Stacy Hurt had an 8% chance of survival in 2014.
Eight.
The Pittsburgh native β born and raised β was a 44-year-old mother of two boys, Emmit and Griffin, and wife to her husband, Drew. She was a basketball player and competed with Penn Stateβs club volleyball team during her college days, and even when Hurt maintained a healthy diet and exercise regimen, she developed signs of cancer.
Hurt experienced abdominal pain, blood in stool, inconsistent bowel movements, and was always fatigued.
βI ignored them early on,β Hurt said.
But the signs didnβt taper off, they got worse.
Experiencing relentless discomfort, Hurt went to an oncologist in Pittsburgh for a screening, and a colonoscopy revealed an 11-centimeter tumor in her rectum that had metastasized to 27 different places in her body including her liver, lungs and lymph nodes.
Hurtβs diagnosis was stage four colorectal cancer, the disease highlighted for spreading awareness at the Cologuard Classic, a PGA Champions Tour tournament at Omni Tucson National, on her 44th birthday in September.
When she asked the oncologist about the chances of her recovery, he became unforthcoming.
βI just wanted him to say, βYou can beat this, and he didnβt say that,ββ Hurt said. βHe said: βA lot of this depends on you and how you respond.β
βI said to him: βIf it depends on me, Iβm going to kick its ass.β He responded with, βThatβs what I wanted to hear.β And thatβs how I went into it.β
Hurt didnβt have 8% ingrained in her head thanks to her tight-lipped oncologist, but her athletic background allowed her to have a competitive spirit in the fight for her life.
βIβve always been super competitive and I commit to anything I do,β she said. βI turned myself into a lean, mean, cancer-fighting machine. I told myself, βIf Iβm not going to survive this, Iβm going down knowing I did everything to survive and beat it,β and it worked out for me. Iβm very blessed and very lucky.β
Her mental fortitude never wavered even when the chemotherapy period and radiation treatment was taxing. Hurt nearly lost her life during surgery, when a blood vessel was knicked causing her to internally bleed and lose half of her blood.
On top of Hurtβs battle, she was raising two boys, who werenβt even teenagers during her treatment. Hurtβs youngest son, Emmit, is severely intellectually and developmentally disabled, and canβt walk, talk or care for himself.
βSo we had the double-challenge of fighting stage four cancer and caring for our disabled son. How we got through those days, I have no idea,β she said. βA lot of it goes to my husband, my parents basically moved in with us, because those were tough times. But again, great support system and wonderful friends.β
So how did Hurt overcome great odds?
βIt begins with attitude and it begins with that mindset of having a positive attitude and really going into it fighting hard and not giving up,β said Hurt. βMental toughness really had a lot to do with it. I had to say, βIβm tougher than this cancer, Iβm tougher than this chemo, this is not going to get me down and Iβm going to keep going.ββ
The first item on her get-right checklist was to change her personal lifestyle completely to enhance . Hurt converted to a plant-based diet, increased physical activity and eliminated alcohol, dairy and unhealthy sugars. No wine. No beer. No cake. No cookies.
The Hurt family also prioritized sanitation and maintained a clean environment at their home. Visitors were forced to take off their shoes upon entry, washing hands became second nature and disinfecting areas around the home was an everyday task.
Reminder: This was well before COVID-19.
βWhen Covid happened, I was like, βIβm a pro at this! Welcome to my world,β Hurt said. βI think Covid taught a lot of people to have empathy to those points of what survivor patients go through on a daily basis. It was a real eye-opener.β
Every precautionary step Hurt took, it improved her chances of beating a disease that takes the lives of over 53,000 people annually, the second leading cause of cancer death for men and women in the U.S., according to cancer.net.
In 2015, Hurt was cancer-free but stayed vigilant to avoid remission, so sheβs still committed to her strict diet and exercise routine. Hurt turned 50 this past September, and has done advocacy work for colorectal cancer.
Hurtβs journey regarding her fight with cancer didnβt end in Pittsburgh.
Two Fridays ago, she received an email from the Colon Cancer Coalition that she was virtually paired with Hall of Fame golfer and PGA Champions Tour newbie Phil Mickelson, her all-time favorite player, at the Cologuard Classic. Each golfer in the 81-player field wore a blue ribbon with the name of a survivor etched on it.
Uncertain if she should attend the event due to the pandemic restricting the event to 200 spectators, Hurtβs husband nudged her to go see the golfer who was representing her fight and experiences with cancer. She didnβt second-guess Drewβs suggestion.
βIβm getting out of Pittsburgh, Iβm getting some sunshine, Iβm getting a massage and Iβm just showing up,β she said.
Determined to meet Mickelson at a distance, Hurt flew out to Tucson from Pennsylvania, and with a helping hand from the PGA, she met the golf legend on the first tee box as an honorary observer before the second round of play at the Cologuard Classic.
βJust wanted to let you know weβre always pulling for you,β Mickelson said while handing her an autographed glove, βso Iβm happy that youβre doing so well in your struggle. Iβm sorry you had to go through that, itβs awful.β
A 30-second exchange sheβll cherish forever.
βJust incredible. I canβt put it into words,β said Hurt. βI had fought so hard to be alive, and to meet someone you always followed and looked up to and admired, who epitomizes what you fought for, it was unbelievable. β¦ Heβs so warm and so gracious and just everything you see on TV.β
More importantly, her time in Tucson was spent using her first-hand experience with colon cancer as a way to spread awareness of the disease, which is what the tournament is dedicated to. Itβs more than just a golf event for seasoned veterans, itβs a platform.
βOne message I want people to know is that this golf tournament is not just about golf. We are here to raise awareness for colorectal cancer. That is very important to me. β¦ It is on the rise in young people,β said Hurt. βLook at me, I was 44, totally healthy, athlete β and if it happened to me, it could happen to anybody. What I want people to know is that I want them to get screened.
Added Hurt: βAs a survivor and overcoming those odds and someone meeting their golf hero β¦ thatβs just everything to me. Thatβs everything I fought for and everything Iβm here for. My life was spared when we lost so many people to this disease. If Iβm here and showing up, Iβm getting the message out. We have to pay attention and you have to get screened.
βI wake up everyday and thank God that Iβm still here.β