Guiliani marking anniversary of beating cancer

By Benjamin joe

The anniversary of a life-ensuring surgery has arrived for Town of Niagara Police Chief Craig Guiliani.

On Nov. 27, 2024, he was operated on at Roswell following a diagnosis of colon cancer. Surgeons took a “half-dollar-sized” portion of his tissue and sewed him up.

Two-weeks later, he spent Thanksgiving with his fiancé. Guiliani then went back in to find out if he would need chemotherapy or if the cancer had spread.

“They told me as long as the cancer was in the margins of the tissue, I wouldn’t need chemo or radiation,” Guiliani said. “I went back two weeks later for my follow-up, and Dr. (Anthony) Dakwar and his student doctor came in and said, ‘Good news! We got it all. You’re cancer free.’ ”

Guiliani chocked up recounting this story during a phone interview with this reporter.

“I was super grateful,” he said. “I was grateful my fiancé pushed me to go to the doctor and I wasn’t one of the unlucky ones. There’s too many people out there who have been unlucky. People I know right now who are dying of cancer; because cancer is beating them; because there’s no hope for them; because they’ve already lost their battle. Someone I know lost just last month – a friend of mine.”

Guiliani stressed to anyone who will read this to not be like him. Don’t avoid a colonoscopy. Don’t wait and go untested. He said he ignored symptoms for years and eventually performed a home-test, all because he was uncomfortable and avoided the procedure.

Much worse than taking a simple test was the feeling he had when his doctor told him the news in plain English. A cancerous polyp was found inside him. That meant he had cancer.

“I thought I was going to die,” Guiliani said.

But these days, Guiliani is living his best life. He cherishes his family. He doesn’t miss an opportunity to live.

“The way I look at life now is I don’t hesitate to do anything,” Guiliani said. “Like traveling – it’s a big part of my life with my future wife – who I’m marrying in March!

“I don’t hesitate doing anything. I know I have a very large responsibility to the department, but I have a team here that I trust will get the job done in my absence when I’m not here.

“I’m not afraid to travel. I’m not afraid to leave and do things that make me happy. (Things) that I might not have had an opportunity to do, if I would’ve died last year, or if my case was terminal. There’s no point in holding back. That is for sure.”

Guiliani said he’d get a colonoscopy every year if he had to. As it is, he will be tested every three years and, while more polyps have been found inside him, they have been tested and are all benign.