Shane Hunt spent his career protecting people as a police officer. While he has retired from law enforcement, Shane is still doing his best to protect others, but in a new way.
“I have become a strong advocate for colonoscopy. I tell all my friends, everybody, because my doctors tell me if I would have had my colonoscopy when I should have had it, more than likely I would not have had to go through this,” the 67-year-old Fishhook, Illinois, resident said.
What Shane might not have had to go through was colorectal cancer, a leading cause of cancer deaths in men and women. Colorectal cancer often shows no symptoms it its early stages and by the time symptoms do occur, it is often because the cancer has spread to other parts of the body.
Shane’s story
A self-described “hard head” who didn’t like to go to the doctor, Shane sought medical care in 2023 as he was planning to accompany his wife and other family members on a church mission trip to Poland. Shane wanted treatment for some intestinal problems he was experiencing before boarding a plane for Europe.
That led to Shane’s first colonoscopy – 25 years later than medical guidelines recommend – and a diagnosis of rectal cancer.
“It’s always the other person who has cancer. You never think it is going to be you,” he said. “It was a journey.”
Both rectal and colon cancer are collectively known as “colorectal cancer” and can have the same symptoms. Blessing is nationally recognized as a High Performing Hospital for colon cancer surgery, and has a comprehensive rectal cancer program.
The rectal cancer team includes Dr. Harsha Polavarapu, the only surgeon in the area who performs rectal cancer surgery. Also on the team are physician members from medical oncology, radiation oncology, radiology and pathology. Rectal Cancer Coordinators are also team members. They are registered nurses who help coordinate a patient’s treatment plan moving them from timely diagnosis to staging work up, treatment, and to survivorship.
After Shane’s diagnosis, the rectal cancer team created a personalized treatment plan to address the nearly 3-inch tumor growing inside of Shane.
The treatment began with six weeks of combined chemotherapy and radiation therapy under the care of medical oncologist Dr. Daniel Koh and radiation oncologist Dr. Mark Khil. Then, Shane underwent intense chemotherapy only for another four months.
He said the treatment was tough at times, but his general good health, strong faith and family and medical team support helped him power through the challenge.
“It killed everything except about three-quarters of an inch of the tumor,” Shane said.
The remaining section of tumor was removed by Dr. Harsha, along with a portion of Shane’s colon to reduce the risk of the cancer’s recurrence.
Shane required a colostomy bag for three months while he healed from surgery. That has since been removed and his journey continues successfully. Shane underwent a CT scan in mid-January 2025. It showed no signs of the cancer recurring. His next scan will be in one year.
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| Dr. Harsha Polavarapu | Dr. Mark Khil | Dr. Daniel Koh |
How Shane chose Blessing
While the comprehensive rectal cancer program “arrested” Shane’s cancer, it was not the primary reason he chose Blessing for his care.
“I didn’t want to have doctor appointments all the way down in St. Louis, and I didn’t want to go to Springfield,” he said.
Also contributing to his choice is that Shane and his wife have friends who received cancer care at Blessing.
A bonus of his choice is that, in addition to the rectal cancer program, Shane’s care team included some nurses whose children had gone to school with his children.
“That was comforting. It was like family. If I had to go through this, it was a good experience that the staff helped with, every one of them was super. I made the right choice, most definitely.”
For more information on colorectal cancer and treatment provided by Blessing Health System, click here.