& so much more
A bi-monthly podcast where we share the stories of our Caregivers, patients and community.
& so much more
No One Fights Alone: Finding Hope After a Terminal Cancer Diagnosis
When 26-year-old Cody Towler walked into an emergency room for an unrelated issue, he never expected to walk out with a stage four colorectal cancer diagnosis that would transform his life forever. Despite his prognosis, Cody radiates a remarkable resilience that defies medical expectations.
After enduring eleven brutal rounds of chemotherapy, over twenty sessions of radiation, and receiving the devastating news that he had only six to twelve months to live, Cody leaned deeper into his faith.
The heart of Cody's story isn't just about fighting cancer—it's about finding purpose and connection during life's darkest moments. After working as an EMT, he found himself in a dispatch position at Centra where colleagues became family, supporting him through every setback. Despite needing a colostomy, Cody continued living fully—going to the beach, working, and refusing to hide away. His message to fellow cancer patients resonates with powerful simplicity: find happiness, surround yourself with encouragers, and never give up.
"If no one's there for you, I will be," he offers, embodying his belief that no one should fight alone. For anyone facing seemingly impossible medical odds, Cody's journey serves as a powerful reminder that diagnoses don't define destinies.
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Hi, welcome to, and so Much More. My name is Cammie Smith and I'm your host, and I am here with Cody Toller, who is a communications specialist, and I'll let you share a little bit about what you do over at Dispatch and just a little bit about who you are. But what we're here to talk about today is Cody's diagnosis stage four rectal cancer and what it's been like for you to live through that to, from diagnosis to where you are today, and it's pretty amazing story I'm not gonna jump on, jump on, I'm gonna let you really take the lead.
Speaker 1:But why don't you first, um, just introduce yourself. Tell us a little bit about yourself well, um, my name is cody toller.
Speaker 2:Um, I've been working for Centra for three years now. I started off in Gretna working on the ambulance as an EMT, did that for two years. In December of 2023, I found out that I had stage four colorectal cancer. I was out of work for several months when I finally went back to work on light duty. They put me in dispatch over at the hospital, and it just so happened that the first day that I was there, I was offered a full time position. There was one.
Speaker 1:Congratulations.
Speaker 2:Thank you. So I've been there ever since. I've been there a year actually. Um just had my year anniversary there. Um, and I mean over in dispatch. We just, you know, answer all of the calls that come in um from the floors. We dispatch all of the trucks um. Any emergency calls that come in, we handle those. Um, we do dispatch for Central One.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:All sorts of things.
Speaker 1:So you're kind of behind the scenes coordinating everything for these emergency care. Wow, that's very cool. So what's been something, maybe the highlight of your job?
Speaker 2:Because it sounds like a really exciting position. Well, I mean all of the people that I work with and, you know, talk to on the phone. They're just always so friendly and, you know, always want to talk to me and carry on conversation. And it just it just makes my day.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I love it. I can tell you're a people person. So when you first got your diagnosis, you said your, your initial was stage four. You first got your diagnosis, you said your, your initial was stage four. What was that like? To get like the, like, the highest stage. You can go right off the bat.
Speaker 2:It was very, very scary, um very emotional. I mean, I went through very dark times, I'm not gonna lie Um I suffered depression and anxiety from it but, I don't, I never let it, I never let it really beat me down. I just kept going and you know, just kept going.
Speaker 1:That's, that's a lot. That's a very strength stance to take. Not everybody can do that yes. Um, so that was in 2023.
Speaker 2:That was in December of 23.
Speaker 1:Okay, so where are you now?
Speaker 2:So right now I have I completed 11 rounds of chemo, very invasive chemo, due to my age, because I'm only 27 years old, I was 26 when I found out. Oh, my goodness, because I'm only 27 years old, I was 26 when I found out. Yeah, I just, you know, woke up one day and went to the ER for something else and found out, yeah, but anyway, I completed the 11 rounds of chemo. I did 20, 22 rounds of radiation, I believe I think it was 23, 22 or 23.
Speaker 2:After that, I had scans done that still showed that I still had, of course, cancer in the tumor. I had several lymph nodes that were still cancerous, and then another place that they saw that was concerning, and that was in November of 2024. So ultimately, they told me that I needed to have surgery to have it all done, and they wanted to do all sorts of different things and I just I knew that they didn't need to be done. They just wanted to do them because of my age, um, so ultimately I refused and they told me that I had six to 12 months to live. So I came back home that was at Duke. I came back home and talked to my oncologist here, which is Dr Duvivier.
Speaker 1:Who is so great? He is amazing.
Speaker 2:But anyway he was like I'm not giving up on you. He said we're going to find out something. So I went to UVA, got a second opinion. They told me the same thing that Duke had said. So, I was like you know what?
Speaker 1:Okay, so you essentially were going to whoever you could go to to just get a different answer, which I imagine. I mean, that's what I would do Tell me something better. So you didn't have the surgery.
Speaker 2:No, I have not had surgery. I was supposed to have it in December of last year at Duke and then all of this happened, so I didn't have it done last year at.
Speaker 2:Duke and then all of this happened, so I didn't have it done. Um, so anyway, Dr Duvivier has reached out to a um, to the medical chief of oncology at city of hope in Los Angeles, and he's been talking to him about doing seeing if they can. They think the surgery is an option without, you know, doing everything that everywhere else wanted to do, and so far it seems like they're going to do it.
Speaker 1:Just waiting on a final answer. Wow, so it sounds like the Pearson Cancer Center is making sure you get what you need the Pearson Cancer Center.
Speaker 2:I could not recommend anyone better.
Speaker 1:I love that. I could not recommend anyone better. I could not. So what? Can you put some words to? How many rounds of chemo? I mean, this has been a tumultuous season for you. What? What was it like? I know you mentioned some anxiety and some depression. How? How do you get through that?
Speaker 2:Chemo was very rough. But honestly, pray about it. I am a very religious person. Pray about it, give it all to God and never give up. Just keep going, keep going. I mean, you've got family, you've got friends that have always been there for you and then when you go through something like this, you really realize who your friends are, who is going to be there for you. They've been there every step of the way and never, never left my side and I think that's what pushed me so much. I mean even my work family. Like when I came into dispatch I didn't know half of those people. I talked to them on the phone but I never met them and I couldn't know. I couldn't ask for a better work family. They have supported me and, you know, worked with me through everything.
Speaker 1:And it's very cool to see that you ended up in an environment that was a huge part of you being able to push through.
Speaker 2:Yes, when I, when I went back to work, I I asked God. I was like you know, you've got to, you've got to steer me in the right direction. Give me, and give me something that I can work with, something that you know I can do. And he laid it there on the table.
Speaker 2:That's so cool, so tell me about the shirt that you have on, speaking of the people you're leaning on. I have a shirt on that says living my dream and not my diagnosis. Um, my mom actually bought me this shirt, um, because I mean I I am, I am living my life and I'm not letting I'm not letting the cancer diagnosis get me down. I mean I still do everything that you know anyone could ever imagine. I actually ended up having to have a colostomy because of my cancer. It was so invasive and I mean you know, when you get those a lot of people, they they're just scared and they give up on life and they don't want to do anything. But I never, I was never that person. I just kept going. I mean, I went to the beach, everything. I went. Living your best life. Living my best life, yes, that's such a great message.
Speaker 1:I know that there's such a stigma around. I mean cancer in general, but especially the colostomy bag. I know that is a part of recovery for people and it can be tough. I think it's to hear this message that you're sending like just go and live your life.
Speaker 2:Don't hide away.
Speaker 1:Yes, what message? Because you're sharing so much encouragement and I'm so thankful for those of you who are listening. Share this with people that you know who are going through something like this but what message, if you have not already said it, would you want to give to somebody who maybe has just received this diagnosis or is in like the thick of it and they're like I can't do it anymore, just receive this diagnosis or is in like the thick of it, and they're like I can't do it anymore.
Speaker 2:You know what, honestly, I would? I would say find something that makes you happy. Um, be around people who will encourage you and be there for you.
Speaker 1:I mean, if no one's there for you, I will be always. Come find cody, come come.
Speaker 2:I mean if, if anyone needs to talk, you know going through this, you know family members going through it, I'll be more than glad to talk to anyone. I mean, and just if you're not a religious person, that's fine, just pray about it. God will deliver, he will.
Speaker 1:Yeah, find that peace, find that, find that silence.
Speaker 2:He is the ultimate healer. That's so much. I'm a firm believer.
Speaker 1:His pen even says that no one fights alone.
Speaker 2:No one fights alone. So come find Cody, I will always be there.
Speaker 1:Yes, I love it. Thank you so much for sharing for being willing to put yourself out there and use this to maybe reach some of those people who are exactly where you were.
Speaker 2:You.
