Education and Fitness Enthusiast Chronicles His Colon Cancer Journey in Inspiring Memoir

Whether it’s helping special education students as a behavior specialist for Dearborn Public Schools or motivating individuals through his Zumba and Bollywood dance fitness classes at Life Time, Shyam Thakker prides himself on living a healthy life while helping others. In addition to being an educator and fitness instructor, the Canton resident who moved from Kenya with his family when he was in high school, is a motivational speaker. With a recent unforeseen colon cancer diagnosis, he has also added author to his accomplishments.

From leg pain to colon cancer

After waking up in February, 2024 with a swollen and painful left calf, Shyam attributed it to a muscle pull from teaching his fitness classes. The swelling and pain progressed over several days prompting him to seek medical attention at an urgent care center and from his Henry Ford Primary Care Physician Hina Syed, MD. Testing revealed a shocking diagnosis. The pain was not caused by muscles pulls. Shyam had three blood clots in his left calf. He expresses it was just the beginning of a life-changing journey. “I was put on a blood thinner and within three days the swelling and pain subsided however within a few days, I was struggling with shortness of breath and a racing heart.”

Bloodwork showed his hemoglobin was dangerously low and he had anemia due to severe iron deficiency. Additional tests revealed crushing news. Shyam, who also had internal bleeding, was diagnosed with a large 9 cm mass in his colon. It was cancer.

Like most individuals who are given the life-altering diagnosis of cancer, Shyam initially struggled to come to terms with the news. “I kept thinking how can this be? I’m young, only 51, eat well and exercise regularly. The emotional roller coaster was intense. I felt denial, anger, sadness and fear all at once.”

“I had full confidence in Dr. Asai but was terrified by what it meant to remove so much of my colon. I feared losing my independence, my lifestyle and my passion for dancing and teaching,” he expressed.

Fortunately, during the surgery Dr. Asai successfully removed 30 percent of his colon instead of the original estimate of 70 percent.

“Removing the cancer was feasible without removing most of the colon but reconnecting the bowel can be challenging without removing more given the location of the cancer in the middle of the colon and fixation of the colon on the side,” explains Dr. Asai. “The good news was I was able to manage reconnecting the bowel without removing extra length.” 

She adds that Shyam’s bowel was paralyzed for a while and not functioning well which required him to stay longer than the usual hospital stay of 2-5 days.

How a passion for exercise helped him get back on his feet and help others

The surgery to remove his colon took place in May, 2024. He spent 14 days in the hospital at Henry Ford West Bloomfield Hospital recovering. During his recovery, he dealt with challenging pain management due to being allergic to common post-surgery narcotics and morphine, relying instead on over-the-counter medications. Shyam knew the road ahead to recovery would be a strong pill to swallow but was determined to get back on his feet with the help of his family and his Henry Ford medical team including his physicians and physical therapy team.

As he slowly regained his strength Shyam says he was determined to not let cancer define him and wanted to do everything in his power to enhance his recovery. “I was determined to push beyond the initial goal of four laps around the hospital floor. I set my sights at six laps and by the time I was released from the hospital I was doing 25 laps driven by my resolve to win this battle,” he says. Fresh out of major surgery, Shyam didn’t waste time in doing something he has done most of his life. “I felt good about inspiring and encouraging others on the hospital floor to get moving and start the recovery process.”

Slowly but surely, Shyam has made great strides in his recovery and goal to get back to dancing and living life to the fullest. “I have eventually worked up to walking seven miles a day. Thanks to my continued physical therapy and rehabilitation I am incorporating more workouts and have even gotten back to teaching Zumba and Bollywood dance classes with the support of my amazing students.”

Road to recovery includes new twist and potential cause of colon cancer

As Shyam made significant headway in his recovery, genetic tests revealed that he had Lynch syndrome. The genetic condition is associated with higher risk of certain cancers including colon cancer. “I now have to be followed very closely with specialists including genetic counselors and hematologists and require yearly colonoscopies,” he says.

Dr. Syed noted because Lynch syndrome is genetic she talked with Shyam about the importance of regular screening and getting family members tested.
“I congratulated him for his immense effort and physical fitness along with positive attitude,” she expressed.