A local firefighter details his colon cancer diagnosis. Recommend regular colonoscopy

SIOUX CITY (KTIV) – March is Colon Cancer Awareness Month, a time to recognize those fighting cancer and the research aimed at finding a cure. But what exactly is colorectal cancer?

According to the Mayo Clinic, colon cancer is a type of cancer that begins as a growth of cells in the part of the large intestine called the colon.

The colon is the first and longest part of the large intestine. It usually begins as small clusters of cells called polyps that form in the colon. Polyps are generally not cancerous, but some can turn into colon cancer over time. These polyps and colon cancers are detected by colonoscopies.

A firefighter’s journey through colon cancer

A colon cancer diagnosis after a colonoscopy came as a surprise to a local firefighter several years ago.

“It was a shock to me, too, to find out that it actually existed.” Jason McManigal is a firefighter in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, who risks his life for others every day.

He had sought treatment for another digestive disorder, but it was not working and the pain was increasing. It was a shock to the family when doctors sent him for a colonoscopy and he was diagnosed with stage 3B colon cancer.

“It was really tough because I had just gotten through a colonoscopy and I had just woken up,” he said. “So when the doctor came and told me everything was cured, I didn’t fully understand the disease, but he found a tumor and was sure it was cancer.”

“I felt like that’s what the diagnosis would be,” McManigal said of the colonoscopy results. “I didn’t say anything [my wife] not at all. ”

“No, no,” his wife, Jackie, replied. “So when he heard about it, he said, “I felt something.” And I said, “Did you?” I didn’t. ‘So it was a complete shock to me. ”

A tumor was discovered in his colon during a colonoscopy. That was in June 2024.

A few weeks later, he underwent excision surgery, where doctors removed several inches of his colon and surrounding lymph nodes.

Then, chemotherapy was started.

“I was nervous because I was losing my hair and feeling weak,” McManigal said.

During his treatment, McManigal, a Sioux City native who still lives there, continued to commute to Sioux Falls several times a week for his job as a firefighter.

“At first I was told I wouldn’t be able to continue chemotherapy for six months. That wasn’t what I expected, but I didn’t want to hear it,” he said.

Still, he pushed through chemotherapy and continued to serve the Sioux Falls community.

“He was allowed to work and serve the community for a few days while he was undergoing chemotherapy, but then the fire department took care of him around the chemotherapy, so he didn’t have to take time off work for the entirety of the chemotherapy,” Jackie McManigal said. “He always made out with someone or used very little time off, and that helped his mindset. So he did really well through chemotherapy.”

He credits his family and the firefighter family for getting him through the worst of the situation.

“I’m able to work now,” he said. “I still had enough strength, and I think that’s what kept me going all the way.”

A year after her diagnosis and surgery, McManigal finished her last round of chemotherapy and rang the bell at the June E. Nylen Cancer Center.

“Just last week, I came back from my nine-month medical check-up with no issues so far,” he said. “So, for now, we’re still doing well.”

After receiving their diagnosis, the McManigals made major changes to their eating habits at the recommendation of their doctor.

The cause of cancer is unknown, but there is one idea.

“So food choices, lifestyle, environment, and a combination of these are likely to blame,” says Jackie McManigal.

McManigal is now cancer-free, has a new perspective on health and wellness, and is looking toward the future with his wife, Jackie, and their two young daughters.

“I’ve learned to be most grateful for the people who are there for me. Cherishing the people you love the way you know how, when you’re wondering if you’ll be there in a year or so, it puts a new light on that feeling. Yeah, everything.”

McManigal continued to work as a firefighter in Sioux Falls during his cancer treatment, but he says that wouldn’t have been possible without the support of his firefighter family.

“So the fire department and the firefighters did a really good job of accommodating that schedule,” Jackie McManigal said. “They swapped days and really helped us out. And really, you hear about family, they really were family. They came alongside us and helped us out so much.”

Sioux Falls Fire Department Chief Cody Vosburg said they stand together, in uniform or in uniform.

“With that team being together and knowing what we’re going through and obviously firefighting, there’s a higher risk for certain types of cancer and things like that, so he’s not the first person to go through that,” Capt. Vosburg said. “But we were just there for everything he needed, from vacations to days when he wanted to relax at work. We just found the slack and made it work.”

McManigal has been a firefighter with Sioux Falls Fire Rescue since 2008.

McManigal had undergone a colonoscopy the year before her cancer diagnosis, but the results showed nothing alarming.

“The initial colonoscopy did not reveal anything practical,” the McManigals said. I had one polyp that seemed fine and then within a year and a half I developed stage 3B colon cancer. ”

Key Screening Guidelines (Centers for Disease Control)

• Starting age: 45 years old.
• Ending age: 75 years old. For adults aged 76 to 85, the decision should be individualized based on overall health, life expectancy, and previous screening history.
• Family history: If you have a first-degree relative with colorectal cancer or advanced polyps, you should begin screening at age 40, or 10 years younger than the age of your youngest affected relative, and often have a colonoscopy every 5 years.
• frequency: A standard screening colonoscopy is recommended to be performed annually. 10 years If the result is normal.

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