Aaron John’s mind raced anxiously like a prisoner on death-row frantically awaiting his fate, losing all focus in this sweaty-panicked state. His inherent willpower, physical fortitude, and character would now be put to the test as he grappled with the first news of his testicular cancer diagnosis.
Always Quick To Act
A bully named Eric was terrorizing Aaron’s classmates in the way middle-schoolers will: pushing, name-calling, and general pre-pubescent dick-ish behavior. Aaron finally had enough and confronted Eric, telling him to leave his classmates alone. When Eric resisted and started his routine on Aaron, Aaron punched him right in the face. Besides some de-escalation advice from the school faculty that witnessed the transgression, Aaron was never in trouble for the incident, his mother Joan Day recalls.
Joan is in the process of transferring old home movies from VHS to DVD format. After watching through them she remembered just how thoughtful and intelligent John has always been. He was the first born of four children and was “just always a great big brother,” Joan recalls with a laugh, thinking of her oldest boy helping his baby brother take a bath. Aaron was constantly care-taking and helping with his siblings, jumping at any opportunity to take more responsibility in their upbringing when their father wasn’t doing it. Joan had to curb how much responsibility he took with his siblings because he was too helpful. “I didn’t want him to do too much because that wasn’t his role, but he would have,” Joan said.
Other than being a meticulous guardian of his siblings, Aaron took to athletics early and began playing soccer when he was five. Growing up in a small eastern Washington community where everyone knows everyone and there isn’t much to do, it was easy to focus on sports and school, two things Aaron always accelerated at. He was a consummate AP student-athlete who never had the desire to party or screw-off while in high school. It was always easy to stay on the straight and narrow with the high expectations of his athletic and academic career hanging over his head like an expensive chandelier.
Endless Possibilities
His studious path lead him to Central Washington University in 2006. Despite his high academic standing, he was just as lost as everyone is when they go to college. “The wide world in front of me felt almost intangible because of the endless possibilities,” Aaron says.
Luckily, freshman have to complete general education courses designed to pique their curiosity. Introductory chemistry was the subject that first held his attention, even when he left the classroom. Learning about the “organic interaction between chemicals” was a subject of endless fascination to Aaron.
Two years after discovering this passion and proving to be rather adept on the subject, Aaron found himself in a position many undergrads couldn’t dream of—teaching his organic chemistry lab and becoming a member of his professor’s research team. CWU is one of the few universities in the country that allows undergraduates to conduct research alongside faculty, an opportunity that Aaron immediately leapt at.
Aaron and the team were researching plant extractions, purification, and structure via nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. His senior thesis, “The Chemical Content and Medicinal Activity of Shrub Steppe Plants of the Pacific Northwest,” helped contribute research to microbial drug resistance caused by over-prescribed antibiotics.
Annie & Aaron
Even though Aaron’s academics took precedence over his athletics once he began college, he kept pursuing athletic endeavors. Aaron has always been conscious of his mind-body connection and kept himself in peak physical shape; co-ed sports and the weight room were a constant in his life throughout college. In 2011 he decided to attempt something much more demanding, running the Kauai Marathon while finishing his undergraduate degree.
The Kauai Marathon is one of the most grueling marathon courses in the world. Kauai’s harsh humidity and heat make it an intense challenge, but a total climb of 2171 feet and 4353 feet of total elevation changes make this a world-class athletic competition that isn’t to be taken lightly. This is an expert level course and isn’t something most people would even think about attempting for their first ever race, but Aaron and his two younger brothers attempted it for a special reason, to raise money for their disabled sister Annie.
Annie was born with a neurodegenerative disorder Ataxia-Telangiectasia or just A-T for short. This disease affects several systems in the body including nervous and immune systems. Annie is wheelchair-bound and eats through a straw because her fine motor skills are severely impaired. Aaron aimed to “use his skills to the fullest” to help her situation because there’s currently no cure for this terminal disease.
Paradise is hard to appreciate when you’re on the verge of heat exhaustion and dehydration for over four hours. Scenic ocean views and lush green forests don’t have the same appeal with muscle cramps and sunburnt skin, but Annie was always in the back of his mind inspiring him to keep moving. “If she can do it, I can do it.” Aaron finished the race in just over four hours, but more importantly, the entire endeavor raised over $12,000 in research money. This race also gave Aaron a thriving passion for elite endurance competitions.
Competence & Responsibility
Aaron knew three things in 2012: that he loved lifting, running, and plant extraction, but he still needed a job and a place to live. He quickly decided on Seattle for the job opportunities and the ability to stay within the same state as his family. He had some interest in medicine that he never explored at his time at CWU, so he applied for a job at a medical office for arthroscopic shoulder surgery and got an interview for a
“Do you understand that I don’t know your protocols and procedures?” Aaron asked his interviewer.
“You’ll pick it up,” they replied confidently.
He was offered the job after making a rockstar impression.
In the job world, any amount of competence is met with great responsibility. Aaron was happy to take on the challenge and was burnt-out quickly after he realized the medical field wasn’t sustainable for a healthy life. He decided a pivot back towards plant extractions was his next pursuit, and it didn’t take long for him to find a Craigslist posting for exactly that. Nectar Craft was looking for a laboratory manager, and after another stellar first impression, they offered him the job the very next day.
Nectar Craft is a cannabis processor operating out of Seattle’s SODO district. Nectar’s cannabis oil can be dabbed, vaporized, eaten, or even applied topically. Their company ethos revolves around extracting that plant’s life essence and delivering it to their customers. Nectar’s mascot, the hummingbird, represents the brand ethos. Nectar started in 2013 and brought on Aaron in 2015 to totally revamp their quaint start-up cannabis business into something revolutionary to the industry. “I strove to create something truly extraordinary,” Aaron said.
He poured himself into Circanna’s laboratory and transformed himself from an occasional cannabis user to a cannabis extraction super-soldier. He became solely responsible for not only extracting and purifying the oil but cleaning the glassware, breaking down and cleaning the lab, as well as repairing the equipment when it broke. He eventually became more knowledgeable about his lab equipment than the service technicians themselves.
David Hayes was a sales representative and self-proclaimed head of “Jr. Business Development” for Circanna. He met Aaron before he was even a Circanna employee when he was working as a freelance supply chain manager within the cannabis industry. Aaron was a big part of why David chose to work for Nectar Craft originally after they met in late-2017.
Aaron was David’s contact at Circanna before he was with the company. When he joined the company in April 2018, he quickly found a dichotomy in his and Aaron’s relationship that helped the Circanna brand succeed. “He’s really stoic and I’m loud,” David said with a laugh.
Stemming The Tide
In 2017 Aaron was doing his own research and development into a new full-spectrum cannabis distillate, he started noticing pain in one of his testicles. The pain was weird, unnatural, and followed by a strange bulge.
It took the opinions of a general practitioner and urologist to officially diagnose his testicular cancer. The diagnosis was a blow to the psyche of a 27-year-old that exhibited none of the typical risk factors associated with cancer. He is in peak physical shape, regularly exercises and competes in endurance races. He eats whole and natural foods mostly following a low-risk diet. He doesn’t take drugs and rarely drinks alcohol. The initial prognosis left him depressed and anxious. His surgery was two months away and he made a decision to act.
“I need to be active towards my treatment and get this fucking cancer out of here!” Aaron exclaimed!
A cancer diagnosis isn’t a routine problem one typically knows to deal with. Aaron wasn’t sure where to start so he started doing research on tumors associated with testicular cancer. Several studies report that cannabis use has shown cancer tumor reduction in rodents.
Anandamide is an endogenous cannabinoid produced in human cell membranes. Research says it may play an important role in killing cancer cells. Anandamide is very similar to THC, it binds to the same receptor sites. It’s known as the “bliss molecule” and is associated with high-intensity endurance endeavors and what’s commonly known as a “runner’s high,” per The Cannabis Health Index.
If cannabis could stem the tide of his cancer until the surgery would remove it completely, Aaron was going to consume as much of it as humanly possible, and so he did. He would consume up to two-grams of cannabis oil a day sometimes, which roughly equals 2000-milligrams of THC. He obtained the oil in any way he could through donations and buying as much as his budget would allow. This intense self-experimentation with cannabis was fully supported by his family and co-workers. He stayed relatively sober at work to remain diligent and focused on laboratory duties. But as soon as he
The Battle Begins
After being “uncomfortably high” for weeks on-end and completely jacking his cannabis tolerance to gargantuan levels, surgery was right around the corner. He reported to his pre-surgery screening with miraculous results. Not only had his pain decreased, so had his general anxiety about the situation. His latest tests revealed the tumor was one-third the size and hardly noticeable in scans, to the shock and awe of his doctor.
Aaron awoke from surgery with his mother and sister at his side. Everything seemed to go off without a hitch in the first hours after waking up, but as the evening rolled on, he could tell something was incredibly wrong. “I was scared to death,” Joan said.
He was plagued by horrible abdominal pains, dry heaving fits, and nausea that he “wouldn’t wish upon his worst enemy.” This went on until the hospital closed and he was wheeled into the overnight unit. A nurse finally noticed something was wrong with his abdomen. Her eyes opened wide and face turned white like she just saw a demon appear in the room. “How are you still alive?” the nurse asked out loud like words fell out of her mouth as she felt his stomach.
Aaron’s abdomen was completely solid. What should feel like a soft bag filled with internal organs, instead had no give. Aaron was bleeding to death internally and filling to the brim with his own blood and losing blood pressure rapidly.
After an ultrasound revealed he’d lost over half of his blood in his own abdominal cavity. The culprit ended up being a negative anesthesia reaction that caused dry heaving fits; which ripped his internal sutures and started a catastrophic race against his cardiovascular clock.
While he was being prepped for emergency surgery, the nurses strapped the defibrillator to his chest, just in case his heart stopped from blood loss. A surgeon was woken up in the dead of night and hurried back to the hospital for another seven hours of surgery.
Support System
Aaron wasn’t short on friends and family during his harrowing experience. Not only were his mother and sister by his side the entire time, but friends and co-workers were also waiting in the wings with support where ever they could. Kyle Capizzi is a former Circanna consultant who helped scale up the company in its early goings. Kyle noticed early on that Aaron had a “mind for the science” and formalized Aaron’s position as Head of Extraction.
Kyle also helped facilitate monetary support for Aaron while he was recovering from surgery. Aaron earned the respect of his peers and made himself an instrumental part of Circanna. Kyle was determined to “get this guy through this.”
Aaron awoke from his second surgery comfortable with stabilized vitals. The second surgery saved his life but left him “ripped up” from the procedure. The surgeons rearranged his organs to remove all of the blood. There’s a good chance they weren’t set back properly.
To this day, Aaron has horrible surgery scars on his lower abdomen/stomach and a mysterious lump that he believes is a bulge from a misplaced organ. The severity of scarring made Aaron and Joan suspect some form of malpractice occurred during the second surgery, even though the doctors admitted no wrongdoing to them.
The second surgery also drastically worsened Aaron’s recovery. Originally, he would have left the hospital the same day, now he was trudging through physical therapy, relearning how to use his body in a normal fashion. Walking and sitting-up caused him severe pain. He attacked post-surgery physical therapy like the Kauai Marathon, and every other obstacle in his life—with ruthless discipline and inspiration from his family.
His mother, being a cancer survivor herself, and his sister who fights every single day with her disease. “If they can do it, I can do it,” Aaron would tell himself as he grit through the pain and frustration of physical therapy.
Hit The Ground Running And Mountain Climbing
Circanna had also entered Aaron’s oil into the Washington Dope Cup…and it won! The Nectar Craft oil he created to reduce his symptoms became award-winning. All he needed to kick his recovery into overdrive was that last burst of inspiration. He reduced a three-week recovery into six days and was back to reality running his lab with a renewed sense of life.
Since his cancer scare and surgery debacle, Aaron has continued doing what he does best, extracting cannabis oil and pushing his physical limits. Circanna has since had to liquidate their brand, but he and David have parlayed directly into an up-start CBD operation. Aaron has also taught himself how to climb mountains and found a new love in it. He’s since summited Mt. Adams, Baker and Rainier with his brother Adam.
To top it all off he’s
Aaron trained for eight-months for the competition and had never biked or swam in any competitive sense before beginning training camp. During the race, he passed veteran iron-men along the way puking in the shade. Every inch of his body was on fire, his brain screaming at him like a hungry siren to give up and quit. He refused to quit. He completed the race in 17 hours. The announcer screamed as he crossed the finish line “Aaron John, you are an
Aaron’s ability to climb mountains, complete Iron-Man’s, endure severe amounts of physical pounding, and innovate in the cannabis space are a direct result of his death-defying cancer scare. 17 hours of pain or the woes of cannabis traceability don’t compare to internally bleeding to death. He refuses to waste his renewed chance at life. His dance with the grim reaper has allowed him to push himself further than ever before. “He’s an asset not just to us, [Circanna] but the entire [cannabis] industry,” David said fondly of his friend.
