A Devastating Diagnosis
- Family man Ed Bird, 66, was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer in 2020. Doctors first thought his lingering cough was from COVID, as it was the height of the pandemic.
- After a CT scan revealed tumors on his right kidney, adrenal gland, and spine, all Ed could think about was missing out on the opportunity of teaching his grandkids his beloved hobby: unicycling.
- Ed was able to clear his cancer thanks to a new immunotherapy treatment and a one-treatment radiation session that astoundingly cleared the cancer from his spine.
- Advocating for your health is more important than ever due to so many similar symptoms with COVID and everything else going around. Doctors — and patients — are having a harder time determining a diagnosis, at least immediately. If something doesn’t feel right, be persistent, and keep going back.
In an essay sharing his incredible survivor story with Business Insider, Ed recalled a lingering cough as one of his first major symptoms, but it was 2020, the height of the pandemic. “At first, the doctor thought it might be COVID, but when the cough got worse and worse, he ordered a CT scan.”
Read More“I kept thinking two things: first, I was so grateful it wasn’t my wife, Mary, who I’ve been married to for 41 years. I couldn’t handle it if it were Mary,” he shared. “Second, I wanted to be there for my grandkids, some of whom live right next door.”
In that moment, Ed couldn’t help but think about all the things he wanted to teach them, “how to build a birdhouse, create things in my backyard workshop,” and of course, “ride a unicycle.”
“I rode on my 60th birthday and started a tradition that was entertaining for the grandkids,” he continued. “But a few years ago, I started to worry about whether I’d be able to ride again.”
Hope in New Treatment
Though Ed said he doesn’t fear death as much at his older age, he was determined to beat his cancer and expressed that to his care team, who then put him on an experimental immunotherapy drug. Ed’s symptoms completely went away. “Within two weeks, they were gone, and I felt my energy levels returning.”
The next step was a nearly-five-hour MRI, and Ed used one specific mental image to fight through his claustrophobia. “I just kept thinking of the grandkids and that unicycle.”
RELATED: Grandma Thought Her Cough, Loss of Sense Of Taste, Were COVID: It Turned Out She Had Advanced Cancer
Though he was feeling better, the MRI results showed a “4-pound tumor wrapped around” Ed’s kidney and cancer on his spine.
They removed the kidney, but needed to see if they could get the cancer on his spine. Ed’s doctors explained a treatment that might work: stereotactic spinal radiosurgery, “a type of radiation that can kill cancer in one session,” he said.
And it did.
“I was just so fascinated. I had a 45 minute treatment on one side, then 45 minutes on the other, which killed off the last of the cancer.”
A few weeks later, Ed got back on his unicycle.
SurvivorNetTV Presents: The Power of Mindset — Breaking the Cycle
“The seat of a unicycle is called a saddle, so I told Mary I was literally back in the saddle after treatments,” he said. “There’s no coasting on a unicycle; You need constant tension on the pedals to stay balanced.”
“But once you figure out how to manage that challenge, the ride is so much fun — kind of like life.”
COVID and Delayed Diagnosis
Since 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent mutations of the virus have been extremely disruptive to the medical world, and unfortunately have contributed to many people like Ed getting delayed diagnoses and misdiagnoses. Advocating for your health is more important than ever.
RELATED: Advocating For Yourself While Navigating the Medical World
When you see a doctor for a problem, don’t hesitate to make sure that your question is fully answered and that you are comfortable with the plan moving forward. From a doctor’s perspective, every problem should have a diagnosis, a treatment, a plan for follow-up, and a plan for what happens next if the treatment doesn’t work.
Covid and Cancer
If you’re not getting in for care as quickly as you think you should be, go to someone else. Ring another hospital. Go to the emergency room. Don’t stop trying. Even if it requires multiple visits or seeing additional providers for a second opinion, always be your own advocate and reach out for help to a professional or family member if needed.
Types of Kidney Cancer
Renal cell carcinoma is considered the most common type of all kidney cancer accounting for 80% of other kidney cancers.
According to the National Cancer Institute (NCI), an estimated 81,800 people in the United States were diagnosed in 2023 with kidney cancer, a disease which can develop in both adults and children.
“The main types of kidney cancer are renal cell cancer, transitional cell cancer, and Wilms tumor,” the institute explains, noting that some “inherited conditions” may increase a person’s risk of getting the disease.
Luckily, advancement in kidney cancer treatment has proven effective for people battling the disease.
New FDA-Approved Treatment Option for People Faced With Kidney Cancer – Advancements in Treatment
Renal cell carcinoma can be categorized into several other subtypes upon their examination in the laboratory including the following:
- Clear cell renal carcinoma (ccRCC)
- Non-clear cell renal carcinoma
- Unclassified renal carcinoma
- However, clear cell renal carcinoma is the most common type of renal cell carcinomas.
Other types of kidney cancers include the following:
- Transitional cell carcinoma or urothelial carcinomas
- Wilms tumors (nephroblastoma)
- Renal sarcoma
Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.
