Bryan Murray, president and general manager of the Ottawa Senators, was diagnosed two years ago with Stage 4 colon cancer and was told it was terminal.

The disease is not curable, but it is preventable.

Colorectal cancer affects one in 14 men and one in 16 women, according to coloncancercanada.ca. On average, 69 Canadians will be diagnosed with colorectal cancer every day. On average, 25 Canadians will die of colorectal cancer every day.

“Get checked, stay on top of it,” said Murray. “It is preventable.”

His players look to him as an inspiration.

“To see what Bryan is fighting every day, it’s unbelievable,” said veteran forward Chris Neil. “He’s such a strong man. And to still be active in what he does in the day-to-day operation? It’s unbelievable. It puts that much more fight in us.”

The Star spoke with the veteran NHL executive.

Q: How are you doing? You look great.

A: I went from 230 to 180 and back to 195 pounds almost. I’m doing everything I can. I’m doing integrative therapy as well. I’m doing a drug called mistletoe, a self-inject three times a week. I do a variety of pills that supposedly offset the side-effects of chemotherapy, which I’ve been very fortunate. I haven’t been nauseous very often. I don’t have a lot of the side effects I know other people have. I talk to so many people now; some of them don’t have a good day over the two-week span. I’ve been able to cope with that part very well.

Q: Is mistletoe what I’m thinking it is?

A: It’s a drug from that kind of plant, from Germany. I get it from the Ottawa Integrative Cancer Centre here in Ottawa. They’ve been a big help to me. They do all kinds of stuff — acupuncture, massage, yoga. Psychological stuff. It’s a frame of mind as well. It tends to give you a feeling you’re doing everything you can do. It’s a good thing.

Q: A lot of people would get this diagnosis and would quit working. Go around the world. Enjoy time off. You have chosen to work. Why?

A: State of mind. My wife and I have talked a lot about this. I said to her I could stay at home, I can’t travel very far because every two weeks I have treatment. That’s a handicap I play under as far as going places. My attitude was: I could sit at home on the couch and watch TV or I could work and be active and feel I could give something still in this job I’ve been fortunate to have. I like that. I like being around young people and people like yourself, people to talk to. I think that’s really beneficial.”

Q: Was it a routine checkup that found it?

A: What happened, I thought I had bronchitis. I had a cough. And my right shoulder was stiff. But when I was young, I pitched a lot of baseball. I thought it was just an old injury. But after two months of coughing and taking medication and nothing working I went and had an x-ray. The next thing I know, they called me in. My wife came with me. They said, ‘He’s got lots of cancer in him.’ It was just two days before the draft. I remember. What a shock. I had lost some weight too. I thought it was a good thing. Found out it was all related.

Q: When you learned it could have been discovered earlier, what did you think?

A: My wife had had three or four colonoscopies by that time and told me I should do it. But that wasn’t something I ever thought about. It never even crossed my mind. I’m from a family of 10 kids, all of us are healthy. I’d never been to a hospital before in my life, other than to visit people. That’s why I went public. Early discovery is so important. The doctors tell me it’s not age 50 any more. It might be age 30 to 40 when people should start getting checked. I’ve had lots of feedback that people have done that. A guy this morning at the hospital said he heard my interview and came in and they found early stages of cancer. ‘Thank you for saving my life.’ Whether it’s that dramatic or not, I think that’s at least what I can do now, to help and to give back.

Q: Something good is coming out of something terrible.

A: Yeah, when Brad Shaw and John Davidson (both with the St. Louis Blues) call me and say they found early stages, it’s very rewarding. But I’ve had so many women crying to me on the phone saying their husbands went in and found something. It’s something I can give back. Being in the job we’re in, you have a profile and a stage to get it out there.

Q: Have you any idea how much more time you have? You said two- to five years and it’s closing in on two.

A: Everything is stable. I’m hoping it stays stable, and then it can go longer. It can go a long time. That’s the fight I’m in. I told the oncologist at the time, ‘I’ll show you. I’m going to do more than that.’

Q: Are you at peace with it?

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A: I don’t know if you ever are. I’ve have an understanding of it. I’ve had a good run. I could never feel sorry for myself after the people I’ve met, young kids going through far worse. More than myself at this stage. I guess I’ve accepted the fact I’m not likely to be pushed around in a wheelchair very long at some stage in my life. Maybe that’s not all bad.

Q: Your big message is to get checked?

A: To me, if you have an opportunity — and everybody does — get checked, stay on top of it. It is preventable.