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Surgeon, as patient, sees things differently by Cindy Abole Public Relations When heart surgeon Fred A. Crawford Jr. chose to adopt a healthier lifestyle a few years ago, he got more than he bargained for. Under the best quality of care, his brush with fate gave him a chance to return to the work he loves and reorder life’s priorities.   Crawford, in an effort to begin the New Year with a healthy outlook, wanted to shed a few extra pounds. He and his wife, Mary Jane, purchased an exercise treadmill for Christmas. Soon, Crawford was using it vigorously, while his wife cautiously urged him to undergo a stress test to coincide with his new effort. It had also been five years since Crawford had his last test.    Besides performing an exercise EKG, the exam also included a total work-up including a lipid and metabolic panel test, medical exam and other related tests. Crawford’s internist, Allen Johnson, M.D., reminded him that he had passed the age recommended for a screening colonoscopy. To Crawford, who is well-known for his skills and excellence in and out of the operating room, the idea of such a test was not particularly attractive.    The American Cancer Society recommends screening for people 50 years or older. Higher risk individuals with a family history of colon cancer, polyps or inflammatory bowel disease should be screened even earlier.   “My thinking was: I have no symptoms, no family history of colon cancer, so why should I bother,” Crawford said. “I have to credit my internist and others in recommending that I have it.”  After some trepidation, he was convinced that the colonoscopy would complete the baseline for his tests and set him on the path to good health.     “It’s amazing how ignorant a mature surgeon can be about something like this,” Crawford said. “From a discomfort standpoint, the colonoscopy was uneventful. It’s not something I enjoyed, but knew I needed to do it.”   What Crawford experienced was the quality of the Digestive Disease Center’s (DDC) Endoscopy suite, staff excellence and focus on good patient care. Last year, U.S. News and World Report ranked the DDC as 24 out of 50 hospitals as among the best digestive disease service programs in the country.   The colonoscopy was performed by Endoscopy Chief Robert Hawes, M.D. All went well during the procedure until Hawes had awakened Crawford to inform him that he found something that didn’t look right. With Crawford’s permission, Hawes removed a standard-sized polyp, which was immediately sent to pathology for testing. Meanwhile, Crawford was able to return to work for the rest of the day.   “Dr. Crawford’s case is a classic example of one who was asymptomatic, as it relates to the colon,” said  Robert Hawes, M.D., chief of endoscopy at the DDC. “He was fortunate that he never had to wait for symptoms to appear before it was too late to act. By virtue of this screening system, many people have had more treatment options and the chance for a good outcome.”   Like most patients who have had to exude a lot of patience waiting for test results, Crawford distinctly remembers the exact moment—what he was doing, where he was standing—when he received the news, “You have cancer.” Pathology reported that the polyp they removed was cancerous. His next step was to confer with surgical oncologist David Cole, M.D. and former MUSC specialist Paul Baron, M.D. Days later, Crawford underwent a colectomy by Cole to  remove a small section of his colon.     “Dr. Crawford’s case represents an ideal situation where screening found an early cancer,” said Cole. “This allowed us to manage it effectively and have great results.”    Within three weeks, Crawford had recovered long enough to go back to doing what he loves best, helping his patients. Now, 59 and 20 pounds lighter, he has felt fine ever since and has had another colonoscopy, which was negative. As a cancer survivor, Crawford will undergo screenings every two years for the rest of his life.   “Even at some point, I would have experienced symptoms,” Crawford said. “The colonoscopy was able to detect a very small tumor in time to have it completely removed, resulting in a great long-term prognosis for me. It’s just one example of a screening procedure that really does save lives.”   Despite the challenges that he’s had to face in this ordeal, Crawford is grateful for one constant in his life, his wife Mary Jane. “It was through my wife’s thought processes about losing weight and doing it in an orderly fashion that got the ball rolling for me,” he said. “She has been my strength in absorbing some of the stress that comes in this type of situation.”   Has he ever questioned how this could happen to him?    “Once anyone has had an experience that challenges their own mortality, they look at the world in a different way,” Crawford said. “I have never been one to waste a lot of time, but the experience has made me reorder my life’s priorities and think about how I spend my time. Many people turn to spending time with their family or doing things for others rather than thinking solely about themselves. This has been an experience that has taught me the value of family, people and time.”