After battling cancer three separate times, Eric is embracing life as a cancer-free Tubie. He’s piloted a sailplane, paddled in a canoe marathon, and competed in both running and biking races. Beyond recommending the EnClean® Brush, Eric encourages others to “live your life the best way you can,” noting that cancer brought him closer to understanding both faith and gratitude.
At LumaCleanCares, we are constantly inspired by stories of perseverance and innovation within the healthcare community. Stories like Eric’s not only move us; they help us uncover critical gaps in patient care and drive the development of innovative medical solutions.
Meet Eric Bilow. Eric was diagnosed with stage 4 throat cancer right after retiring and moving to Florida at age of 59.
After undergoing treatment, the cancer went away only to come back with a vengeance six months later. At that time, Eric had to undergo several surgeries, which led to the placement of his first feeding tube in August of 2020.
Following the surgeries, he couldn’t speak, didn’t have use of his left arm and was left unable to walk. But, with a spirit of perseverance, he tackled therapy to relearn how to both walk and talk once again.
Unfortunately, the cancer came back once again only six months later.
Following treatment, Eric has now been cancer-free for five years, saying: “For the last five years, I have tried to live every day doing every possible thing I could that was adventuresome. I strive to inspire others that you can have unfortunate situations happen, but you have to push forward and do the best you can with what you have.”
Eric has done exactly that.
Now cancer-free, Eric refuses to slow down. He’s piloted a sailplane, paddled in a canoe marathon, and competed in both running and biking races—all while living life as a proud Tubie.
One of his biggest passions? Disc golf. About three years ago, the local “Chain Gang” disc golf club asked Eric to take the lead. Under his guidance, the club has grown to more than 700 members, making it the “largest group of active senior disc golfers in the world.”
Related read >> Read more about Eric’s PDGA Club Chronicles here.
Eric’s drive to connect with others doesn’t stop there. He also founded a throat cancer support group, which now has 12 regular members, several of whom are fellow Tubies. It’s become a meaningful space to share both challenges and encouragement.
But perhaps Eric’s most ambitious adventure yet was his 14,000-mile cross-country road trip to celebrate being a five-year cancer survivor. Behind the wheel of his new Polaris Slingshot, he set out to play disc golf in 48 states, a dream that took eight months of planning and 57 days of driving, averaging 300 miles a day.
“Every day I met cancer survivors of one type or another,” he said. “I put their names on my slingshot to celebrate people or memorialize them. I spoke to more than 100 people who lost someone to cancer or survived it, and were very proud of continuing on with their lives.”
You can follow more of Eric’s journey on his Facebook page: 2025 Cannonball Run 4 Cancer.
To date, Eric has had about 12 G-Tubes, but noted that “having a tube never bothered me.”
He’s a strong believer of living his life and not worrying about what others think. Eric uses his tube for three meals a day, and is always looking for ways to make life a little easier.
“My tube does get build up and formula stuck in it, so I was looking for a solution,” he said. “I saw the EnClean® Brush online and thought that might work… so I ordered one. And, I was amazed at how well it worked. It was the perfect solution; very practical for what I was experiencing. The hospital gave me a toothbrush and it didn't solve the problem, but this brush works very well. I appreciate practical solutions like this one for the minority of people like me who have a tube.”
Beyond recommending the EnClean® Brush, Eric encourages others to “live your life the best way you can,” noting that cancer brought him closer to understanding both faith and gratitude.
He added: "It's pretty hard to run into someone who hasn't been touched by this disease [cancer]. I hope they can make the best of it and not get discouraged in life.”
