WEST BLOOMFIELD, Mich. – It’s a ritual Michael Taylor follows four times a week.
Walking into the St. Mary’s ice rink in West Bloomfield. Putting on his hockey gear. Lacing up his skates. Stepping onto the ice he knows so well.
Taylor is used to staring down fierce competitors, but three years ago, he noticed something far scarier.
“I had some symptoms at 37. I definitely had some, they call it ‘blood in the stool,’ which isn’t easy to talk about. But, it was alarming, because it was a little bit at first, and then over time, it gradually got more and more,” Taylor said.
He started using the bathroom more frequently. Then he developed pain.
“It’s the fear. Like I was just scared. I was just, ‘Oh, oh no, I don’t want to go get this checked out. What if it is something bad?’” he said.
Taylor finally sought help from Dr. Claire Peeples, a colorectal surgeon at Corewell Health.
“Right away, we scheduled him for a colonoscopy and had to let him know that my concerns are, this could be something more than just a hemorrhoid or a fissure,” Peeples said.
Taylor was diagnosed with stage four rectal cancer and stage three colon cancer. His tumor measured four centimeters.
“I woke up from the colonoscopy, bad news. And it’s like, ‘Well, what’s the plan?’ And ‘We got a plan. Let’s put something together.’ And that actually felt better than not knowing, you know, that was, as scary as it was, it was like, ‘Okay, now we know. Now we can actually manage this,’” Taylor said.
The plan included chemotherapy pills, proton therapy, and then IV chemo.
“Mike’s tumor responded really well to the upfront treatment. His pain went away, his bleeding went away. And now we’re monitoring him very closely to make sure that that tumor stays down and that it doesn’t grow,” Peeples said.
Taylor said hockey -- and his teammates -- have helped him fight.
“Hockey is probably the reason I got through all this so well, because you’re scared of all these treatments. I know what’s scary is Big Bob, when he hits you in the corner at 45 miles an hour,” Taylor joked.
Taylor’s teammates also donated money to help with his massive medical bills.
“That was everything. That really kind of shook me because it was like an affirmation of friendship with all these guys,” Taylor said.
Taylor’s case is part of a frightening trend. Colorectal cancer is now the leading cause of cancer deaths in adults under age 50.
“It’s very concerning because we don’t have a reason for why this is happening. I think there’s still a lot of ongoing research looking at the microbiome, environmental things, but it is concerning because a lot times these are young, healthy people that don’t have any other risk factors, no family history,” Peeples said. “His story inspired me and can inspire a lot of people to let them know that any symptom that they have, they should get it evaluated by a doctor right away.”
Taylor wants people to hear that message -- especially if fear is what’s stopping them.
“When you start seeing blood, maybe week one, week two, go see someone. Seriously, it’s not that big of a deal. It’s not that scary. Everybody’s like, ‘Oh, colonoscopy at 45.’ They’re going to move that down. And it needs to be because
they’re finding it more in younger people and if fear is the thing stopping you, don’t let it. Be strong, be tough, go talk to someone. That’s super important," Taylor said. “The fear is so much worse than actually knowing. So living in a fear of unknown is -- It’s like unacceptable.”
Taylor also wants people to understand: if it is cancer, there are better treatment options than in previous years -- but you need to get the doctors in the game.
“We have the technology. They have the ways to make you comfortable and feel comfortable about whatever treatment you’re getting,” he said.
Taylor has suffered a lot of hockey injuries over the years -- including a broken hand, collarbone, leg, knee, and a root canal. He said all of the cancer treatment was not nearly as painful as the hockey stuff.
“Postponing treatment because of fear is the biggest mistake that anybody can make,” Taylor said. “They can solve these problems. Just the sooner you go, the easier. That’s the whole thing, the sooner the better.”
To learn more about screening for colorectal cancer, click here.
To learn more about colorectal cancer screening and treatment at Corewell Health, click here.