Deion Sanders' doctor in aggressive bladder cancer treatment also helped Vail's police chief

Vail Police Chief Ryan Kenney survived an aggressive form of bladder cancer. It's a triumph that mirrors high-profile Coloradan University of Colorado Buffaloes football head coach Deion "Prime" Sanders.

The same surgeon who helped save his life, Dr. Janet Kukreja of UCHealth, is now treating Coach Sanders. Monday, Coach revealed that he underwent surgery for bladder cancer.

Kenney, now four years post-surgery, hopes Prime's diagnosis spreads awareness. 

"When the article came out about Coach Prime, I was like - that's my doc! She saved my life, too," Kenney said. "Dr. K is just an amazing person. I'm lucky to have found her."

An avid mountain and dirt biker, Kenney noticed unusual discomfort after long rides.

"It was different than normal saddle pain," he said. "I went to the doctor, and they said try a new seat."

Eventually, a local doctor in Eagle County ran tests and found a tumor. The diagnosis was bladder cancer. 

That doctor referred him to Dr. Kukreja, UCHealth's Director of Urologic Oncology and one of the nation's top surgeons for complex bladder reconstruction.

"I asked her, 'Am I going to survive this?'" Kenney recalled. "She laughed and said, 'Of course you're going to survive this. You won't even remember it in a couple of years. You'll be back to doing what you love, maybe even better.'"

Dr. Kukreja performed a radical cystectomy, removing Kenney's bladder and reconstructing a new one using part of his small intestine. The procedure is the same one Coach Sanders described in his announcement this week.

Today, Kenney says he's fully recovered and back to biking even more than before.

"Dr. K told me I'd be better than I was before. She was right," he said. "I can never repay her for what she gave me and my family."

Since his surgery, Kenney has spoken with several other patients, including fellow police officers navigating cancer. 

"Don't ignore it. Don't just brush it off," Kenney said. "Listen to your body. That's how you survive."