Chad Dunbar, 45, exercised a lot, ate a balanced diet, didn’t smoke, and yet… his health looked good. So how can we explain this diagnosis, which came without war:ning and was completely disconcerting? A surprising revelation, but also a message of hope, challenging our preconceived notions about the body, health, and the inner strength give in each of us.
A suprise that raises questions: how an achieved athlete received an unpredicted diagnosis
Chad is a bit like that always-fit colleague, the one who rides his bike while others watch a series. A true mountain bike enthusiast, this father living in Utah traveled nearly 4,800 kilometers per season. A noticeable performance, and perfect physical condition… until one day in 2022 when a simple sentence from a nurse altered everything: “We think you have lung can.cer.”
His reaction? A combination of disbelief and anger. How was this possible? “My lungs were certainly the healthiest part of my body!” he shares emotionally in a video announced by the RETpositive association. And yet, the medical reality was clear.
When the signs don’t look like what you think
The most amazing thing about this story was the absence of the subtle signs that one would automatically think of. No persistent cough, no shortness of breath. The only symptom he had spotted? A pain in his calf.
He simply thought it was muscle overload, connected to training. But it was actually a secondary sign: the disease had already expanded .
This rare case notices one essential fact: certain subtle changes in our bodies bring our attention, even if they don’t correspond to the usual signals. And this applies regardless of our lifestyle.
The real trigger? A silent genetic mutation
In Chad’s case, the cause wasn’t behavioral, but rather a specific genetic mutation called RET. A technical name, but one that refers to a cellular disorder that causes abnormal cell proliferation in the body.
And that’s exactly what occured in his case. Hard to believe for such an active man, and yet, genetics sometimes spares no one, regardless of lifestyle or age.
A moral force that encourages
Suffered with a dire prognosis, his doctors told him he had only a 5 percent chance of survival at five years. Chad didn’t give up. Quite the opposite. He decided to cling to that small glimmer of hope. “Five percent? I’ll take it!” he said.
His courage, his desire to live life to the fullest, to share his experience and to encourage others in the same situation, command respect. He has become a symbolic face within the RETpositive community, a voice that reminds us that hope can arise where we least predict it.
What this story really reminds us
Chad’s story reminds us of a crucial truth: health isn’t just about appearance or a healthy lifestyle. It can be more sophisticated, more inconsistent. But it can also bring out an unrecognized strength in each of us.
