Three countries, three trips, and a plan he could say yes to
A French-speaking man from Québec, hard of hearing and travelling alone, looking for a treatment for his recurrent rectal cancer that he could accept.
- 2023 – 2024 · Québec
First symptoms, then a local excision
Symptoms began in late 2023. His first colonoscopy came about six months later. In 2024 the tumour was removed through a local procedure, followed by regular check-ups.
- Spring 2026 · Montréal
The cancer came back
A check-up found a recurrence. The surgical plan offered would have removed his rectum. He wanted to understand every alternative first, and had a short course of radiotherapy in the meantime.
- 2026 · Seoul, Switzerland
More opinions
He had scans in Seoul, where the hospital could not take his case further. Doctors in Switzerland reviewed the results and told him he needed surgery.
- July 2026 · Shanghai, trip 1
Assessed in one day
After seeing a video on social media, he contacted us. A gastroenterologist saw him in the morning; the colonoscopy and MRI were done the same afternoon.
- August – September 2026 · trips 2 and 3
A diagnosis, and twenty days of questions
A second biopsy confirmed the recurrence, and new imaging found no distant spread. Back in Canada, he messaged the surgeon for more than twenty days, across a 12-hour time difference, in French through translation tools. The surgeon annotated an anatomy diagram to show exactly what would be removed and what would stay.
- October 2026 · Surgery
Surgery, after a shared decision
The surgeon explained openly what operating four months after radiotherapy meant, including a higher risk of complications where the bowel is rejoined. Together they settled on laparoscopic, sphincter-preserving surgery. He was walking the day after the operation, and his follow-up continues.
“His doctors at home must have had their reasons. I couldn't just tell him he didn't need surgery. I said: let's assess first.”
“In medicine, and in surgery above all, nobody can guarantee anything.”
What he wanted to know before saying yes
- How much would be removed, and what would stay
- Whether he would need a stoma
- Whether bladder and sexual function could be protected
What his journey taught us
Records reviewed before the first flight
We translate your reports and imaging and arrange a remote specialist review, so that each trip has a clear purpose.
A medical interpreter at every appointment
Someone who knows your case and the medical vocabulary is in the room, in French or English.
One person who gathers your questions
Your coordinator collects them, gets the doctors' answers and sends them back in writing, in your language.
Someone to call while you are in hospital
From meals to medication times, a coordinator you can reach makes the days in hospital easier.