Cancer and Clinical Services Patient Stories

Finding out he had stage III rectal cancer was a shock. After all, Marcus Wendling was only in his 40s. He exercised regularly, ate a healthy diet and never had a chronic medical condition or required long-term medication in his life. A colonoscopy in November 2023 was prompted by just one symptom, some blood in his stool.

“They found a benign polyp in my colon and a large polyp in the lower rectum that tested positive for cancer,” says Marcus. “Following an MRI, CT scan and bloodwork, all studies suggested that the cancerous tumor remaining was a stage I issue.” However, due to the location of the tumor, Marcus was going to need a lower anterior resection, a major surgery that involves removing the part of the rectum with cancer and reattaching the remaining healthy part to the colon.

“I explained to my doctor that I completely trusted her, and we agreed to get a second opinion while going through the surgical prep work required for surgery in Dayton. I immediately called a good friend with a contact at The James, and that is how I ended up at Ohio State,” he says.

Less than a week after he called for an appointment, Marcus was at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute (the OSUCCC – James) to see Matthew Kalady, MD, a colorectal surgeon who’s a widely recognized expert in colorectal cancer and its hereditary syndromes. Marcus had a flexible sigmoidoscopy that same day, which is a test using a thin flexible tube equipped with a camera and light to give the medical team a view of the rectum and part of the large intestine. Based on those results, Dr. Kalady was able to confirm the need for a lower anterior resection.

“He explained the procedure, including the potential for an ileostomy bag, answered my questions and told me there was no pressure to make a decision that day,” says Marcus. “Even though he was already scheduled two- to three months out, he told me he’d fit my surgery into the schedule. I thought about it for less than 48 hours –– I wanted to go to the best around –– and less than two weeks later, I was in surgery.”

Like many, Marcus did end up needing a temporary ileostomy bag, but he says he went into surgery already prepared for that possibility. He also developed a small leak, which is a risk of any lower anterior resection. As a result, Marcus stayed an extra week at the OSUCCC – James, and Dr. Kalady placed a couple of drains, which helped the leak resolve over the next few weeks.

Biopsy results after the complex five-to-six-hour surgery revealed another surprise. Although successful margins were confirmed above and below the original tumor, three of the 12 lymph nodes that Dr. Kalady removed during surgery tested positive for cancer. “So, now after receiving the unfortunate news of a stage III diagnosis due to lymph node involvement, I needed chemotherapy,” Marcus says.

His medical oncologist was Pannaga G Malalur, MBBS, and she assured him that he didn’t need a port and could take his chemo in a pill form combined with weekly infusions.

“I don’t think anyone can be fully prepared for the wave of emotions they experience when starting chemotherapy, but the nurses at the Martha Morehouse infusion clinic are the best,” he says. “I heard horror stories of symptoms associated with chemotherapy, but I was so fortunate to experience pretty minimal side effects over the next 12 weeks. I had some fatigue and neuropathy, with numbness and tingling in my hands and feet. Still, I was determined to exercise almost every day and walk as much as possible. The only viable option was to just power through the treatment.”

“I’m a very compliant patient, and Dr. Kalady had explained the percentages of my cancer and the risks throughout,” he says. “The few very specific medical-related questions I asked were answered in a very direct and honest fashion, and the nurses and physician assistants were so helpful at every step, from the hospitalizations to every follow-up appointment. My entire care team always presented me with a realistic picture of how I would feel, potential symptoms, how my body would adjust –– so I was always prepared.”

After completing his chemo, Marcus then had his ileostomy reversed. “It was difficult. It’s not like turning a faucet back on, but Dr. Kalady and his entire staff kept telling me, ‘Your body will adjust’ –– and it did.”

Marcus has now graduated to just quarterly surveillance, and he says he appreciates the staff’s continued help coordinating multiple appointments to the same day, particularly given his distance from Columbus. He emphasizes his care team’s proactive approach and how impressed he and his wife were with the entire medical staff at The James and the Wexner Medical Center, describing them as compassionate, professional and very informative.

“I’m so fortunate to be living in normalcy again,” Marcus says. For him, that includes a return to workouts and training for his next 70.3-mile IronMan Triathlon. “I’m healthy again,” he says. “It’s full steam ahead.”