[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2020\/02\/joe-bonus-50ph\/#Article","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2020\/02\/joe-bonus-50ph\/","headline":"Surviving Setbacks: Joe and Ryan Shazier on Beating Multiple Medical Challenges","name":"Surviving Setbacks: Joe and Ryan Shazier on Beating Multiple Medical Challenges","description":"Joe Aigner didn\u2019t know how much his life would change as he sat down to his Fourth of July dinner in 2010. The first bite Joe took of his steak wouldn\u2019t go down, no matter how hard Joe tried. It felt like something was blocking the meat\u2019s path to his stomach. Joe\u2019s wife, Carol, convinced […]","datePublished":"2020-02-06","dateModified":"2022-04-19","author":{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.upmc.com\/","name":"UPMC","url":"https:\/\/www.upmc.com\/","sameAs":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/upmc\/","parentOrganization":"UPMC"},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"UPMC HealthBeat","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/UPMC-HealthBeat-Logo.png","url":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/UPMC-HealthBeat-Logo.png","width":600,"height":60}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/Ryan.jpg","url":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/Ryan.jpg","height":326,"width":754},"url":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2020\/02\/joe-bonus-50ph\/","about":["Cancer Care","Health Topics A-Z","Heart and Vascular Health"],"wordCount":399,"keywords":["Ryan Shazier's 50 Phenoms"],"articleBody":"Joe Aigner didn\u2019t know how much his life would change as he sat down to his Fourth of July dinner in 2010.The first bite Joe took of his steak wouldn\u2019t go down, no matter how hard Joe tried. It felt like something was blocking the meat\u2019s path to his stomach.Joe\u2019s wife, Carol, convinced him to go to the hospital to find out the problem. Detailed tests revealed stage IV esophageal cancer, a rare but particularly lethal form of the disease. The original tumor \u2013 which was causing his swallowing problems — had spread from his esophagus to the lymph nodes in his neck.function load_upmc_video_1_sb226981(obj,autoplay){window[\"autoplay_1_sb226981\"]=autoplay;let $this=$(obj),el=document.createElement(\"script\");$this.removeAttr(\"onmouseover\").removeAttr(\"onclick\").html(\"\");el.src=\"https:\/\/cdnapisec.kaltura.com\/p\/5687602\/embedPlaykitJs\/uiconf_id\/53926702\";document.body.appendChild(el);var waiting_1_sb226981=setInterval(function(){if(window[\"KalturaPlayer\"] !== undefined){clearInterval(waiting_1_sb226981);try{let kalturaPlayer=KalturaPlayer.setup({targetId:\"kaltura-video_1_sb226981_6a1153acf11ce\",provider:{partnerId:\"5687602\",uiConfId:\"53926702\"},playback:{autoplay:autoplay_1_sb226981}});kalturaPlayer.loadMedia({entryId:\"1_sb226981\"});}catch(e){console.error(e);}document.getElementById(\"kaltura-video_1_sb226981_6a1153acf11ce\").dispatchEvent(new CustomEvent(\"videoLoad\",{bubbles:true,detail:{\"selector\":\"kaltura-video_1_sb226981_6a1153acf11ce\",\"account_id\":\"5687602\",\"player_id\":\"53926702\",\"video_id\":\"1_sb226981\",\"autoplay\":\"autoplay_1_sb226981\"}}));}},10);}\u201cIt’s a devastating diagnosis anytime somebody says cancer,\u201d Joe says.It wouldn\u2019t be the only one. Joe went through two rounds of chemotherapy and radiation to shrink the tumor in his esophagus. The therapies weakened his immune system to the point where he developed some serious side effects, including bouts with gout and shingles.With a wife and 4-year-old daughter, Joe focused on survival: He wasn\u2019t about to let cancer, or anything else, beat him.function load_upmc_video_1_d97iq6cj(obj,autoplay){window[\"autoplay_1_d97iq6cj\"]=autoplay;let $this=$(obj),el=document.createElement(\"script\");$this.removeAttr(\"onmouseover\").removeAttr(\"onclick\").html(\"\");el.src=\"https:\/\/cdnapisec.kaltura.com\/p\/5687602\/embedPlaykitJs\/uiconf_id\/53926702\";document.body.appendChild(el);var waiting_1_d97iq6cj=setInterval(function(){if(window[\"KalturaPlayer\"] !== undefined){clearInterval(waiting_1_d97iq6cj);try{let kalturaPlayer=KalturaPlayer.setup({targetId:\"kaltura-video_1_d97iq6cj_6a1153ad05633\",provider:{partnerId:\"5687602\",uiConfId:\"53926702\"},playback:{autoplay:autoplay_1_d97iq6cj}});kalturaPlayer.loadMedia({entryId:\"1_d97iq6cj\"});}catch(e){console.error(e);}document.getElementById(\"kaltura-video_1_d97iq6cj_6a1153ad05633\").dispatchEvent(new CustomEvent(\"videoLoad\",{bubbles:true,detail:{\"selector\":\"kaltura-video_1_d97iq6cj_6a1153ad05633\",\"account_id\":\"5687602\",\"player_id\":\"53926702\",\"video_id\":\"1_d97iq6cj\",\"autoplay\":\"autoplay_1_d97iq6cj\"}}));}},10);}\u201cYou\u2019ve got to have those little short-term goals,\u201d Joe says. \u201cEvery day, I had a goal that I was going to get in the shower. I was going to get dressed.\u201dAfter one surgery to remove the cancer from his lymph nodes, Joe went through another round of chemotherapy and radiation. But as he prepared for surgery to remove the tumor from his esophagus, another problem was discovered: Joe had heart disease that required bypass surgery.That surgery went successfully. A month later, so did the surgery to remove the tumor.Nine years later, Joe is living cancer-free with Carol and daughter Izabela, his two biggest motivations for survival. He is especially grateful for the team that helped him during his many battles. Carol, a nurse, was his biggest patient advocate. A team of doctors, nurses, and clinicians helped him survive. And family and friends provided necessary support.After his long medical battle, Joe changed some things in his life. He created his own small business. An avid golfer, he introduced the game to Izabela, and she now ranks as the best in her age group in southwestern Pennsylvania.\u201cThe light at the end of the tunnel isn’t always a freight train,\u201d Joe says. \u201cSometimes it is the light of a new day.\u201d"},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"2020","item":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2020\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"02","item":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2020\/\/02\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Surviving Setbacks: Joe and Ryan Shazier on Beating Multiple Medical Challenges","item":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2020\/02\/joe-bonus-50ph\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]