Navy Vet Becomes Voice for Early Detection after Scare

At 25, Reidl joined the Navy as an operations specialist and served aboard the USS Jouett in San Diego, California, where he sustained an injury forcing him out of the military. This setback did not deter him from pursuing a successful career in sales, where he eventually landed at Exact Sciences, a company that makes cancer screening tests.

Reidl’s experience with colon issues began a few years ago when he noticed blood in his stool. Understandably, he was terrified. “My first thought was that I had colorectal cancer. I was panicked and I had no idea what to do,” he said.

He quickly sought help from VA, where he was diagnosed with bleeding polyps in his colon. After undergoing a three-day process to remove them, he was relieved they were benign.

“I was one of the lucky ones, but it was a scary week.”

Since polyps can become cancerous, getting screened for colorectal cancer is an important step toward catching the disease early, greatly increasing the chance of survival. Although Reidl had concerning symptoms, some who have the disease show no symptoms at all.

“Just because you feel good today, doesn’t mean that nothing is hiding in your body,” he said. “Around 53,000 people in the United States lose their lives each year to colorectal cancer. To put that number into perspective, that is about two-thirds the seating capacity of Lambeau Field.”

If you have concerns like weight loss, abdominal pain, rectal bleeding or change in bowel habits, contact your primary care provider. If you are due for a colorectal cancer screening, act today.

For more information about the Madison VA Hospital, visit www.madison.va.gov, www.facebook.com/MadisonVAHospital and subscribe to our newsletters.