Fate has a funny way of knocking on the door when you least expect it. For businessman and championship NHRA drag racer Bo Butner, fate knocked with a heavy hand earlier this year, but through strange luck, quick action, the support of wife Randi Lyn and his family, and a lot of help from friends, Butner tackled and took down a major health issue and returned to racing and winning in remarkable form.
It all started in early spring with what he thought was a kidney stone.
“I was at the dealership [Jim Butner Auto Group] working one day, and I got a pain and kind of blew it off,” explained Butner. “I was sitting with Randi Lyn and my daughter who runs the service shop, and I told them, I gotta take something because my side hurts. But then it got really bad and I said, ‘You’re going to have to take me to the hospital.’ It was very painful, something I’d never felt before in my life.”
At the hospital, it was determined that Butner had a stone in his right kidney, and a spot was detected on his left kidney that was presumed to possibly be a cyst. At the follow up appointment two weeks later, Butner was handed the most unexpected news.
“The kidney stone never passed, but when they did a scan at the follow-up appointment, they kept me waiting for like an hour and then the doctor came in and said, ‘Do you want the good news or the bad news first?’ ” Butner recalled. “I’m always for good news, so I say, ‘The good news!’ He tells me that the kidney stone is gone, and I don’t know how because I never passed it, but then he said, ‘The bad news is that you have cancer, and we’re going to remove your left kidney.’ I’m like, ‘Do what?’ Randi Lyn wasn’t back there with me, she was in the waiting room, and I had never even met this doctor. It was very shocking.”
Butner’s initial reaction was to jump right into fixing the problem, and he asked if they were going to do the operation that day. The doctor replied that they would have to schedule the removal of the kidney for months later, possibly July or August.
With this news in hand, Butner went to the waiting room to tell Randi Lyn.
“It wasn’t that I was sad or thought I couldn’t beat it, but it was hard to tell her,” he said. “But she took it pretty well. She said, ‘Time out. They’re not just hacking a kidney out, we’re getting a second opinion.’ So, I started making calls. Mark Stockseth, Shelly Payne, Jake Hairston, Richard Freeman, they all helped – especially Shelly, she really got things moving – and I got in with MD Anderson in Houston. I had an appointment in two weeks.”
Once at MD Anderson, Butner knew he was in good hands.
“There isn’t anything wrong with the hospitals around where we live; people take care of you the best they can,” he said. “But from the time I walked in at MD Anderson, I had people meeting me at the door, taking me to each appointment, and treating me like my situation was the most important part of their day. At the first appointment, I asked the lady taking my blood, ‘The doctor I’m seeing, is he pretty good?’ Without hesitation, she said, ‘We only have the best here.’ From that point on, I knew I was in the right place.”
Cancer was confirmed on May 1st, and the doctors determined that they would rather go in and remove it from the kidney rather than take out the kidney itself. Three weeks later, Butner was wheeled in for a surgery that took six hours.
“They thought the cancer was on top of it, but it was deep down in the kidney, so they went in robotically and cut it out,” said Butner. “That was a Tuesday, and I was back home Saturday. They say cats have nine lives, but I’m sure I have more. I’ve gone through a lot, from a stroke, to wrecks and fires, and now this. There’s always been somebody looking out for me, like there is for all of us. I believe it’s God, and people can believe it’s whatever they want – but it’s pretty amazing.”
The tumor, the size of a strawberry, was only attached in a small area, and the doctors were able to save the healthy 80-90% of Butner’s kidney. The recovery was surprisingly smooth due to small and minimal incisions with no external stitches. Out of normal precautionary measures, Butner’s movement was restricted to allow for internal healing, but on August 1st, he was cleared to resume normal activity – including racing.
August 10th, Butner was back to doing Bo Butner things as he drove his way to the winner’s circle at the Indy divisional in Super Street wheeling Randi Lyn’s orange Camaro. Two weeks later, he drove his three-time U.S. Nationals winning Corvette roadster to the final round at the division race in Bowling Green.
Although this time around the U.S. Nationals did not produce a win, Butner was driving just as well – if not better – than ever. His mental game is top-notch, and physically, he’s feeling great. The time away from the track actually served to be beneficial as Butner was able to spend time with family, finish his pilot license to fly, and focus on business at Jim Butner Auto Group. The future, which is now fully available to him, is bright.
“I have so many people to thank,” said Butner. “I can’t thank the people at MD Anderson enough. The fellowship from racing is pretty amazing. I wouldn’t have gotten in to MD Anderson, it never would have happened, if I wasn’t in racing. This is a huge family out here, and we all try to help each other in any way possible. The amount of prayers that were sent my way, the texts and phone calls even though we were trying to keep it kind of quiet. It was nonstop, and those prayers worked, 100%.
“It’s scary to hear the word ‘cancer,’ but I didn’t dwell on it, and Randi always thinks I’m going to overcome anything, always. I feel like things would be different if you’re negative. But I’m very blessed it was found and taken care of, and that people surrounded us with support. Now we’re moving forward, all of the cancer is gone, and I still have a functioning kidney. I have to keep going back every six months for check-ups, but I feel really good. I’m grateful to be getting back at it and enjoying life.”
