How I learned I have cancer

On Monday, June 29th, 2026 I walked into Texas Oncology expecting answers about anemia. Instead I received a diagnosis that changed everything.

Looking for answers

My body wasn’t absorbing iron into my bloodstream. It’s essentially anemia, but it wasn’t caused by low iron in the body – it was just that I wasn’t absorbing it into my bloodstream. In short, I wasn’t producing enough red blood cells. These tests were supposed to help shed light on this clinical conundrum, not introduce a new one.

This first showed up a little over 2 years ago as part of some normal blood work done during a physical. My primary care physician, Dr. Higgs, wasn’t alarmed, and said I should get back for further tests in about six months. Six months turned into a little over a year, and the levels remained low. Still not alarmed, but something we wanted to figure out.

I mentioned that I was mostly feeling fine, but was experiencing increased fatigue – after exercise, or an intense day of work. I needed more breaks. Perhaps it was just because I was in my 50s. I’d never been in my 50s before, and maybe this is what that feels like. We weren’t super concerned, but Dr. Higgs said it could be related to the mild anemia.

I went for some further tests – a colonoscopy and endoscopy to see if there was any internal bleeding. None was found. Eventually, additional bloodwork on some more markers led to a referral to a hematologist, Dr. Yorio.

Dr. Yorio’s initial assessment was that I wasn’t producing enough red blood cells because my body was fighting some sort of either real or perceived inflammation. I say perceived, because it could be a type of autoimmune disorder, or rheumatoid arthritis, or something similar, which cause chronic responses to the inflammatory system, despite the lack of an underlying injury or illness. But he also wanted to rule some other things out.

I’d been through this once before, as I have ankylosing spondylitis. I was diagnosed with it around 2014, due to some increasingly bad lower back issues. There was some calcification of the lower spine, referred to as bamboo spine, that would periodically result in sharp pain as the calcification brushed up against a nerve. I went on a medication and the back issues disappeared almost instantly. It was shocking. I stayed on the medicine for a couple of years, and then just stopped taking it. Symptoms never returned, and I barely thought of it.

So hearing that something like this could be a root cause was encouraging. It could be treated with medication. Let’s diagnose this, fix it, and move on.

The name on the building was hard to ignore

The fact that Dr. Yorio worked at Texas Oncology didn’t escape me. But I was assured that he was a hematologist, and that he specializes in treating a broad range of issues related to the blood (and other) systems. All forms of anemia fall into this specialty.

Dr. Yorio ordered me to have CT scans and a bone marrow biopsy. It was a day that started with fasting, followed by more blood work, followed by the CT scans. The CT scans were sort of like an MRI machine, but less claustrophobic. Following the CT scans, I had two hours to wait before the bone marrow biopsy. I dealt with a couple of work calls, and watched Brazil play Japan on my iPad.

I wasn’t expecting to see him

I was in a room about to receive the bone marrow biopsy when Dr. Yorio walked in. I wasn’t expecting to see him, but wasn’t alarmed. I was laying on my stomach on an exam table, with my pants slid slightly down for the procedure. I may have had plumber’s crack.

Dr. Yorio told me that the CT scans had some very concerning things show up. I sat up. He shared with me that I have an 8 by 9 cm growth on my left kidney, which is especially large and is highly likely to be cancerous. There is also a 3 by 4 cm growth in one of my lungs and several other smaller nodules in the lungs. Small nodules in the lungs are fairly common and typically undiagnosed. They typically just reflect scar tissue. The size of the larger one is concerning. Dr. Yorio showed me images. The mass on my kidney really stood out, particularly when contrasted with the other kidney.

The assessment is that I almost certainly have Renal Cell Carcinoma, the most common type of kidney cancer. If it has spread to the lungs, It means that it has metastasized (spread from the original cancer site) and would be stage 4.

The news was shocking. The time there felt like 30 seconds and an eternity at the same time. I was conscious of my composure, but could feel myself shaking. Dr. Yorio was patient and answered my questions. I asked if we could remove the kidney (not until the mass is treated). I asked what treatment looked like (likely immunotherapy). When could we get started?

Next step is a consultation with a pulmonologist, followed, likely, by a lung biopsy. From there, consultations with Dr. Yorio to determine the appropriate care team and a treatment plan. I see the pulmonologist on Tuesday, July 7th. The time between appointments is an eternity.

The drive home

I drove home and called Amy on Facetime. She was in Iceland, traveling with Martha, Jim, Peter, Sophie, and Danny.

I shared what Dr. Yorio had told me. My voice cracked, my eyes welled up, and my body was shaking. She welled up too, but held it together. She immediately got that this was serious, and let me know that we’re in this together. Amy was supposed to be there through July 6th. She booked the next flight home she could get on.

Update (July 21st)

It’s been confirmed that I have Renal Cell Carcinoma and that it has metastasized and spread to my lungs. Tests have shown that it does not appear to have spread to my bones or my brain. Treatment via immunotherapy starts on July 28th.