{"id":19660,"date":"2018-11-29T09:09:14","date_gmt":"2018-11-29T16:09:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/?p=19660"},"modified":"2020-07-21T10:52:06","modified_gmt":"2020-07-21T16:52:06","slug":"cancer-rebel-leaves-terminal-diagnosis-in-his-rearview-mirror","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/cancer-rebel-leaves-terminal-diagnosis-in-his-rearview-mirror\/","title":{"rendered":"Cancer rebel leaves terminal diagnosis in his rearview mirror"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;\" class=\"sharethis-inline-share-buttons\" ><\/div><p>Andy Bonnett is a cancer rebel.<\/p>\n<p>Or maybe he\u2019s just a rebel who has told his cancer to take a hike.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_19711\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-19711\" style=\"width: 640px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-19711\" src=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/11\/28130916\/Andy-Bonett-Harley-lead-photo-sized.webp\" alt=\"A young man with long hair poses on his Harley with the red rocks of Sedona in the background.\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" srcset=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/11\/28130916\/Andy-Bonett-Harley-lead-photo-sized.webp 1200w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/11\/28130916\/Andy-Bonett-Harley-lead-photo-sized-300x200.webp 300w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/11\/28130916\/Andy-Bonett-Harley-lead-photo-sized-1024x683.webp 1024w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/11\/28130916\/Andy-Bonett-Harley-lead-photo-sized-768x512.webp 768w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/11\/28130916\/Andy-Bonett-Harley-lead-photo-sized-150x100.webp 150w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/11\/28130916\/Andy-Bonett-Harley-lead-photo-sized-200x133.webp 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-19711\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Andy Bonnett loves taking road trips and lives in Sedona, Ariz., where he embraces beauty and healing. Photo by Jim Schnepf.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Cancer, by the way, is a word he rarely utters, even though Bonnett has fought off one of the most killer forms of it, Stage IV lung cancer, for a remarkable 10 years.<\/p>\n<p>Bonnett\u2019s too busy living to bother being sick.<\/p>\n<p>Picture Peter Fonda in <em>Easy Rider, <\/em>minus the sideburns and with long, flowing hair. Trade the chopper motorcycle for a green Harley. Ditch New Orleans and the bad drug trips and instead picture Bonnett road-tripping his way to the soaring red rocks of Sedona, Arizona, where he spends his days soaking up organic food, natural spring water and the healing powers of this spiritual place.<\/p>\n<p>Unlike the gents of <em>Easy Rider, <\/em>our hero gets a happy ending. It\u2019s the cancer that implodes and lays motionless on a distant highway. Bonnett, on the other hand, gets to ride off into the sunset.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>\u2018Sheer terror\u2019<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Bonnett\u2019s ordeal began back in 2008. A Minnesotan, Bonnett loved the satisfaction and sweat of manual labor.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI was part of the blue collar backbone of America. It wasn\u2019t glamorous, but I was super proud.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He delayed college until his late 20s when his studies brought him to the University of Denver. He had just graduated and was working his first post-college job as a construction manager for a high-end remodeling firm when the recession hit hard.<\/p>\n<p>At night, Bonnett kept getting reflux. During the days, he sometimes struggled to breathe and had a persistent cough. He was only 33, so he didn\u2019t think anything serious could be wrong. Maybe he was just stressed about the possibility of losing his job as the economy tanked.<br \/>\n<div class=\"su-callout-box col-xs-6 col-sm-6 right\" style=\"background-color:#dce4e7; color:#2e3b44;\">\n<p><strong>Super-survivors &#8211; Once facing almost-certain death, Stage IV lung cancer patients now find some hope<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Lung cancer accounts for 25 percent of all cancer deaths and is the leading cause of cancer deaths in both men and women.<\/li>\n<li>Every year, lung cancer kills more people than prostate, pancreatic, breast and colon cancer combined.<\/li>\n<li>As recently as 2014, only 2.6 percent of patients diagnosed with Stage IV lung cancer were alive 5 years later, according to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facs.org\/quality-programs\/cancer\/ncdb\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">National Cancer Database and Commission on Cancer.<\/a><\/li>\n<li>By 2017, the 5-year-survival rate for malignant lung cancer that had spread to other parts of the body was 4 percent, according to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cancer.org\/content\/dam\/cancer-org\/research\/cancer-facts-and-statistics\/annual-cancer-facts-and-figures\/2017\/cancer-facts-and-figures-2017.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">American Cancer Society<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>Andy Bonnett is one of very few people in the world to survive 10 years with Stage IV lung cancer. But, he and others who have pioneered new treatments are charting an entirely new course.<\/li>\n<li>Doctors hope lung cancer can eventually become like diabetes or asthma, a long-term, chronic condition that can be treated.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/locations\/uchealth-university-of-colorado-hospital-uch\/\">UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital<\/a> is one of the top places in the world to receive treatment for lung cancer.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p>He went to see his doctor, who told him he\u2019d need to go to the ER if the breathing problems persisted. Then he saw other doctors and tried physical therapy for the pain. Bonnett was supposed to get an MRI to help determine what was wrong, but started to feel better, so he put it off for a few months.<\/p>\n<p>Just before Thanksgiving 10 years ago, he went in to see his doctor again. Pain gripped him in the chest, right behind his heart. An MRI showed fluid between his lungs and rib cage. His doctors tested the fluid and called Bonnett back in the next day.<\/p>\n<p>A specialist met him. She told Bonnett he could sit.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI remember the room. I told her I didn\u2019t want to sit. She said, \u2018I\u2019m really sorry to tell you this, but you have lung cancer.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p>It was bad: non-small cell lung cancer that already had spread to Bonnett\u2019s lymph nodes and the tissue around his lungs.<\/p>\n<p>He was in shock and doesn\u2019t remember anything the doctor said after that.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was sheer terror,\u201d he said. \u201cI kept thinking, \u2018why me?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He had barely smoked in his life. He was young, healthy and slender. All his life, he had been super active: running, hiking, skiing and snowboarding.<\/p>\n<p>Devastated, Bonnett called his mom and his oldest friend.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHey buddy,\u201d Bonnett said. \u201cI\u2019m not feeling well. I need help driving home.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Vow: \u2018I\u2019m going to live the longest of anyone\u2019<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Bonnett went back to Minnesota and received extensive care. Doctors tried all the traditional therapies, but the outlook was bleak.<\/p>\n<p>Bonnett asked how long anyone had ever lived with a similar diagnosis.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMaybe seven years,\u201d a doctor told him.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_19710\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-19710\" style=\"width: 640px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-19710\" src=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/11\/28130908\/Andy-arms-up-on-a-hike-sized.webp\" alt=\"Andy Bonnett holds his arms up while hiking. A waterfall is in the background.\" width=\"640\" height=\"481\" srcset=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/11\/28130908\/Andy-arms-up-on-a-hike-sized.webp 1200w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/11\/28130908\/Andy-arms-up-on-a-hike-sized-300x225.webp 300w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/11\/28130908\/Andy-arms-up-on-a-hike-sized-1024x769.webp 1024w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/11\/28130908\/Andy-arms-up-on-a-hike-sized-768x577.webp 768w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/11\/28130908\/Andy-arms-up-on-a-hike-sized-150x113.webp 150w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/11\/28130908\/Andy-arms-up-on-a-hike-sized-200x150.webp 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-19710\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Andy Bonnett on a hike. Photo courtesy of Andy Bonnett.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Bonnett made a vow to himself: \u201cI\u2019m going to live the longest of anyone.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That was a crazy concept at the time because the cancer was pretty close to killing Bonnett and later made its way to his brain.<\/p>\n<p>But, he\u2019s an optimist and a non-conformist, so he focused on living.<\/p>\n<p>He ate clean. He never touched alcohol. Chemotherapy had left his body hypersensitive to chemicals, so he avoided bleach and anything else that could cause flare-ups.<\/p>\n<p>He even went to Switzerland to try alternative therapies including intensive heat treatments \u2013 known as hyperthermia \u2013 that essentially give the body a fever to help jumpstart the immune system.<\/p>\n<p>Bonnett was in Switzerland when a pivotal call came from a friend in Denver. She had seen a local TV news story about a woman with lung cancer who was receiving care at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/locations\/uchealth-university-of-colorado-hospital-uch\/\">UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital<\/a>. She was participating in a clinical trial for a new lung cancer medication. And it was working.<\/p>\n<p>Bonnett emailed immediately. Then, he had to hustle. He needed to get tumor samples from Minnesota so the Colorado team could analyze his type of lung cancer.<\/p>\n<p>The samples arrived in Colorado in December of 2009.<\/p>\n<p>Then, on New Year\u2019s Eve, Bonnett received a call from the lung cancer specialist who would end up saving his life: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/provider\/d-ross-camidge-md-phd-medical-oncology\/\">Dr. D. Ross Camidge<\/a>.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_19716\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-19716\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-19716 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/11\/28135446\/Dr.-Camidge-head-shot-sized.webp\" alt=\"headshot of Dr. Ross Camidge\" width=\"300\" height=\"185\" srcset=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/11\/28135446\/Dr.-Camidge-head-shot-sized.webp 448w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/11\/28135446\/Dr.-Camidge-head-shot-sized-300x185.webp 300w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/11\/28135446\/Dr.-Camidge-head-shot-sized-150x92.webp 150w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/11\/28135446\/Dr.-Camidge-head-shot-sized-200x123.webp 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-19716\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Dr. Ross Camidge. Photo courtesy of Ross Camidge.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019re in,\u201d Camidge said. \u201cYour test results make you a candidate for the drug trial.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Bonnett was stunned and overjoyed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was one of the most amazing things that could happen. When you\u2019re in that situation and you think you have no hope, then you find out there\u2019s a cutting-edge cancer treatment. And it was right in Denver,\u201d Bonnett said.<\/p>\n<p>He flew back to the U.S. and had to flush out all the medications from previous treatments. Alone in a dark hospital room, Bonnett felt like he was on a knife-edge of hope and despair.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was the most excruciating pain I had ever felt in my life,\u201d he said. \u201cI thought I was going to die.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Transformative treatments for a killer cancer<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>When Dr. Camidge saw Bonnett, he wasn\u2019t sure that his patient would live long enough to get the treatments, so Camidge expedited the first dose.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe was really unwell,\u201d Camidge said. \u201cHis cancer had kicked up a notch. There was fluid around his heart.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Researchers and doctors have made great gains in treating lung cancer in recent years and University of Colorado now ranks as one of the best places in the world for lung cancer treatments.<\/p>\n<p>Only a year before Bonnett\u2019s diagnosis, scientists in Japan had discovered particular molecular changes in some types of lung cancers. And doctors were beginning to use very specific targeted therapies to attack those cancers.<\/p>\n<p>Bonnett\u2019s cancer had a reactivation of what\u2019s known as the ALK gene. It makes abnormal proteins, which, in turn, fuel cancer growth.<\/p>\n<p>Exactly when Bonnett needed help, University of Colorado had become one of seven sites in the world to be testing an experimental drug for people with ALK abnormalities.<\/p>\n<p>And doctors at the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ucdenver.edu\/academics\/colleges\/medicalschool\/centers\/cancercenter\/Pages\/CancerCenter.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">University of Colorado Cancer Center<\/a> are aggressive in finding experimental therapies for patients. They put as many as 40 percent on clinic trials \u2013 10 times the national average.<\/p>\n<p>Lung cancer patients, like Bonnett, need all the help they can get. Each year, lung cancer kills more people than prostate, pancreatic, breast and colon cancer combined.<\/p>\n<p>At an academic medical center, patients benefit from highly specialized experts, who are testing the newest treatments.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m a thoracic medical oncologist. Our surgeons, our pathologists, our radiologists and radiation oncologists also focus very specifically on lung cancer. That specialization is key,\u201d Camidge said.<\/p>\n<p>The first drug Camidge tried on Bonnett is called <a href=\"https:\/\/pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/compound\/Crizotinib\">crizotinib<\/a>. When it works, the drug suffocates the abnormal proteins and prevents them from producing cancer cells.<\/p>\n<p>The results were stunning.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe thought he was going to die. Then, the next day, he texted me and he was out jogging,\u201d Camidge recalled with a laugh. \u201cI was thrilled for him.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3><strong>\u2018On my third miracle\u2019<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>\u201cIt was absolutely crazy. I was feeling so good,\u201d Bonnett said.<\/p>\n<p>He was able to dive back into life and soon started running again.<\/p>\n<p>Bonnett also joined a group for young cancer survivors called <a href=\"https:\/\/firstdescents.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">First Descents<\/a>. The non-profit promotes healing through adventure. Thanks to the First Descents, Bonnett got to learn to surf in North Carolina, then took surfing trips to Bali and Mexico. He also learned to kayak in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nps.gov\/glac\/index.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Glacier National Park<\/a> in Montana, then took a second kayaking trip on Oregon\u2019s Rogue River.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_19712\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-19712\" style=\"width: 640px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-19712\" src=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/11\/28130922\/Andy-learning-to-kayak-in-Montana-sized.webp\" alt=\"Kayakers in red and yellow kayaks paddle on a lake in Montana with the peaks of Glacier National Park in the backround.\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" srcset=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/11\/28130922\/Andy-learning-to-kayak-in-Montana-sized.webp 1200w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/11\/28130922\/Andy-learning-to-kayak-in-Montana-sized-300x200.webp 300w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/11\/28130922\/Andy-learning-to-kayak-in-Montana-sized-1024x683.webp 1024w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/11\/28130922\/Andy-learning-to-kayak-in-Montana-sized-768x512.webp 768w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/11\/28130922\/Andy-learning-to-kayak-in-Montana-sized-150x100.webp 150w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/11\/28130922\/Andy-learning-to-kayak-in-Montana-sized-200x133.webp 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-19712\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Andy Bonnett learned to kayak in Glacier National Park through a program for young adults with cancer called First Descents. Photo courtesy of First Descents.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cThose were some of the most empowering and powerful experiences of my life,\u201d Bonnett said. \u201cThe trips reignited the fires of hope and not feeling alone. The camaraderie was amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Young cancer survivors often spend a lot of time asking, \u201cWhy me?\u201d Bonnett said.<\/p>\n<p>Meeting other young people helped Bonnett move beyond sorrow and anger to embracing life.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey gave us t-shirts that said \u2018Out Living It.\u2019 There were so many meanings. We were out living and we were outliving cancer.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_19715\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-19715\" style=\"width: 640px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-19715\" src=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/11\/28130945\/Andy-surfing-sized.webp\" alt=\"A man surfing.\" width=\"640\" height=\"481\" srcset=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/11\/28130945\/Andy-surfing-sized.webp 1200w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/11\/28130945\/Andy-surfing-sized-300x226.webp 300w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/11\/28130945\/Andy-surfing-sized-1024x770.webp 1024w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/11\/28130945\/Andy-surfing-sized-768x577.webp 768w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/11\/28130945\/Andy-surfing-sized-150x113.webp 150w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/11\/28130945\/Andy-surfing-sized-200x150.webp 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-19715\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Andy Bonnett surfing. Photo courtesy of First Descents.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Mentors taught the young people to appreciate each moment.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019d look at the water. It\u2019s always flowing. It\u2019s always moving. It\u2019s never the same. Water is life. The river is the teacher, the life giver,\u201d Bonnett said.<\/p>\n<p>His adventures sparked joy and a little light-hearted envy in Camidge, who admits to trying surfing himself on one vacation, and promptly spilling into the ocean after about 10 seconds on the board.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf you\u2019re doing your job right as an oncologist, you really should be jealous of your patients\u2019 lives, and that\u2019s exactly what\u2019s going on with Andy,\u201d Camidge said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe shows what\u2019s possible with personalized therapy,\u201d Camidge said. \u201cIt allows us to keep the cancer under control. Andy is pushing past 10 years. He\u2019s literally at the cutting edge. There\u2019s no rulebook to look at. We have to write it each day ourselves, constantly trying to extend how well he\u2019s done.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>While crizotinib was only available through clinical trials at first, the drug worked so well that by 2011, the FDA approved it to treat ALK-positive lung cancer. The drug is not a cure, Camidge said, but it helps doctors keep cancer under control.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy philosophy is that we\u2019re turning lung cancer into a long-term condition that we can treat, like asthma or diabetes,\u201d Camidge said.<\/p>\n<p>Patients\u2019 bodies sometimes adapt to drugs like crizotinib. And, a couple of years after Bonnett\u2019s initial treatments, that happened with him. So, Camidge shifted Bonnett to another medication, then another, first <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nejm.org\/doi\/full\/10.1056\/NEJMoa1810171\">brigatimib<\/a>, then <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fda.gov\/drugs\/fda-approves-lorlatinib-second-or-third-line-treatment-alk-positive-metastatic-nsclc\">lorlatinib<\/a>. With each change, Bonnett has helped researchers learn how cancer adapts and how doctors can adapt too.<\/p>\n<p>Each innovation has kept Bonnett alive.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m on my third miracle,\u201d he said. \u201cI love Dr. Camidge.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3><strong>A life of beauty and healing<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>The better Bonnett felt, the more he wanted to embrace life by living in a beautiful place.<\/p>\n<p>A lifelong fan of road tripping, he calculates that he has logged more than 500,000 miles over the years. Bonnett found his way in 2013 to the red-rock country of Sedona, Arizona. He instantly felt at home.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s the vibe of the people there. They\u2019re not career-driven. They\u2019re life-driven,\u201d Bonnett said. \u201cIt\u2019s a very sacred place. There are a lot of healers. It\u2019s serene and peaceful. It was a move for a healthy lifestyle.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>On an ideal day, he wakes up, drinks a lot of water and meditates. After a healthy breakfast, he heads out to Oak Creek Canyon, about 15 minutes from his home. On the way, he takes in views of Thunder Mountain and Coffee Pot Rock, a formation that looks like an old percolator sitting on a campfire.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_19713\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-19713\" style=\"width: 640px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-19713\" src=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/11\/28130928\/Andy-meditating-side-view-sized.webp\" alt=\"Andy Bonnett meditating near his home in Sedona, Arizona.\" width=\"640\" height=\"483\" srcset=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/11\/28130928\/Andy-meditating-side-view-sized.webp 1200w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/11\/28130928\/Andy-meditating-side-view-sized-300x227.webp 300w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/11\/28130928\/Andy-meditating-side-view-sized-1024x773.webp 1024w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/11\/28130928\/Andy-meditating-side-view-sized-768x580.webp 768w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/11\/28130928\/Andy-meditating-side-view-sized-150x113.webp 150w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/11\/28130928\/Andy-meditating-side-view-sized-200x151.webp 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-19713\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Andy Bonnett meditating near his home in Sedona, Arizona. Photo courtesy of Andy Bonnett.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>In the canyon, Bonnett hops from rock to rock, then finds one where he sits still and uses Reiki, a Japanese healing method, to open himself up to good health.<\/p>\n<p>Bonnett found that when he stopped fighting cancer, and instead opened himself up to healing, he improved.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe harder I fought it, the worse I felt. When I stopped fighting it and submitted to a new path, the healing journey began,\u201d Bonnett said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was a monumental turning point and very poignant,\u201d Bonnett said. \u201cI became at peace with a very gentle healing process and left the negativity of a battle mindset behind. Many good people around me helped me come to this decision.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He\u2019s incredibly grateful to all of the supporters who have kept him alive.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI never could have made it without them,\u201d Bonnett said.<\/p>\n<p>He also thinks patients play a big part in their own healing and believes in the yin and yang of alternative and traditional medicine. Bonnett\u2019s convinced that natural healing methods keep him as healthy as possible so he can most efficiently absorb cutting-edge medical treatments.<\/p>\n<p>He drinks at least a gallon of high quality water a day, gets regular massages and has an infrared sauna that he uses daily to help break up and sweat out toxins.<\/p>\n<p>He also tends to his spiritual life through a non-denominational community in Sedona and gets regular counseling.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt takes a lot of discipline to be healthy,\u201d said Bonnett, who is confident about his prospects.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe stuff is going to work forever,\u201d said Bonnett, now 43. \u201cI feel so good. I feel like a normal person, except when I remind myself that I need to rest.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Along with focusing on healing, Bonnett works part-time in various jobs, including a stint when he learned to build traditional Native-American drums.<\/p>\n<p>Over the summer, he took a major road trip, towing his Harley and living out of a 14-foot cargo trailer, which holds the motorcycle on one side and a fold-down bed on the other.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s great. It\u2019s got a skylight and a fan. I can be on the road for months.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_19718\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-19718\" style=\"width: 640px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-19718\" src=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/11\/28141737\/Andy-photo-from-Canadian-rockies-sized.webp\" alt=\"We see a man's back as he looks out over a turquoise lake in the Canadian Rockies.\" width=\"640\" height=\"853\" srcset=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/11\/28141737\/Andy-photo-from-Canadian-rockies-sized.webp 750w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/11\/28141737\/Andy-photo-from-Canadian-rockies-sized-225x300.webp 225w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/11\/28141737\/Andy-photo-from-Canadian-rockies-sized-113x150.webp 113w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/11\/28141737\/Andy-photo-from-Canadian-rockies-sized-200x267.webp 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-19718\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Andy Bonnett taking in a view of the Canadian Rockies during a recent road trip. Photo courtesy of Andy Bonnett.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>He traveled from Arizona to Montana and Canada then west to Washington, and south through California back home to Arizona, logging more than 13,000 miles over four months.<\/p>\n<p>A friend had told him how beautiful the Canadian Rockies were, so he visited <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pc.gc.ca\/en\/pn-np\/ab\/banff\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Banff National Park<\/a> and got to camp at stunning Lake Louise. Later, as Bonnett wound south along the California coast, he often camped on coastal cliffs, where waves crashed loudly ashore all night long, reminding Bonnett of the ocean\u2019s power and life-giving force.<\/p>\n<p>During the day, as he rode his motorcycle on curving ribbons of pavement, Bonnett felt completely at peace.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s nothing else there. It\u2019s just you and the bike and the road. It\u2019s very calming,\u201d Bonnett said. \u201cYou\u2019re just taking in the elements. You can smell the flowers. You can smell the rain coming off the road and you can feel the different temperatures. It\u2019s the ultimate driving experience. There are no distractions \u2013 no radio, no GPS.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Now the cancer rebel is back home in Sedona, where\u2019s he\u2019s counting his blessings.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m the luckiest, unlucky person I know,\u201d Bonnett said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m actually very grateful for my experiences. Otherwise, I would have gone down the path that everyone else takes,\u201d he said. \u201cThis has caused me to take a different path \u2013 one I didn\u2019t choose. But it has led to a deeper, more meaningful life. I consider it a gift.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>These days, Bonnett\u2019s goal is quite simple.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m always reaching for more,\u201d he said. \u201cI want a cure.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Andy Bonnett is a cancer rebel. Or maybe he\u2019s just a rebel who has told his cancer to take a hike. Cancer, by the way, is a word he rarely utters, even though Bonnett has fought off one of the most killer forms of it, Stage IV lung cancer, for a remarkable 10 years. Bonnett\u2019s [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2123,"featured_media":19711,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[28,2597,3357,6836,1727,1497,30],"class_list":["post-19660","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-innovative-care","tag-cancer-care-oncology","tag-comprehensive-lung-and-breathing-program","tag-lung-and-respiratory-care-pulmonology","tag-lung-and-thoracic-cancer","tag-lung-cancer","tag-uchealth-university-of-colorado-hospital","tag-university-of-colorado-cancer-center"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.4 (Yoast SEO v27.4) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Cancer rebel leaves terminal diagnosis in his rearview mirror - UCHealth Today<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Andy Bonnett was facing terminal Stage IV lung cancer when an experimental drug saved his life. 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