Individual results may vary. Talk to your physician about the risks and benefits of the therapy and to find out if the 3000 HAI Pump is right for you.
Diagnosis: Stage 4 colorectal cancer liver metastases
Age at diagnosis: 37
In November 2022, at age 37, Thomas’ GI symptoms prompted him to have a colonoscopy. He woke up with a diagnosis of advanced cancer, and a CT scan soon revealed massive liver metastases: over 12 tumors in his liver, including one that was 15 centimeters in diameter. As an active person who enjoyed fishing and playing the keyboard in a local band, he was given a terminal diagnosis and potentially 6-12 months to live with palliative chemo.
His kids were 5 and 8 at the time and living out of state with their mom. Thomas and his partner quickly moved to be closer to his kids, and he was able to start care at a new cancer center. A surgical oncologist there told Thomas she was optimistic that HAI therapy may help him get to a place where his tumors could be removed, and this gave hope to Thomas.
Thomas’ HAI pump was placed in May 2023, and he soon started HAI therapy. Just months earlier, he had low energy, no appetite, and had lost a lot of weight. But while undergoing HAI therapy, he was able to resume the activities he enjoyed and went on a road trip. During that road trip, he pulled over to a gas station to get strong enough cell service to speak with his oncologist. When the call connected, Thomas learned that his medical team believed his tumors had shrunk enough for surgery.
“Going from having unresectable tumors before HAI therapy to being told I was a candidate for surgery felt like a second shot at life.”
His liver metastases were resected in October and his primary colon tumor was resected in December 2023. Following his surgeries, Thomas was in clinical remission. “I think it’s important that patients have access to HAI therapy as an extra tool in their fight against cancer and as a way to really deliver medicine directly to the area where they most need it,” said Thomas.
Diagnosed with advanced colorectal cancer in his 30s, Thomas was one of a growing number of younger adults receiving such a diagnosis. In the past thirty years, colorectal cancer has gone from the fourth-leading cause of cancer death in both men and women younger than 50 years old to the first in men and second in women.1
During and after his HAI treatment, Thomas really appreciated the chance to be close to his kids. Now he is passing on his love of music and enjoying everyday activities with them.
“I was excited to take my daughter to Red Rocks to watch the Glass Animals – they’re our favorite band!” said Thomas. “We just had the most amazing time listening to music and being in such a gorgeous place. It was one of the highlights of my life.”