Shorewood cyclist beats cancer, returns to marathon that changed his life

Shorewood's man ride toward redemption

A Shorewood cyclist diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer after dropping out of a winter ultramarathon returned months later, finishing the race and inspiring awareness about early screening.

SHOREWOOD, Wis. - A Shorewood man who signed up for one of the coldest bike races in the country learned just how far determination could take him — first through illness, then back to the finish line.

What we know:

Joe Dean was already facing a brutal test last winter when he entered the Arrowhead 135, a 135-mile ultramarathon bike race that begins in International Falls, Minnesota, and winds across frozen rivers and lakes in February.

"At some points, you go over like a couple rivers and streams frozen, a lake," he said. "You're traveling over a frozen lake."

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Dean dropped out of the race last year before reaching the first checkpoint. Weeks later, when he still felt sick, he sought medical care at Ascension Wisconsin — and learned he had stage 3 colorectal cancer.

"Am I gonna die in a few weeks?" he recalled. "You know, that's the first thing you think of when they say, ‘Sir, you have cancer.’"

Surgeons removed part of Dean’s colon along with a hematoma the size of his fist. He then began chemotherapy under the care of Dr. Ranveer Nand.

What they're saying:

"Surgery, chemotherapy are taxing on a person's system. So, it's a big challenge for somebody to go through, but a necessary one to get to cure," said Nand, a medical oncologist with Ascension Wisconsin.

Six months later, Dean wasn’t content with simply being cancer-free. He set his sights on returning to the race he believes helped save his life — and this time, he finished.

"A couple times, those people come up to you, and they're like, ‘You sure you want to finish the race?’ I'm like, ‘No, I'm finishing. There is no other option. I'm finishing.’"

Big picture view:

Doctors say Dean’s story highlights a troubling trend. Colon cancer is becoming more common in the U.S., especially among adults under 50, prompting the American Cancer Society to lower the recommended screening age from 50 to 45.

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"Joe was a trooper the entire way. He went in with a strong attitude, and he kept positive the entire time," Nand said.

Now, Dean is already looking ahead to his next challenge: qualifying for the Iditarod Invitational in Alaska.

"I find that my body is capable of a lot of things that I, when you're in a conscious mind, would've never thought possible," Dean said.