John Andretti is getting there -- there being his battle against colon cancer.
John Andretti, the cousin of the more famous Michael and nephew to the even more famous Mario, was diagnosed with colon cancer early in 2017. Once he got the news, he decided to go public with it in hopes it spurs others to get screened, something he himself says was never a high priority.
His latest -- his scans are coming back clean, and he'll have them very three weeks. Still, he's not in the clear, but remains "optimistic."
Met with my wonderful retiring oncologist, Dr Kramers today. Scan results were clear so all is going as planned. Another scan every 3 months for awhile. So grateful to all the doctors, nurses and the healthcare that I received. Not in the clear but optimistic.
— John Andretti (@John_Andretti) November 13, 2017
The 54-year-old former race car driver with the famous last name had earlier announced that he was done with chemotherapy, hopefully forever.
I am officially off the #chemocoaster for now. Hope I never get to ride it again. Please #CheckIt4Andretti
— John Andretti (@John_Andretti) November 6, 2017
"I am officially off the chemocoaster for now. Hope I never get to ride it again."
"I'd say, 'I should do this,' and then no one would schedule it," Andretti told USA Today back in May. "And then I'd forget about it until next year. That kept happening."
To the point of when it was found, the cancer was in stage 4 and had spread to his liver. Andretti underwent surgery in June to check his spleen and gallbladder for any signs of the cancer, and once cleared, began the chemo treatments.
The former NASCAR Cup driver created the hashtag #CheckIt4Andretti to allow others to share their story and let him know when they were being checked.