Colon cancer survivor Donnie Homan wishes he hadn’t put off his colonoscopy.

The Shannon farmer, who will celebrate 10 years as a cancer survivor this month, was diagnosed at age 56 in 2014.

“My doc had been trying to get me to go for five years,” Homan said. “I just kept putting it off.”

When Homan’s colon cancer was discovered in 2014, the tumor was large and had spread locally. He went through a year of chemotherapy and radiation therapy to shrink the tumor before general surgeon Dr. Danny Sanders performed surgery to remove part of his colon and the cancer that was moving toward his hip bone.

Homan went through additional rounds of chemotherapy and radiation after surgery to give him the best chance to avoid recurrence of the cancer. He dropped 70 pounds during treatment.

“It was really tough,” said Homan, who had to lean on family to take care of his farm for most of 2016.

Homan said he is grateful that he beat the odds to make it to his 10-year anniversary. He attributes his survival to faith in the Lord, a refusal to give up and the active life of a farmer.

“The doctor told me if I wasn’t as active as I was, I wouldn’t have made it,” he said.

These days, Homan is healthy with no signs of cancer. He continues to tend his farm near Shannon. He takes care of 100 head of cattle, 700 acres of soybeans and 100 acres of corn.

“Everything has checked out,” Homan said. “I feel really good now.”

While he has some lingering hip pain connected to the surgery, it doesn’t keep him from hunting and fishing. Homan said he doesn’t take his current good health for granted and savors the time he’s had with his wife of 24 years, Vicki, three children and five grandchildren.

“I’ve loved every minute of it,” Homan said.

With his experience, Homan advocates for colon cancer screening every chance he gets. Improvement in the options for the prep for the colonoscopy have made the process much easier.

“When you get to 45, get a colonoscopy,” Homan said. “There’s really nothing to it.”

Colon Cancer Screening

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends colon cancer screening:

• Average risk: Start at age 45
• Those at higher risk should discuss early screening with their health care provider
  • Those with family history of colon cancer, particularly a first-degree relative
  • Those with some forms of inflammatory bowel disease - such as Crohn’s or ulcerative colitis
  • Screening should continue until age 75 or if life expectancy is less than 10 years.

Screening options

• Colonoscopy- considered the gold standard for colon cancer screening because it allows for both detection and removal of pre-cancerous polyps.
• Stool-based tests like FIT and Cologuard.