Carlos Parra had never heard of stomach cancer before receiving the call that he had been diagnosed with it.
For two years, the 62-year-old had been experiencing what he thought was acid reflux. In October 2022, he received an endoscopy. From there, the news came that he had Stage 2 stomach cancer.
“It was devastating, mentally,” he said. “I wasn’t prepared for anything like that.”
That November, Parra underwent eight sessions of chemotherapy, followed by a laparoscopic surgery in March 2023.
“Currently, I have no stomach,” he said. “I didn’t know you could live without it. Now I know you can.”
Cancer rates increasing
Parra is one of many British Columbians that have survived the disease, but stomach cancer rates in the province are increasing – particularly among young people and those from the East Asian community.
Dr. Howard Lim, a medical oncologist with BC Cancer, said risk factors are partly environmental, but …