Early Detection Pays Off: Blueprint for Wellness Helps Participant and His Doctor Spot Cancer
In late 2022, Rev. Joe Stobaugh just wasn’t feeling like himself. At age 44, he thought his low energy and slight weight gain could likely be chalked up to the stress of his job, needing to be a bit more active and improving his diet. But thanks to his annual Blueprint for Wellness screening—and an attentive doctor—early diagnosis of stage 3 colon cancer helped save his life.
"I've done the Blueprint for Wellness screening for seven years in a row," Rev. Joe shared. "It's helpful to see the numbers [in the results] compared year over year. And the $100 incentive every year is definitely nice, too."
After completing his annual screening and reviewing the results with his doctor, Rev. Joe’s doctor suggested he might be anemic from a tear in his colon and ordered a colonoscopy to confirm. The results were not at all what Rev. Joe or his doctor expected.
"We do the colonoscopy and the first thing he says is ‘We’ve got a problem. You have colon cancer,'" recalls Rev. Joe. "The tumor was in a strange place, which is becoming more and more the case for people under 50 who are diagnosed with colon cancer. It was a tough surgery that took about 7.5 hours—they took out 18 inches of my colon."
According to Rev. Joe's oncologist, he was lucky he had done the initial bloodwork and that his doctor had ordered the colonoscopy. "He said that if we had waited four to six months, it would have been stage 4 and we’d be having a very different conversation."
After the surgery and chemotherapy, Rev. Joe’s doctors now report there’s no evidence of cancer. He’s doing well, especially with the support of his community.
"I've always appreciated the Blueprint for Wellness because it gives me a chance every year to look back at the previous years and see where I need to get a little bit better," said Rev. Joe. "But in this case, the Blueprint for Wellness—and having a smart, proactive doctor—tipped us off that something might be going on."
