So get this — Marcus Wendling, a dude from Dayton, Ohio, crushed a half Ironman in May 2023. Like, a triathlon with a swim, bike ride, and run all in one day, in under six hours. Mad respect, right?
But then, plot twist: this guy gets hit with Stage 3 rectal cancer at only 47 years old. What a wild turn of events. Could happen to anyone, really.
Wendling, a dad of three and a business owner, noticed some blood in his stool out of the blue in early 2023. That’s when the alarm bells went off.
He tells the doc about it, demands a colonoscopy, and boom — cancer found in his rectum. Like, who saw that coming? Not Wendling, that’s for sure.
After a bunch of tests, a failed procedure, and a gnarly surgery, he’s on the road to recovery. It wasn’t all smooth sailing, though. Dude had some complications, including a leak at the surgical site. Yikes.
But here’s the kicker — after chemo, rocking an ileostomy bag, and dealing with all that jazz, Wendling is back in action. Like, ready to tackle another Ironman. Talk about a comeback story, am I right?
So, moral of the story is: stay on top of your health, peeps. You never know when life’s gonna throw you a curveball. Just ask Wendling.
