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March is Colorectal Awareness Month

A Local Teacher Claims a Colonoscopy Before Age 50 Saved Her Life

Shaila GrulkeyOn Feb. 21, 2023, just four days shy of her 48th birthday, Shaila Grulkey heard the words no one wants to hear – “you’ve got cancer”.

She had just completed what she thought would be a routine colonoscopy when she was diagnosed with stage 3 colorectal cancer. “I was in shock,” Grulkey remembers. “I wasn’t even 50 years old yet. I had just decided to get my first colonoscopy a little earlier since they had lowered the recommended age to 45. But I never dreamed they would actually find anything.”

Grulkey had no symptoms, even her blood work came back clear. The only thing she thought could possibly be a concern was there is a history of colon cancer in her family.

The Treatment Plan

Shaila Grulkey“After my diagnosis, it was a whirlwind of activity. Everything happened so fast,” she exclaims. “I was meeting with a surgeon within 36 hours of hearing the news and I started chemotherapy almost two weeks later. I didn’t have time to fully process what was happening to me.”

In all, Grulkey received eight rounds of chemotherapy, 28 doses of radiation and underwent two separate surgeries. She admits there were some dark days. “I’m a glass-half-empty type of person. My mind immediately goes to the worst possible scenario. It’s something Dr. Showalter really had to help me try to overcome.”

Thomas Showalter, D.O., is a medical oncologist at INTEGRIS Health Cancer Institute. "She was dealt a challenging situation that required aggressive treatment. When the news arrived it was shocking, leading to a lot of emotional stress as it would for anybody. Her Radiation Oncologist Gary Larson, M.D., Colorectal Surgeon Dom Burneikis, M.D., and I worked in a multidisciplinary effort and team approach to get her through such aggressive treatments. Despite her fears, Shaila did amazingly well both spiritually and physically with excellent results by the end of her treatment. We are all proud of her.” 

A Special Bond

Grulkey can’t say enough good things about her care team at INTEGRIS Health. “The nurses and staff at INTEGRIS Health made treatment so much easier.” However, she says she has a special place in her heart for Dr. Showalter. “As someone who before this was always in complete control of my own life, I was scared. But he saw me through my anxiousness, my worry and my exhaustion. Dr. Showalter let me have the final say in my treatment every step of the way. He saw me not as just a patient, but as a wife, mother and teacher. He really did get me through the hard times.”

A Survivor’s MessageShaila Grulkey

Grulkey has vowed to make 2024 her year of healing. She is now in remission and back to teaching elementary school in Yukon. She says her students, her two grown sons and her husband of 28 years were her motivation to survive. “The first thing I told my husband, Jeff, was that I wasn’t ready to leave him and the boys, something he reminded me of several times throughout treatment.” She hopes others will learn from her experience. “Don’t delay getting a colonoscopy. If I had waited until I was 49 or 50 years old to get screened, I may have had a very different outcome. I’m convinced it saved my life.”

Medical guidelines now suggest screenings begin at 45 years of age, younger than the previous recommendation at age 50. If you have a family history of the disease, then you should start screening at age 40 or 10 years prior to the age your family member was diagnosed, whichever comes first. 

To schedule a colonoscopy today, talk to your primary care provider or visit integrishealth.org/landing/colorectal-cancer.