Saint Luke’s Helps Stage IV Colon Cancer Patient Stay in the Game

As 37-year-old Diamon Masterson watched his doctor study his CT scan results, he could tell from a puff of air that escaped the doctor’s mouth that the news was bad.

He knew from a recent colonoscopy that he had cancer, but he wasn’t prepared when oncologist Timothy Pluard, MD, delivered his diagnosis in a quiet, matter-of-fact manner: Stage IV colon cancer that had metastasized to the liver.

“If the coach is calm, the team is calm,” Diamon thought. “I’m in the right place.”

Then, he made an unusual request. He asked Dr. Pluard not to tell him his survival odds. The young father of five, who coached his son’s football team and devoted himself to his four “daddy’s girls,” didn’t want a poor prognosis to dominate his thinking.

“Diamon just wanted to fight,” said Dr. Pluard, medical director of Saint Luke’s Cancer Institute. So the doctor started to map an attack plan.

At home that night, Diamon put on his headphones and listened to Fred Hammond's "Take My Hand" and "They That Wait." He held the cross around his neck that contained the scripture Isaiah 40:31: “…Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles.”

“A peace came over me,” Diamon said. “I had faith that whatever happens is part of God’s master plan. Maybe my puny story would push someone to get a symptom checked.”

From control to cure

At first, Diamon’s treatment goal was “to control the cancer and prolong his life.”

It began with a three-drug chemotherapy regimen administered intravenously every two weeks for three months. Then Diamon had a PET scan to gauge his response. This time, Dr. Pluard’s eyes widened in amazement at how dramatically the tumors had shrunk.

Dr. Pluard immediately ordered another round of the chemo regimen. Diamon tolerated it well—except for a sensitivity to cold that prevented him from sipping a cold soda on a hot summer day.

His mother Dedra Masterson-Barnes stood steady in his corner, and girlfriend Carmen Vasquez went with him to every treatment and appointment.

“We were so impressed with how the infusion nurses fussed over Diamon like sisters,” Carmen said. “They also made sure he did what he was supposed to do.”

Diamon was able to keep working his two jobs—one as an account service manager at Staples Promotional Products, the other a sales consultant at K&G Superstore. His worries were not for himself, but for his kids, his mom, and his girlfriend.

“I fight so hard to live for them, not for me,” Diamon said. “When you die, you go home to be with your Father. It’s the people you leave behind who suffer.”

Diamon soldiered on. Another PET scan brought more good news: Three tumors on his liver had disappeared, and the remaining one was small enough to be surgically removed.

Plan expansion

“We switched our thinking from control to cure,” Dr. Pluard said. That meant more procedures and surgeries for Diamon.

Surgical oncologist Megan McNally, MD, used radiofrequency ablation to blast the remaining cancer cells in the liver. She also removed his thyroid to get rid of an unrelated low-grade thyroid cancer discovered on a CT scan.

Several weeks later, Dr. McNally removed the 5-centimeter colon tumor and 23 lymph nodes. She created a temporary ileostomy—an opening in the belly—to route waste into a bag, so Diamon could undergo six weeks of radiation therapy to kill any cancer cells left behind.

“As young and healthy as he was, we wanted to exhaust every option to try to cure him,” Dr. Pluard said. “We relied on a multidisciplinary team of experts to think collectively about his case.”

A battle victory

Almost a year after the colonoscopy, Diamon was dining out with Carmen when his phone rang. Dr. McNally’s nurse had more good news.

The latest tests showed he was cancer-free and could proceed with surgery to have his ileostomy reversed.

Diamon didn’t celebrate.

“I know this is a lifelong battle,” he said. “It’s too soon to spike the football.”

But with Carmen and Dedra by his side, he’s happy to still be in the game.