This story was published in the Jan. 15, 2004, issue of The Bellingham Weekly
By Pam McGaffin

Three years ago, doctors recommended Kevin Dixey undergo radical surgery to scour his body of the aggressive cancer that had invaded his bladder. He would have to live life attached to a bag, possibly cope with sexual side effects, and he would never father a child.

"It was like my world had ended. I had just turned 40," Dixey said.

Still reeling from that diagnosis, he decided he wasn't going to be pushed into aggressive surgery, even though his urologist cautioned that removing the bladder and prostate offered his best shot at survival.

The Bellingham man didn't just get a second opinion, he sought five or six, bringing so much information back to the first urologist that the doctor told him he probably knew as much about his disease as anyone.

"In some ways, it was a defining moment in my life," he said of his decision to take charge and ask questions.

In the end, his determination not only saved his organs and his life, it helped create a new one: Dixey's new baby son, Julian.

Recently, father and son visited the doctor Dixey credits for more than just his recovery from cancer.

"You're partly responsible," Dixey said, showing off Julian to Ben Chue, M.D., an oncologist at Seattle Cancer Treatment and Wellness Center.

Momentarily taken aback, Dr. Chue later said with a smile, "I'm just happy it all turned out so well."

Bladder cancer can be particularly aggressive and radical surgery is a traditional treatment option. In fact, Dixey kept his first urologist, Dr. Erik Torgerson, on his "treatment team," but he ultimately went with Chue's more hopeful approach.
Chue believed he could help Dixey beat the disease without major surgery if his patient was willing to take the risk.

He explained that cutting out the bladder, prostate and lymph nodes was the surest way to get all the cancer, including any cells that might have spread.
The cancer was more likely to recur using another standard treatment that kept the organs intact, Chue said. That treatment uses a tuberculosis vaccine called BCG (Bacillus Calmette-Guerin) to stimulate the body's immune system.

The oncologist ended up recommending a third option, a more innovative approach that combines BCG with injections of immunity-boosting interferon. In low doses, interferon fights the spread of cancer.

Following surgery to remove the tumors, Dixey underwent three six-week rounds of BCG and interferon treatments. He also started a vitamin regimen and low-fat, high fiber diet under the guidance of Matt Brignall, a naturopath at the Cancer Treatment Center.

The clinic combines medical oncology with other therapies, including naturopathy and Chinese medicine. Chue and other clinic staff members allowed him to take control of his own treatment, said Dixey, whose cancer-fighting strategy also included acupuncture, herbal teas and Tai Chi.

Dixey said he sensed a different approach on his first visit to the clinic when a receptionist offered him a cup of tea.

"I started to cry," he said. "It was the first place where people hadn't treated me like a number."

After almost a year of treatments, Dixey got the good news in September of last year: no cancer. His treatments, though less intensive, are continuing, but officially he is in complete remission, which is "about as good as you can get," his oncologist said.

He'll be considered cured if he can stay cancer-free for five years. That's good news for the active and elated father of five-month-old Julian - a child Dixey and his wife, Jennifer, thought they would never have.

Facing death can really shake up your life, Dixey has learned.

He wasn't heartbroken, for example, after the post-9/11 collapse of the Seattle multimedia business he and his wife owned. Rather, he saw it as one more sign that he was meant to change his ways.

The couple moved to Bellingham, where Dixey got a lower-stress job doing graphics and photography for a local manufacturing company. He's also attending Western Washington University, applying a love of animals to the study of life science. He'd like to get a masters degree in natural history.

Asked what he'll do once he graduates, he just laughs and says, "I've no idea." Career goals don't seem as important now as enjoying life and being a dad.

"Julian is just a gift, a gift from God," Dixey said. "He looks at me and smiles and he laughs. That's what it's all about."

No case is typical. You should not expect to experience these results.