Those of you who have been regular readers of my blog over the years or read my autobiography, "Ya Wanna Go?", are probably familiar with my recovery story from stage 4 colon cancer. The moral of the story is this: don't ignore the warning signs.
I did for too long. Thanks to my doctors, the support I received from my family and from friends of all walks of life (both within and beyond the hockey community) and my own will to fight in order to live for my then-unborn child, I survived.
November is right around the corner. Each November is Hockey Fights Cancer month. It's something that affects every one of us. We've all lost immediate and/or extended family members, friends, colleagues to one form of cancer or another (or, at absolute minimum we know someone who lost someone close). Some of us are cancer survivors ourselves.
Earlier this year, famed journalist Katie Couric invited me to contribute an article on my colon cancer survival story to her official website. I was greatly honored to do so. If even one person is motivated to get screened -- or draws some comfort from knowing that it IS possible for someone to beat the odds if he or she does have an advanced stage of colon cancer -- that would be one heck of a reward for a small contribution to the discourse.
As I explained in my article on KatieCouric.com and discussed in one of the chapters of my autobiography, my wife, Lori, was watching the Today show early one morning in February 1998. Katie did a report on colon cancer screening and Lori summoned me to watch because I had every one of the symptoms described in the report.
I had dismissed my symptoms as nothing major but my wife, who had just learned she was pregnant with our first child, demanded that I see the doctor. That's how I learned that I not only had colon cancer but it was already at advanced stage (end-phase Stage 3 directly on the borderline of Stage 4, which is almost always terminal at that point). Ultimately, I was one of the lucky ones but I wouldn't wish that ordeal on any human being.
Thank you, Katie, for allowing me to tell my story to an audience that may not have any idea who I am, may not be a hockey fan and may never, in fact, have seen a hockey game. Hopefully, someone somewhere can benefit. Click here:
This Hockey Hall of Famer was told his cancer was terminal -- Here's what happened next.
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A 2018 inductee into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame, Paul Stewart holds the distinction of being the first U.S.-born citizen to make it to the NHL as both a player and referee. On March 15, 2003, he became the first American-born referee to officiate in 1,000 NHL games. Visit Paul's official websites, YaWannaGo.com and Officiating by Stewart 
Blogger •Former NHL Referee • 
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