Dan Fuhrmeyer

When you meet Dan, you may not realize that he is still in the midst of a battle with cancer. He has spent the past year fighting against colorectal cancer - and still faces more follow-up testing and surgery. Dan has gained back some of the weight that he had lost and looks pretty healthy. However, he will be the first to tell you the old cliché, “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” He may look good, but he can’t do as much as he would like to every day and feels tired a great deal of the time. Cancer is not only stressful, but also very taxing on the body.

Dan’s advice for others is to listen to your body and get your screening tests done. He made the mistake of waiting over a year when he first noticed something wrong. When he was finally diagnosed, Dan was facing stage 3B cancer. He credits his Aultman Cancer Center Nurse Navigator Charity with keeping him on track – giving him the options available and providing general support. Dan also felt a strong friendship with all of his oncology nurses and his doctors: his surgeons, Dr. Albertson and Dr. D’Agostino and his oncologist, Dr. Kahn.

We all know cancer is a challenge. As Dan explains, “The road ahead definitely looks long, dark and scary - but there is hope in the light at the end of the tunnel.” He continued with some advice for those recently diagnosed, “Find someone to talk to who has gone through cancer. I know my family and friends love me and will help me in any way they can … but my friend, Michelle, understands - as she is also in the midst of cancer treatments.”

Dan is facing his battle with courage, his own wacky sense of humor and with the support of many people, including Michelle and his friends and family. Dan’s story is a great reminder that you never can judge a book by its cover or know what someone is going through when you first meet them. So offer a smile, a kind word or even buy a cup of coffee for that person … you never know how much it might mean to them. Plus, it will probably make both of your days!

To learn more about how you can get involved and make a difference for cancer survivors in our community, please visit the Timken Family Cancer Center's page.