FORT COLLINS, Colo.—Colorado State University athletic director Paul Kowalczyk says he will undergo surgery July 22 to remove his prostate because he has cancer.
Kowalczyk said the hope is that the cancer hasn’t spread beyond the organ and that he could be back to work on a limited basis by mid-August. The 52-year-old said he has known for more than a year that he has prostate cancer but told The Denver Post about his upcoming surgery because he would be away from his job for several weeks and he wanted to remind people about the benefits of getting an annual checkup.
“Many people go through this. Many people have gone through a lot worse and gotten back up,” he said. “I feel pretty fortunate that I was in a position where I don’t have a more severe case, and that if things go well, I’ll have it taken care of and move on.”
Kowalczyk has been CSU’s athletic director since 2006. He signed a five-year contract extension this year that didn’t include a salary increase. His salary is $259,900.
Prior to joining CSU, he was athletic director at Southern Illinois for six years.
Kowalczyk said he was diagnosed with prostate cancer last year in June.
“There’s no way to describe the feeling you have when someone tells you that you have cancer,” he said.
Kowalczyk said that after consulting with a doctor, he decided to keep “active surveillance” on the cancer, meaning he would have a biopsy every six months to check the cancer’s progression before deciding whether to have surgery. He said the latest biopsy suggested that he had to take action.
“It’s possible I waited too long,” he told The Denver Post. “But the indications from this latest biopsy also are that it hasn’t gone past the prostate. But I needed to do something now.”
———
Information from: The Denver Post,
