survivor profile
Mike Raita
COLORECTAL CANCER SURVIVOR
By COURTNEY BISHOP
“ I literally felt miserable while covering the BCS National Championship , I knew something wasn ’ t right ,” explains Mike Raita , former sports anchor for ABC 33 / 40 . It was in January 2010 , in Pasadena , California that Raita realized he was very sick . He was in Pasadena covering the National Championship football game between the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Texas Longhorns . At this point , Raita hadn ’ t felt well in a few months , he had lost significant weight but had been busy with work so he kept going .
Heartbreaking Diagnosis
When Raita returned from his eight-day trip to Pasadena , he went immediately to the doctor and asked for a colonoscopy . Confused , his doctor asked 51-year-old Raita why he thought he needed a colonoscopy . “ Because I believe I have colon cancer ,” Raita recalls telling his doctor . The doctor then confirmed that Raita did in fact have stage 4 colorectal cancer . Raita was not shocked at receiving this news , it was something he had suspected for a few months .
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