HNPCC survivor calls for importance of knowing one’s own body

In the summer of 2014, Christian was living in Vienna, Austria, with his family due to his work. As a sports enthusiast and cycling lover, Christian recalls he was quite confident and comfortable about his health condition. However, one day, Christian noticed something unusual with his body – blood in his stool. There was no pain, and the symptoms disappeared quickly. But after a while, he noticed that the same incident occurred several times. Christian went to see a doctor, after which he was advised to undergo an endoscopy. Christian was thinking if anything was wrong with his health, it would be something minor – but the result was quite unexpected. A tumor of a size around 4 centimeters was found in his colon during the endoscopy. “I was really frightened in the way I had never been before,” he said.

The type of colon cancer Christian was diagnosed with was Hereditary Nonpolyposis Colorectal Cancer (HNPCC). It turned out that his genetic constitution was susceptible to developing certain types of diseases, such as colon cancer, at a relatively young age. The percentage of this type of genetic disposition being passed down from parents to children is said to be at around 50%. For Christian, who had no information about any relevant medical history of his parents or relatives, the diagnosis came as something totally out of the blue.

Right after hearing the news, Christian’s mother traveled 900km from her home in Germany to Austria. Many of his friends also prayed for him, he reflected. “I thought my main duty was to do the best I could to care for myself in order to be there for the family again as quickly as possible.” Supported by his friends and family, the acute sense of fear subsided as well, he said.

Three days after the first colonoscopy, Christian underwent surgery to remove the tumor. An open-abdomen procedure was chosen since a shadow was detected in his liver during the preceding examination. As a result of the surgery conducted at a university hospital in Vienna, nothing was found in Christian’s liver. The operation was successful.

Nine years after the surgery, Christian is enjoying his life as he had before, both in his professional and his private life. He enjoys playing the guitar and engaging in sports, Christian said. “Through this experience, I have learned that caring for and supporting my family and those close to them start with knowing about myself and caring about my own health,” Christian commented with a smile.