For Ty Artherhults, the first signs of cancer came in the fall of 2021. Artherhults was experiencing bowel problems and other significant symptoms, which led him to see Dr. Hector Marchand, Jr. in Valparaiso. Around Christmas, Marchand ran tests on Artherhults and had him do a colonoscopy. Artherhults would be diagnosed in February of 2022 with Stage 3 colorectal cancer.
“I was definitely concerned and probably a little shocked,” said Artherhults. "The bigger concern for me was not to show it because the people around me would be upset and worried. I didn't want my wife to feel scared, and I didn't want her to worry.”
While there were some moments where Artherhults was upset or emotional, he stayed strong and rolled with the punches for those close to him.
“For the most part, I don't remember being scared,” said Artherhults. “I did a good job keeping positive. You can't get into looking at the statistics; you just have to trust the process.”
Once he was diagnosed, Artherhults set out to get treatment. His mother had battled cancer twice, and Artherhults leaned on her experiences to help him. Artherhults’ wife, Amber, helped research treatments and get him to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. They went up to the Mayo Clinic for a full week to get scans run and have a plan set up.
“After the initial visit, which was a seven or eight day stay, I came back home and found a local oncologist at Northwest Cancer Centers in Dyer named Dr. Neel Shah,” Artherhults said. “I would go there and eventually do eight rounds of chemo. It was one week on and one week off.”
Starting in March, Artherhults would do his chemotherapy locally in Northwest Indiana. With the chemotherapy, he would have to wear a pump as he continued going about his life. As an assistant principal and as the track coach at Hobart High School, he would have the immense support of Superintendent Dr. Peggy Buffington and the whole administrative team.
“My superintendent and my administrative team were awesome and super supportive,” said Artherhults. “People filled in and stepped up. My superintendent was one of the most encouraging people, and she really worked with me the whole time.”
In the summer, Artherhults and his wife went back up to Rochester and rented an apartment set aside for patients. For five weeks, Artherhults would have radiation everyday. In the fall, Artherhults would have an ileostomy to remove the cancer. Artherhults’ last procedure was an ileostomy reversal surgery in December.
“The worst part of it was less than a year, and that was one way I approached it from the beginning,” said Artherhults. “I thought, ‘Well, this is only going to suck for 10 months. I can do it.’”
It took 10 months for Artherhults to beat cancer through determination and bold choices: driving seven hours to the Mayo Clinic to get treated, purchasing cancer insurance years earlier just in case. All of it worked, leading him to be cancer free.
“For us, the Mayo Clinic was the best place in the world you could go. That's why we chose it,” said Artherhults. “We were fortunate to have been able to do that because of something little that I did 10 years ago at school. I purchased cancer insurance.”
The cancer insurance helped to offset the costs of going to the Mayo Clinic. What also helped was staying active throughout his treatment.
“We really stayed active and involved throughout,” said Artherhults. “We went to our kids' sporting events, and we went on walks. I played basketball with my son; we had our daughter’s high school graduation party and moved her into college.”
His faith and the people all around him made the journey as painless as it possibly could have been. Artherhults had his in-laws and father to help with whatever they could, and he had his wife who stayed by his side through it all.
“My wife was always with me through hundreds of doctor's appointments and nights away from home,” said Artherhults. “She's been by my side the whole time, which I know it's not easy for her because she was probably scared. She's the master of looking up all the little things you can do to help alleviate side effects or extra things you can do to help her get better.”
Now cancer free, Artherhults has learned not to dwell on things or let himself get too frustrated. He is now free and healthy to spend time with his family, coaching, and working.
