatment team was wonderful and caring. I couldn’t have gotten through this without the support of my wife, Dina, and my daughters as well as my brothers and sisters. When I was at Mayo Clinic, I made a dear friend, who besides my wife and family, I would consider to be my biggest source of inspiration and support. His name was John Trembczynski, but I called him Big John. He always told me, ‘Have you heard the bell? If not, keep fighting.’”
Dempsey now walks with a cane, has little-to-no feeling in his right hand, and has both an ostomy and urostomy pouch. Despite the many changes in his life, Dempsey is grateful for where he is. He recently welcomed a new grandson, whom Dempsey credits as his biggest inspiration to keep going. Dempsey even goes as far as to say that his hobby nowadays is being a good grandfather.
Through years of treatment, anxiety, unexpected changes, and physical pain, Dempsey has stayed hopeful and grateful for the life he leads.
“You always need that little ray of hope,” Dempsey said. “If I could tell anyone one piece of advice it would be this; keep going. Just like my buddy Big John always said, ‘If you haven’t heard that bell, you need to keep fighting.’ Today, I would say above all else, I am grateful. I’m grateful for my wife, my family, and my friends. I’m grateful to have met John and for the support from my coworkers and the Chicago Emerald Society. Having that support system helped me keep my hope, and they all played a part in helping me to keep on fighting.”
