Understanding Esophageal Cancer & Facing Cancer as a Parent
- John Robertson, a 35-year-old father of three, is fighting esophageal cancer after trouble swallowing, weight loss, and chest pain led to his stage 4 diagnosis—but he remains determined to seek treatment and make more memories with his family.
- Esophageal cancer can be treated if caught early. The common symptoms like difficulty swallowing, weight loss and heartburn can often mimic other diseases, so it’s important to mention any health changes to your doctor.
- Anyone battling cancer may find telling their children about their diagnosis to be a really difficult task. You want to be honest with them and you want them to be prepared for what might happen, but at the same time you want to protect them, and be as gentle as possible.
- “Having these conversations may bring up deep emotions you may have stowed away. There is nothing wrong with showing our emotions to children as long as we can remain calm and give them a sense of safety,” Licensed clinical psychologist Dr. Marianna Strongin said.
- Facing cancer as a parent can be an incredibly difficult task. But having children who depend on you can also provide another reason to fight the disease with everything you’ve got.
Robertson received a diagnosis of esophageal adenocarcinoma, the most prevalent type of esophageal cancer. His symptoms first emerged in February, when he began struggling to swallow food. Over the next three months, he experienced a 42-pound weight loss and developed chest pain, according to The Daily Record, a national newspaper based in Glasgow, Scotland.
Read MoreRobertson, explaining on a GoFundMe he created for himself, writes, “At the beginning of February 2026 I began struggling to swallow food as it was getting trapped on the way down. On many occasions I had to force the food back out to relieve the pain and get rid of the blockage.
“Fast forward a few months and the pain began. I was experiencing a severe crushing pain located in the centre of my chest that would cause me to have to lay on the flood and pray that it would pass. This pain was then joined by a tightening around my ribcage, like someone was pulling a belt tight wrapped around me.”
Esophageal Cancer: Key Terms to Know
Believing his symptoms would eventually improve, Robertson recounted putting off seeing a doctor until his wife encouraged him to schedule an appointment. After describing his unexplained weight loss and other concerning symptoms, he was referred for an urgent endoscopy.
“During the endoscopy, the oncologist discovered a bleed and a mass tumor at the bottom of my esophagus covering 75%. I was then sent for a CT scan whilst we waited for the biopsies to return. Once all of the results had returned, I was invited into the hospital for a chat to go over the results, and on the June 24, 2026 I was met with the most devastating, world crushing news. I have stage 4 esophogeal adenocarcinoma,” he explained, noting the cancer had already spread to “multiple” parts of his body, including his liver.
He continued, “My kids do not deserve to lose their dad at such young ages, I have 2 daughters and a son to watch grow up and help them up when they fall and help guid them through this life. … I have all the reasons in the world to fight, and that is what has brought me here, to ask you to fight with me.”
Robertson noted on his GoFundMe, which has raised more than $12,000, that he’s now relying almost entirely on liquids, as he can no longer swallow solid foods. His medical team is also considering placing a feeding tube to help maintain his nutrition.
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He also said the funds raised will help cover a range of needs, including obtaining a passport, accessing private treatment and clinical trials not currently available through the he U.K.’s publicly funded healthcare system, known as the National Health Service, and supporting travel and accommodation for care abroad.
Robertson hopes the funds will ease financial pressure on his family, allowing them to focus on meaningful time together during his treatment.
The loving dad of three is also awaiting responses about potential clinical trial opportunities in Germany, London, and Dublin.
“This fight is bigger than me but I am in no position to back down from it, please stand with me in this fight and help me,” he concludes. “Thank you for taking the time to read my story.”
Understanding Esophageal Cancer
Esophageal cancer is a disease that causes cancer cells to form in the tissues of the esophagus, a hollow, muscular tube that food and liquid move through when traveling from the throat to the stomach. The wall of the esophagus is made of up several layers of tissue; cancer begins on the inside lining and spreads to the outer layers of the esophagus as it grows.
Several lifestyle factors, like smoking or heavy alcohol use, can increase a person’s risk of developing esophageal cancer. Approximately 22,370 new cases of esophageal cancer are diagnosed in the U.S. every year, according to American Cancer Society estimates, and it is more common among men.
“Esophageal cancer, we know is a tough one,” Dr. Brendon Stiles, a thoracic surgeon at Montefiore Medical Center, previously told SurvivorNet. “It’s one of the cancers with some of the lowest cure rates out there, but like many cancers, if we find it early, we can often treat it effectively, either with surgery, with surgery and chemotherapy, with chemotherapy and radiation.”
Dr. Stiles recommends that patients report any symptoms that may indicate esophageal cancer to their doctors right away, since there are more treatment options when the cancer is caught early.
Further sharing his expertise on this disease with SurvivorNet, Dr. Stiles said, “We know that esophageal cancer is a tough one, it’s one of the cancers with one of the lowest cure rates out there.
“But like many cancers, if we find it early, we can often treat it effectively. Either with surgery, or surgery and chemotherapy surgery, chemotherapy and radiation sometimes. My message to patients is the same as it is for most cancers, try to get diagnosed early.”
Esophageal Cancer: Signs to Look Out For
But why is it often diagnosed so late? One reason could be that its symptoms — weight loss, difficulty swallowing and heartburn — often mimic that of other diseases, according to Dr. Stiles.
Things like heartburn are generally not cause for any serious concern, but it’s important to communicate any issues with your doctor. The more proactive you are about your health, the more likely you are to have an early diagnosis if something serious were to arise.
Esophageal Cancer Symptoms
Unfortunately, symptoms can be a bit vague, so those experiencing them may not think cancer right away. Still, it’s important to be aware of signs of this disease, which include:
- Pain/difficulty swallowing
- Weight loss
- Pain behind the breastbone
- Hoarseness/cough
- Indigestion/heartburn
- A lump under the skin
“Try to get diagnosed early,” Dr. Stiles said. “For esophageal cancer, that means getting screened, getting endoscopies if you have any symptoms. The problem with esophageal cancer is it can mimic a lot of other things. You lose a little weight, have a little trouble swallowing, have a little heartburn, those are tough symptoms to pin down sometimes and often leads to patients with esophageal cancer presenting with later disease.”
Dr. Sofya Pintova, who practices hematology and oncology at Mount Sinai Cancer Center, also stressed the importance of getting checked up when these symptoms, which may not immediately indicate cancer, arise.
“Symptoms include things like … they’re losing weight, they’re having some burning in their esophagus or their chest, they’re having trouble or pain with swallowing and that will often lead to a medical evaluation,” Dr. Pintova explained.
Dr. Sofya Pintova On How Esophageal Cancer Is Diagnosed
“It includes an endoscopy, which is when a gastroenterologist puts a camera down the esophagus in the stomach and if they see an area that is suspicious for a mass, or if they see a mass, they may biopsy it. And if the biopsy confirms cancer, the next stage is usually staging,” she added.
Diagnosing Esophageal Cancer
Several tests may be used when diagnosing a patient with esophageal cancer. These include:
- Physical exam/health history – An exam of the body to check for general signs of health as well as signs that may indicate disease
- Chest X-ray – An X-ray of the organs and bones in the chest
- Upper endoscopy – A test that allows doctors to examine the walls of the esophagus using a small camera that is attached to a thin tube and passed down the patient’s throat
Other tests may be used as well to help get an accurate diagnosis. The upper endoscopy is particularly important because it helps your doctor to clearly see if there are any abnormalities in the wall of your esophagus.
Dr. Whit Burrows, a thoracic surgeon with the University of Maryland Medical System, explains what happens during an endoscopy.
Usually if a suspected esophageal cancer is found during an imaging test or an endoscopy, it will be biopsied, which means your doctor will remove a small piece of tissue using a cutting instrument that is passed though the scope. That will then be tested.
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Staging Esophageal Cancer
The two most common types of esophageal cancer are:
- Squamous cell carcinoma (which forms in the thin, flat cells lining the inside of the esophagus)
- Adenocarcinoma (cancer begins in the glandular cells, or the cells in the lining of the esophagus that produce and release fluids like mucus)
After you receive an esophageal cancer diagnosis, your doctor will need to determine the type, as well as the stage. Both types of esophageal cancer are broken up into five stages (0, 1, 2, 3, and 4).
“Once you do get diagnosed, ask what’s the stage,” Dr. Stiles said. “Patients should never be afraid to push doctors and say, ‘What is my stage? What are the treatment options at my stage? Do I have less invasive treatment options? Do I need multi-modality therapy?’ That means therapy with more than just surgery or more than just radiation with chemotherapy.”
Dr. Stiles stressed that patients with esophageal cancer must be advocates for their own disease and speak up about treatment concerns, and what other treatment options or routes may be available in their situation.
Getting a diagnosis of metastatic esophageal cancer means that the cancer has spread to distant parts of the body.
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“This is the esophageal cancer that started in the esophagus and spread to other organs,” Dr. Pintova said. “In general, that type of stage is not curable but it is treatable.
“The goal of treatment is to help people live longer and better, of course balancing that very carefully with the potential side effects of the treatment,” she added.
In this stage, Dr. Pintova explained that a “systemic” treatment is often given which may include chemotherapy, immunotherapy, targeted therapies, or combination approaches.
“An oncologist has to analyze the cancer in a lot of detail. It’s no longer enough to know that it’s esophageal cancer. We really get into the nitty gritty in understanding the different proteins the cancer expresses, the genetics in the cancer itself, and then choose the best type of treatment,” she said.
The Importance of a Good Support System Amid Esophageal Cancer
Getting the news that you have cancer, especially a disease that is known for being difficult to treat like esophageal cancer, can be a very traumatic experience. When it comes to treating cancer, making sure the patient feels healthy mentally is part of the process as well and that may look different from patient to patient.
Esophageal cancer is more commonly diagnosed in men, who stereotypically have a more difficult time asking for help when they are struggling mentally.
“The esophageal cancer population is a unique population,” Dr. Raja Flores, a thoracic surgeon with Mount Sinai Health System, told SurvivorNet.
“Many of the people who develop esophageal cancer are men who are taking care of their families, who are proud, who are strong, who are self-reliant. So when they get faced with this diagnosis and this real vulnerability, they get depressed in a way that can make them crawl up in bed and not want to get out and that’s when the family comes into play.”
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Dr. Flores stressed the importance of having a good support system in place. Having close friends or family members there to rally for you when you feel the lowest can make a huge difference in how a patient handles treatment.
He also stressed the importance of having a solid doctor-patient relationship. Patients should feel comfortable bringing their concerns about their disease and treatment to their doctors, and that includes struggles they may be going through mentally.
“There’s a lot more connected with this disease than just your body getting harmed,” there’s your soul, your emotions. There’s a lot that goes with it,” Dr. Flores said.
“I think it’s very important to understand that about your patients so you can treat them appropriately. Once they know you see them and where they’re coming from, that’s when you get the, ‘Doc, I’ll do whatever you say, whatever you tell me.’ That’s when you can really get them to the best treatment that they need.”
There are also plenty of resources available for people living with cancer who feel like they’re struggling mentally, from traditional therapy to support groups to integrative medicine that may include treatment approaches like acupuncture or meditation. Check out SurvivorNet’s resources on mental health for cancer survivors.
Battling Cancer as a Parent
Opening up about cancer diagnosis with children can be really difficult task. You want to be honest with them and you want them to be prepared for what might happen, but at the same time you want to protect them, and be as gentle as possible.
John Duberstein, who lost his wife Nina to cancer, explains that he and his wife tried to take a progressive approach and be as open with their kids as possible. But as honest as they were, they ran into some issues with their kids understanding the disease. When Nina started to look healthier, for example, the kids assumed she was getting better, but that wasn’t the case.
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“It was a real eye-opening moment for two people who felt like they were dealing really head-on with this stuff, talking to the kids,” Duberstein told SurvivorNet in an earlier interview.
“So I think it’s important to be open with the kids as much as you can, as much as you feel like they can handle. But it’s also important to revisit it and not make assumptions. At the end of the night, what Nina had to tell them was, ‘I’m not ever going to get better. My cancer is not ever going to go away,’ it was hard for them to hear even though they’d already been prepared.”
Meanwhile, breast cancer survivor Gina de Givenchy previously spoke with SurvivorNet about going through cancer treatment as the mother of a 12-year-old girl.
“I felt it was important to mask it because I really wanted her to know that I was going to be OK. I didn’t want her to see me weak and sickly,” she said. “When it comes to your kids, I think you always want to sort of protect them.”
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The pressures of parenthood can be daunting during a cancer journey, but having little ones that depend on you can also provide another source of motivation to fight for your life.
Jovannie Lorenzo also knows this to be true. When she was diagnosed with colon cancer at 32, she felt an immense amount of fear because she was a single parent of her three kids. Going into her cancer battle, Lorenzo knew she would do everything in her power to be around to raise them.
Licensed clinical psychologist Dr. Marianna Strongin encourages people with sick parents “to talk about your feelings with your immediate family as well as your parents.” She’s previously talked about the importance of expressing your feelings in her advice column for SurvivorNet.
“Talking about difficult things does not cause more anxiety,” Dr. Strongin said. “It is NOT talking about the very thing that we are all afraid or worried about that causes our body to feel dysregulated (unable to manage emotional responses or keep them within an acceptable range of typical emotional reactions) and anxious.”
Specifically, with patients who may be scared to talk to their children about a diagnosis, Strongin said children can pick up on their emotions, so it may help to check in with yourself beforehand.
“Having these conversations may bring up deep emotions you may have stowed away. There is nothing wrong with showing our emotions to children as long as we can remain calm and give them a sense of safety,” Dr. Strongin said.
Contributing: SurvivorNet Staff
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