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5 min read<\/p>\n5 min read<\/p>\n
March is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, and for Grey\u2019s Anatomy and Memory of a Killer\u2019s Patrick Dempsey, who is no stranger to playing roles defined by health, creating an environment where we have the right supportive care for cancer patients (and fewer barriers to care in pre-screening for cancer) is a future that\u2019s possible. And he\u2019d like to use his verifiably McDreamy voice\u2014and platform\u2014to get us there (and examine his own health habits in the process).<\/p>\n
Dempsey\u2019s relationship to cancer is a personal one, and it\u2019s helped shape the way he looks at the world. \u201cOne day in 1997, my mom, she wasn\u2019t herself. She said she wasn\u2019t feeling good, and she went to bed early. I got a call the next day from my sister, who said, \u2018Mom has just been diagnosed with ovarian cancer. She had a tumor the size of a grapefruit, and they\u2019re going to operate immediately.\u2019 This was shocking news, just devastating news,\u201d he shares with Prevention. She passed away in 2014, and by then, she\u2019d had 12 reoccurrences of her cancer.<\/p>\n
Dempsey founded the Dempsey Center<\/a> in his hometown of Lewiston, Maine in 2008, partway through his family\u2019s experience navigating chemo, and just around three years after his first appearance on Grey\u2019s Anatomy. It\u2019s a place where those impacted by cancer, including families, can find resources, support, and relief, and it removes some barriers for recovery, offering services at no cost. \u201cI wanted to be able to do something more for cancer patients and their families. There was very little supportive care out there. You know, once you were released after your [cancer] treatment, you were on your own. And there was a real gap, and that’s how it started. We\u2019ve been building out the program from there.\u201d<\/p>\n His mother\u2019s cancer led him not only to advocate for wraparound care, but also preventative care for early detection. In Dempsey\u2019s case, modeling good health habits includes a screening for colorectal cancer, which is one of the top three most common causes of cancer death<\/a> in the United States. He recently led by example and got a screening done with Shield by Guardant Health<\/a>, the only FDA-approved blood test for primary colorectal cancer screening (which is substantially less intimidating than a colonoscopy, and available to those 45+ through several major insurances). If more people knew to ask their doctor about minimally-invasive testing as a first line of defense, he feels it could open the door for a powerful change in early detection.<\/p>\n The American Cancer Society<\/a> says colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer (and third leading cause of cancer-related death in men). Early detection could prevent more than 90% of colorectal cancer-related deaths, according to the New England Journal of Medicine<\/a>. \u201cGetting people through the door [for colorectal cancer screening] is very hard. The thought of getting a colonoscopy\u2026people have to take time off for it. You need somebody to look out for you during that process. You\u2019ve got the preparation ahead of time\u2026it\u2019s a pain in the ass, literally. These barriers stop people. And then there are others who have the thought, \u2018Well, what if I have it?\u2019 and might be in denial,\u201d Dempsey shares.<\/p>\n After turning 60 in January, Dempsey continues to take a look at his health habits in general\u2014though he says that turning 50 was a much \u201charder birthday.\u201d \u201cI remember when I saw the balloon and had just finished a full season of racing in the FIA World Endurance Championship. The recovery was much harder for me that year. My body was changing. I was on the road a lot, you know, I had achieved what I wanted to achieve. I was just thinking, I\u2019m on the other side of the hill, the average life expectancy<\/a> is around 76 for men. Now at 60, I am really clear on what I want to spend my time on, and what I don\u2019t want to spend my time on. I\u2019m wasting less time and I\u2019m doing the things I want to do.\u201d<\/p>\n This perspective shift, now in full swing, shapes how he maintains his health in the day-to-day. Dempsey stopped drinking in 2015. He\u2019s eating less red meat and having more vegetables, paying attention to portions, and avoiding added sugars\u2014and he admits that\u2019s tough with a daughter who is a pastry chef. He\u2019s also an early riser\u2014though not always by choice. Dempsey sighs and laughs, \u201cYes, I have a dog that makes me get up early.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI am really clear on what I want to spend my time on, and what I don\u2019t want to spend my time on. I\u2019m wasting less time, and I\u2019m doing the things I want to do.\u201d<\/p>\n