Ottawa Senators GM Bryan Murray has been a friend of mine since 1981 when he got his first job coaching a pro team with the AHL Hershey Bears. In the years since we have had many wonderful conversations, the last one of which was in the Flyers pressroom last season when the Senators were visiting Philadelphia. As always, Bryan looked wonderful, was upbeat, and we had a great time reminiscing about his days in Hershey and many other things. As usual the stories we shared were many and the laughs long and loud.
Late last June, however, Bryan learned that he has stage 4 colon cancer and that it had been growing undetected for years. There are no laughs we will be sharing about that. And while his disease is treatable with chemotherapy, it is not curable and will most likely eventually take his life.
“The doctor told me very matter of factly that I had colon cancer, it was in my liver and I had some on my lung. It was very serious and I had to get into treatment right away,… Murray told TSN this week. He then noted that he likely had the problem for 10 years, but did not get a colonoscopy. “A simple colonoscopy, in my case, probably would have solved the problem that I have.…
This hits home for me and should for everyone over fifty. I have now had four full colonoscopy procedures in the last 19 years and will continue to have another one every four years for the rest of my days. With each one small precancerous polyps were found and removed. I know very well that had I not had these procedures I might very well not be here now.
So my message here is to please don't put this essential procedure off. It is really very easy to have done as an outpatient and you are in and out in under two hours. You owe it to yourself and your family to be safe and avoid this terrible disease which is virtually 100% preventable.
And listen carefully to what my friend Bryan Murray says in this video and heed his message. It could very well save your life.