Welcome! I’m Andrew.

Welcome! I’m Andrew.

I’m 39 years old, and I live in Columbus, Ohio with my wife Alexis and six-year-old daughter Addie. I was diagnosed with rectal cancer in August 2020, and underwent successful surgeries with the amazing team at University Hospitals in Cleveland in September and December of that year. This is my blog about my experience.


On Five Years

Five years ago, I began my first post on this blog, “This afternoon I found myself at a hospital in Cleveland, getting a CT scan, and it occurred to me that I wanted to write about this experience.” A few weeks ago, I found myself at a hospital in Columbus, getting a CT scan, sipping…

Writing Again?

It’s been a long time since my last post. Honestly, I’m not really sure why it’s taken me so long to come back to Check Your Butt.  Every now and then I’ll think, “I really should knock out a quick blog post,” and then I’ll find a reason not to. Maybe it’s because I’ve felt…

“So, Does Anyone Ever…Go Back to the Bag?”

Last week I sat down with Dr. Dietz’s incredible nurse Vicki for a follow-up appointment. She asked how things are going, and I answered that it’s been a little rough. I explained how one day, I won’t poop at all. (For those with the misfortune of knowing me well enough to know my bowel habits…

Cougar Commencement

Today I had the opportunity to give my first-ever commencement address, at the winter graduation for business department students at Misericordia University, a place near and dear to my heart. While it was a little weird to give a graduation speech over Zoom, in my current physical state it probably couldn’t have happened any other…

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With Addie on the day I found out I had cancer.

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