What do you do when your time’s running out? You finally buy a Rolex.

[Jasb]

I’m sending another prayer to you now buddy

[Aviela.W]

Congratulations on your first Rolex. My prayers are with you buddy. Fight it and beat it! All the best!!!

[noshame]

Congrats on your beautiful watch. Wishing you all the best.

[Reinhard in SA]

You're clearly a fighter. Keep fighting!

Prayers from South Africa. Enjoy that beautiful Datejust.

[TBC123]

All the best thoughts and prayers to you pal. Keep fighting and jumping the hurdles. Lovely watch.

[trailblazer68]

My sincere prayers are with you to overcome this nasty patch, hope you get well soon. Meanwhile enjoy your watch and let it form a story with your journey. Take care.

[bcr1]

Hey Dave, congratulations to your fantastic first Rolex. Many more to come!
Enjoy it every moment. I'm happy for you that you could treat yourself.
Hang in there and kick ass to this cancer. You're a determined and positive guy and you will get through this!
Looking forward to many more future posts from you. Aloha

[deeman54]

Originally Posted by dawiyo

This post is a long time coming. I signed up here at TRF 12 years ago researching my first Rolex purchase. But, as all of us know, life gets in the way. Marriage, buying your first home, cars, first child, the watch just kind of goes to the back burner.

However in Nov 2021 at age 36, I was diagnosed with stage IV colon cancer. After almost 2.5 years of treatments, when I finally got a chance to breathe, I decided it’s now or never, but a year long wait list just seemed like a stupid thing to contend with in my position. Who knows how long I even have left. How long would I even have to enjoy it after waiting?

After talking with a friend with a steep purchase history, he and his favorite AD worked to get me the watch I was looking for, quick. In under a week, I got the call and was absolutely shocked. The 1.5 hour drive to the AD was excruciating at times, but I knew it was all worth it.

After a couple of weeks, I’m still in love. It makes me feel good every time I put it on and is a great distraction if just for a moment. I’ve now done 39 rounds of chemo, radiation, and I just started my second clinical trial. It’s ironic the watch world’s phrase is “Wear it in good health”. I don’t have good health, but I’m still going to wear it as long as I can.

Who’s time is running out? You got many more years my friend! Wear that beauty until the pins fallout! SPEEDY FULL RECOVERY!!!!!!!!!!


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[Atmwireless]

Fight the good fight! Sending prayers your way

[Drew.rob]

You see Dave, what you have is a healthy mind. I can see your spirits through your message! You are young. Everyday is a blessing. Enjoy what you love and who you love and don’t look back.

Praying for you my friend. But you don’t need it. Let your spirt be as hard as 904L steel.


126040 & 136660

[Colorado_kid]

Originally Posted by dawiyo

That’s just 39 chemo infusions. That doesn’t count the countless chemo pills in fact, here’s my full story in case anyone would like to hear.

Like I stated in the original post, I was diagnosed in Nov 2021. I thought I had appendicitis, but it turned out to be a massive 9” tumor surrounding my appendix and colon surrounding my appendix. After a colonoscopy, I was scheduled for surgery a week later. But the very next day, my appendix burst and all of that nastiness went into my colon and through a laceration from the colonoscopy, found its way into my abdomen. I went septic and had to be rushed from the ER at my local hospital to a much larger hospital that could handle that level of surgery. That night they did a right hemicolectomy and removed 1/3 of my colon.

The focus now shifted to treating the majority of the metastatic cancer in my liver. After I recovered from surgery, I did 8 rounds of FOLFOXIRI chemo to no avail, but no growth either. They said the chemo was doing more bad than good, so they had me do three Y-90 radiation treatments. This is where they go up through your groin and stick radioactive beads in the bloodstream near problems spots in the liver. I was then put on maintenance chemo pills for a couple of months, again with no improvement. I had a spleen ablation surgery to which I almost bled out internally the next day. That wasn't fun. I had also developed a wicked umbilical hernia from the surgery incision that has now grown to be around 14" in diameter and 5" protruding when it's angry haha. I’m still dealing with a lot of pain from that every day. At the same time, I also started developing A LOT of ascites in my abdomen. Growing cancer “sweats” fluid, which pools in the abdomen.

I had reached the end point of standard cancer treatments. My oncologist then told me there's pretty much nothing more they can do, except join a clinical trial, and luckily, he knew the top doc at a large clinical research center close to me. I started on a clinical trial that ended up reducing my "tumor burden" by 73%! During the trial, I had 15 paracentesis procedures to drain the ascites from my abdomen, and in total, I had 53.77 liters of fluid removed. My belly looks like I've been hit with birdshot a few times from all of the paracentesis pokes. However, after 5 months, my body started to resist the clinical trial chemo and the cancer had started to grow back. Leaving that trial was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do because it was helping so much. 73% is unheard of.

In order to keep the cancer at bay, I decided to go back on to the nasty kitchen sink chemo i have first went on after the surgery for what ended up being 10 rounds. And just two weeks ago, I got enrolled in another immunotherapy clinical trial at the same place as before. So far so good, but we’ll know for certain after a CT scan in 4 weeks.

Man, just read this. You are such a strong dude. I know we’re all strangers on here but I’m praying they find a solution and you begin to heel. As Kat mentioned in an earlier comment, I also believe prayer works. May you experience a supernatural healing.

Stay strong brother.


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[Steele]

Amen brother. Keep up the fight and enjoy every moment

[Chapters]

Keep fighting, Dave. Ongoing prayers for you, sir.

[dg8dg7]

Another who believes that prayer works. Praying for you Dave, stay strong.

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[alex.cicollo]

It breaks my heart reading this.

I’m happy you’re making memories with your beautiful watch.

Much love, many prayers, and positive thoughts to you.

[T.Stanley]

Congrats on your beautiful Datejust. I hope it brings you many smiles every time you look at on your wrist. Wishing you the best of luck. Please post more wrist shots!

[No SUBctitute]

Wow. My thoughts and prayers are with you. Its also a good reminder for people to get their colonoscopy (although, its seems like it wouldn't have helped in your case since colonoscopies don't start until age 40).