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“I’ve got one tattoo,” says Marta Néron, pulling up her sleeve to reveal her left forearm. “It’s in Alex’s handwriting. It says, ‘My love.’ It’s something we always called each other.
“I think that it will be my one and only.”
“Alex” was Alex Néron, Marta’s husband and the creative force behind the popular Railbender Tattoo Studio and Art Gallery in Hintonburg. Néron died Jan. 17, less than three years after being diagnosed with Stage 4 colon cancer. He was 40.
Nearly 27,000 Canadians are diagnosed with colorectal cancer each year and 9,400 will die of the disease. The incidence of the disease is declining in those age 50 and older, largely due to increased screening in that age group. But among younger people like Alex, the disease is on the rise.
And it’s killing them.
“We met a huge community of people going through it,” Marta said. “At the end, Alex’s closest friends were fellow colorectal cancer patients, all in their 30s — even younger than Alex.”
Alex Néron was born Feb. 25, 1977 and grew up in Orléans. As a youngster, he loved to draw, said his younger brother, Yves, but gave up on art as an adult. Alex and Marta met at a health food store at a time when both of their lives were in transition. Alex had worked for Pepsi and Ford, jobs that paid the bills but didn’t make him happy.
“I asked Alex, ‘What do you do next?'” Marta said. “He said, ‘I always wanted to do tattoo, but I can’t do that. I’m 36 now.'”
Marta said she’s not creative and has little interest in tattoos, but she wanted to help Alex achieve his dream. With her encouragement, Alex apprenticed in Gatineau and eventually the couple opened their studio on Hamilton Avenue. They called it Railbender, an homage to the neighbourhood’s railroad history.
“I wanted to help him make it happen,” Marta said. “Railbender became our passion project. We did things a little bit differently.”
Alex had been fascinated with tattoos since he was a teenager, when his father took him to get his first. But his interest in art went far beyond needles and ink.
“It was much more than a tattoo studio,” said Yves Néron. “It was a blank canvas for Alex to decorate with everything that he found cool, from artwork, to antique gas station signs.”
Railbender soon became a community meeting place, attracting both the edgy artists of Hintonburg and the well-heeled public servants at nearby Tunney’s Pasture.
“Our client base is very eclectic — artists and creative people in the neighbourhood, and very straight-edge government workers who may be afraid of showing their tattoos,” Marta said. “But we met some really incredible people, in really high positions, who came in to get some artwork from us and never thought they’d get tattooed.
“That was one of Alex’s great traits. He’d greet you with this great big smile and he made it less intimidating.”
Alex Neron at Railbender in 2014.
Kitchissippi Coun. Jeff Leiper was a client. Alex inked a stylized version of the City of Ottawa coat of arms on Leiper’s arm.
“He saw his space as something other than just a tattoo studio. He saw it as a community hub and that’s part of who he was. He was a community builder,” Leiper said.
But for as long as he could remember, Alex struggled with stomach problems. Even after Alex reported seeing blood in his bowel movements, his family doctor failed to recognize the classic warning sign of colorectal cancer — even though Alex should have been considered high risk since both parents suffered from bowel issues.
“He was constantly bloated, there was constant cramping,” Marta said. “There was pain documented for years. But it was always, ‘Alex was too young (for colorectal cancer).’ It was not something people thought about.
“There’s a lot of outdated mindsets when it comes to cancer. I don’t blame anyone … but I would have appreciated a doctor who was more proactive. I truly believe Alex would be here today if this had been caught earlier.”
By the time he was diagnosed in June 2015, the cancer had spread to his liver and a lung. He had surgery to remove a third of his colon and another to remove a large part of his liver. The surgeries were sandwiched between chemotherapy treatments, the standard care for colorectal cancer.
If caught early, colorectal cancer can be treated extremely effectively and Marta and Alex were feeling optimistic they would get to ring the bell at the Ottawa Regional Cancer Centre to signal Alex’s treatment was complete.
“We thought we were going to beat it. We were two weeks away from ringing the bell, but that last CT scan showed the cancer had returned. It was at that point we had to reevaluate treatment,” she said.
Alex’s oncologist, Dr. Rachel Goodwin, tried a new chemotherapy but it didn’t work. Alex then agreed to take part in experimental clinical trials.
Goodwin remembers Alex as a “fabulous” patient, who tirelessly worked to support the cancer unit, twice taking part in The Ottawa Hospital fundraiser, The Ride.
“Alex loved, loved life,” Goodwin said. “He was happy all the time. He loved to chat with people. He knew all the nurses on the chemo unit, probably after the second time being there.
“Every time I’d see him in the clinic, he’d always walk in and say, ‘OK Doc, let’s keep it light today.’ That was his take on life … He wanted to do what was good, but he wanted to be treated as a person first, not a cancer first.”
The clinical trials added half a year to Alex’s life, and he was able to maintain “exceptional quality of life” almost to the end, Marta said.
“He took treatment incredibly well. People didn’t even believe he was sick. Even up to two weeks before he passed, he looked healthy. He worked really hard to fuel his body. He worked out. He picked up meditation and yoga. He did everything he could do to maintain the strongest, healthiest lifestyle.”
After Alex’s death, Marta, Yves and the rest of his family went to Gatineau Park to remember Alex and spread his ashes. A celebration of his life is planned at Railbender Studio from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 25, what would have been Alex’s 41st birthday.
The future of Railbender is unclear, but Marta said she has no plans to close it down. She hopes Alex’s death can help raise awareness of the need for early screening.
“A colonoscopy could save your life,” she said. “Family doctors can’t send everyone for a colonoscopy, but having them start at 50 is too late.”
bcrawford@postmedia.com
Twitter.com/getBAC
Colorectal cancer: The facts
The first and easiest test for colorectal cancer is the fecal occult blood test, a simple at-home test that detects blood in the stool.
People without symptoms and without a direct family history can be tested every 10 years with a flexible sigmoidoscopy, in which a tube the width of finger is used to survey the lower bowel.
Higher risk patients or those with symptoms should undergo a full colonoscopy, which requires the bowel to be cleansed with a laxative and usually takes an hour. It’s performed while the patient is sedated.
In Ontario, screening usually begins at 50. However, for those with a first-degree relative with colorectal cancer (a parent, sibling or child), screening should begin at an age that’s 10 years younger than when the relative was diagnosed.
“What trumps everything is symptoms,” said Dr. Rachel Goodwin, an oncologist at The Ottawa Hospital. “That’s where that under 50 age group has to be their own advocate, looking for the symptoms. Any blood in the stool is not normal and you have to check it out.”
Other symptoms include black stools, which can indicate bleeding higher in the digestive tract, bloating or continual abdominal pain, or a sudden, unexpected change in bowel movements.
Prevention factors for colorectal cancer include a diet high in fibre, with a lot of fruits and vegetables, and a limited amount of red or processed meats. Exercise can be preventative, while being overweight or diabetic can increase risk.
More information is available through Cancer Care Ontario at cancercareontario.ca
查看原文...
“I think that it will be my one and only.”
“Alex” was Alex Néron, Marta’s husband and the creative force behind the popular Railbender Tattoo Studio and Art Gallery in Hintonburg. Néron died Jan. 17, less than three years after being diagnosed with Stage 4 colon cancer. He was 40.
Nearly 27,000 Canadians are diagnosed with colorectal cancer each year and 9,400 will die of the disease. The incidence of the disease is declining in those age 50 and older, largely due to increased screening in that age group. But among younger people like Alex, the disease is on the rise.
And it’s killing them.
“We met a huge community of people going through it,” Marta said. “At the end, Alex’s closest friends were fellow colorectal cancer patients, all in their 30s — even younger than Alex.”
Alex Néron was born Feb. 25, 1977 and grew up in Orléans. As a youngster, he loved to draw, said his younger brother, Yves, but gave up on art as an adult. Alex and Marta met at a health food store at a time when both of their lives were in transition. Alex had worked for Pepsi and Ford, jobs that paid the bills but didn’t make him happy.
“I asked Alex, ‘What do you do next?'” Marta said. “He said, ‘I always wanted to do tattoo, but I can’t do that. I’m 36 now.'”
Marta said she’s not creative and has little interest in tattoos, but she wanted to help Alex achieve his dream. With her encouragement, Alex apprenticed in Gatineau and eventually the couple opened their studio on Hamilton Avenue. They called it Railbender, an homage to the neighbourhood’s railroad history.
“I wanted to help him make it happen,” Marta said. “Railbender became our passion project. We did things a little bit differently.”
Alex had been fascinated with tattoos since he was a teenager, when his father took him to get his first. But his interest in art went far beyond needles and ink.
“It was much more than a tattoo studio,” said Yves Néron. “It was a blank canvas for Alex to decorate with everything that he found cool, from artwork, to antique gas station signs.”
Railbender soon became a community meeting place, attracting both the edgy artists of Hintonburg and the well-heeled public servants at nearby Tunney’s Pasture.
“Our client base is very eclectic — artists and creative people in the neighbourhood, and very straight-edge government workers who may be afraid of showing their tattoos,” Marta said. “But we met some really incredible people, in really high positions, who came in to get some artwork from us and never thought they’d get tattooed.
“That was one of Alex’s great traits. He’d greet you with this great big smile and he made it less intimidating.”
Alex Neron at Railbender in 2014.
Kitchissippi Coun. Jeff Leiper was a client. Alex inked a stylized version of the City of Ottawa coat of arms on Leiper’s arm.
“He saw his space as something other than just a tattoo studio. He saw it as a community hub and that’s part of who he was. He was a community builder,” Leiper said.
But for as long as he could remember, Alex struggled with stomach problems. Even after Alex reported seeing blood in his bowel movements, his family doctor failed to recognize the classic warning sign of colorectal cancer — even though Alex should have been considered high risk since both parents suffered from bowel issues.
“He was constantly bloated, there was constant cramping,” Marta said. “There was pain documented for years. But it was always, ‘Alex was too young (for colorectal cancer).’ It was not something people thought about.
“There’s a lot of outdated mindsets when it comes to cancer. I don’t blame anyone … but I would have appreciated a doctor who was more proactive. I truly believe Alex would be here today if this had been caught earlier.”
By the time he was diagnosed in June 2015, the cancer had spread to his liver and a lung. He had surgery to remove a third of his colon and another to remove a large part of his liver. The surgeries were sandwiched between chemotherapy treatments, the standard care for colorectal cancer.
If caught early, colorectal cancer can be treated extremely effectively and Marta and Alex were feeling optimistic they would get to ring the bell at the Ottawa Regional Cancer Centre to signal Alex’s treatment was complete.
“We thought we were going to beat it. We were two weeks away from ringing the bell, but that last CT scan showed the cancer had returned. It was at that point we had to reevaluate treatment,” she said.
Alex’s oncologist, Dr. Rachel Goodwin, tried a new chemotherapy but it didn’t work. Alex then agreed to take part in experimental clinical trials.
Goodwin remembers Alex as a “fabulous” patient, who tirelessly worked to support the cancer unit, twice taking part in The Ottawa Hospital fundraiser, The Ride.
“Alex loved, loved life,” Goodwin said. “He was happy all the time. He loved to chat with people. He knew all the nurses on the chemo unit, probably after the second time being there.
“Every time I’d see him in the clinic, he’d always walk in and say, ‘OK Doc, let’s keep it light today.’ That was his take on life … He wanted to do what was good, but he wanted to be treated as a person first, not a cancer first.”
The clinical trials added half a year to Alex’s life, and he was able to maintain “exceptional quality of life” almost to the end, Marta said.
“He took treatment incredibly well. People didn’t even believe he was sick. Even up to two weeks before he passed, he looked healthy. He worked really hard to fuel his body. He worked out. He picked up meditation and yoga. He did everything he could do to maintain the strongest, healthiest lifestyle.”
After Alex’s death, Marta, Yves and the rest of his family went to Gatineau Park to remember Alex and spread his ashes. A celebration of his life is planned at Railbender Studio from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 25, what would have been Alex’s 41st birthday.
The future of Railbender is unclear, but Marta said she has no plans to close it down. She hopes Alex’s death can help raise awareness of the need for early screening.
“A colonoscopy could save your life,” she said. “Family doctors can’t send everyone for a colonoscopy, but having them start at 50 is too late.”
bcrawford@postmedia.com
Twitter.com/getBAC
Colorectal cancer: The facts
The first and easiest test for colorectal cancer is the fecal occult blood test, a simple at-home test that detects blood in the stool.
People without symptoms and without a direct family history can be tested every 10 years with a flexible sigmoidoscopy, in which a tube the width of finger is used to survey the lower bowel.
Higher risk patients or those with symptoms should undergo a full colonoscopy, which requires the bowel to be cleansed with a laxative and usually takes an hour. It’s performed while the patient is sedated.
In Ontario, screening usually begins at 50. However, for those with a first-degree relative with colorectal cancer (a parent, sibling or child), screening should begin at an age that’s 10 years younger than when the relative was diagnosed.
“What trumps everything is symptoms,” said Dr. Rachel Goodwin, an oncologist at The Ottawa Hospital. “That’s where that under 50 age group has to be their own advocate, looking for the symptoms. Any blood in the stool is not normal and you have to check it out.”
Other symptoms include black stools, which can indicate bleeding higher in the digestive tract, bloating or continual abdominal pain, or a sudden, unexpected change in bowel movements.
Prevention factors for colorectal cancer include a diet high in fibre, with a lot of fruits and vegetables, and a limited amount of red or processed meats. Exercise can be preventative, while being overweight or diabetic can increase risk.
More information is available through Cancer Care Ontario at cancercareontario.ca
查看原文...
