Rory Nesbitt – The tale of many cancers

We hear how Rory Nesbitt was diagnosed with metastatic colon cancer that spread to his liver and lung, as well as prostate cancer.

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Rory Nesbitt (74) lives in Gillitts, KwaZulu-Natal with his wife. They have three children and four grandchildren.

In 2012, Rory underwent surgery to remove a section of his colon. This was advised by his doctor after a colonoscopy picked up polyps.Unfortunately, the key-hole surgery didn’t go well. The plan was to remove a section and then re-join the colon. However, the re-joining was unsuccessful. Rory developed colon gangrene and had to get a colostomy (an operation that redirects the colon to the abdominal wall). 

This traumatic ordeal left Rory learning to walk again but thankfully with his wife’s support, his recovery progressed. When Rory sought medical advice as to whether the colostomy could be reversed, he was advised not to as the chances of nicking an artery were high. 

Metastatic colon cancer diagnosis

Six months later, Rory went for a follow-up scan and was in total shock when a doctor explained that his cancer had come back. “I didn’t even know that I had colon cancer, we were told it was polyps. Now I was diagnosed with an aggressive metastatic colon cancer that had spread to my liver,” Rory says. 

An oncologist prescribed chemotherapy with no guarantees. “At that stage, you don’t know whether to give up or to fight it. Since my wife had breast cancer a few years earlier, she gave me inspiration to fight it,” Rory adds.

Rory had 42 chemotherapy sessions. In the interim, his oncologist was on the quest for new treatment options. 

Y90 trans arterial radioembolization

At that time, in 2013, a new procedure, Y90 trans arterial radioembolization (where tiny radioactive beads are injected into a blood vessel that leads to the tumour) was an option. 

Rory was admitted into hospital where an interventional radiologist did an exploratory consultation to see if he could get to the liver through the groin area. The procedure was set for the following month.

“Due to this procedure been viewed as experimental by the medical aid, they wouldn’t pay for it. So, I paid over R150 000,” Rory says.

When asked if he was hesitant to try a new procedure, Rory explains that when faced with death, an option that is supported by doctors and that could prolong your life, is an easy choice to make. 

The Y90 trans arterial radioembolization took place at Life Entabeni Hospital and was plain sailing. “Since I was the first person in KwaZulu-Natal to receive this procedure, there was a big audience. I had an angiogram via the groin artery under local anaesthetic. Radioactive particles were then infused into the tumour circulation via a small catheter in the liver artery. I spent one night in hospital and had no pain or side effects whatsoever,” Rory says.

Liver transplant

The Y90 trans arterial radioembolization treatment shrunk all the liver tumours and prevented spread to other parts of the body. Over the next few years, some of the liver tumours started to slowly enlarge in size. Luckily the cancer was contained enough that Rory was eligible for a liver transplant and underwent more chemotherapy until then.

 In 2016, Rory was fortunate enough to receive a liver transplant. Rory explains, “The interesting thing is the liver I received isn’t the same blood group but I didn’t have any option as I didn’t have much longer to live. It took me a while to recover but within six months, I was doing well. I’ll be on immune suppressants for the rest of my life.” 

The biggest battle

Eleven months later, the metastatic colon cancer was found on his lung but thankfully the small section was surgically removed.

Then in 2022, Rory was diagnosed with prostate cancer. With everything the 74-year-old has been through, the side effects of the three-monthly hormone injections has been the hardest for him. 

He underwent brachytherapy and external beam radiation and unfortunately, the radiation caused an issue relating to his bladder which he underwent surgery to correct. 

Rory concludes, “The good news is that I don’t have any cancer anymore and I need to accept that I’m getting older so it’s not that easy to recover.”

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