The one complaint Andretti says he hears the most is: “I don’t want to drink that stuff” during the preparation period before the colonoscopy. The liquid completely flushes the digestive system so the colonoscopy can be performed.
“Let me tell you, I’ll make it really simple — the easiest thing I’ve done in the last two years is getting a colonoscopy,” Andretti said. “There is nothing they have done to me that is as easy as getting a colonoscopy. I just had surgery to have a stent put in on June 7.
“Every two months, I have to have that done. I just had major surgery in January where they took my insides out, cut the tumors out of them, took my colon out, sent it to pathology and then reinstalled it,” Andretti continued. “That was surgery No. 6 or 7. I’ve had nine surgeries now in two years. I had 25 rounds of chemo that were three days apiece. That is no pleasant thing.
“I’m on my fifth or sixth round of immunotherapy,” he added. “Sometimes, they draw as many as 20 vials of blood that day. If you think that one day is a real problem, then you need to talk to me. It’s worth it to save your life and for the peace of mind.”
Doctors have also worked on Andretti’s liver and removed his spleen and gall bladder.
“You just can’t understand all the things that go into it and the surgeries,” Andretti said. “It’s not a freebie. You have to be prepped for surgery and then you have to deal with how they inserted it.”
Andretti doesn’t reflect on the issues he has to deal with, however. He is inspired by the youngsters he has helped in his many years as part of the Race for Riley program at Riley Children’s Hospital in Indianapolis.
“The thing that has helped me a lot is not only the support of people around me, that is huge,” Andretti said. “But if you go into a children’s hospital and you don’t have a child there, you are crushed because these kids have the attitude and the inspiration that nobody else has because of what they are going through.
“We’re on our 23rd year of Race for Riley at Riley Children’s Hospital in Indianapolis. I’ve seen at least a generation of kids come along and grow up from babies,” Andretti explained. “One kid came up to me and wanted to meet me because ‘you held me as a baby.’ He told me he was completely healthy.
“This walk that I’ve gone down is a piece of cake compared to them,” Andretti said. “I’m 56 years old and I’ve lived my life. It’s been awesome. They haven’t had that chance to do that. You ask them how they are doing and they say they are fine. I know they may have had surgery just two days ago.
“I’m just an old guy that needs to deal with it and move on. These kids fight stuff more than I’m fighting. I know a guy that has had 40 surgeries and he’s just 21 right now. I’ve known him since he was a little guy.
“I have no complaints. I do pray that people listen and at least get a colonoscopy done.”
Andretti remains fairly active, all things considered, and is part of son Jarett’s racing career despite not being able to travel. He plans to attend the 23rd annual Kroger Race for Riley in Indianapolis when his cousin, Michael, will host a party for the kids at Andretti Autosport.
“We still have a bigger mountain to climb, but we try to make a difference,” Andretti said.
The battle Andretti is in now is greater than any race or opponent he has ever experienced.
“If you let the sickness win, then you become sick,” he said. “If you push as hard as you can to be as normal as possible, that is the only way you can actually defeat it.
“The one thing you do learn is you know how bad you can feel and if you can feel less bad than that, then that is a good day. That is how you measure things,” Andretti continued. “Normal is different now. But you don’t let that change anything.
“When you do, that is when you will lose.”