It’s shocking enough when a family member finds out he or she has cancer.

Imagine what it’s like when a husband and wife both learn they have cancer in the same week.

Chuck and Janet Karl of Albert Lea got that news in October.

Chuck went in for a colonoscopy at Albert Lea Medical Center on Oct. 14, the day before his 55th birthday.

“They didn’t say they’d found a spot. They said they’d found cancer,” he said.

With that knowledge, the couple had a vacation planned for a few days later, and decided to go ahead with the trip and to wait and tell family members when they got back.

Meanwhile, Janet had a mammogram in September, which was normal, but she discovered a lump. Her doctor urged her to have it biopsied. She got the results the week after Chuck did.

When they returned from the trip, they told their children, son Chad and his wife, Jill, and daughter, Alexis. Chad and Jill had just had a baby daughter, Avery, in September.

Janet had to choose what type of treatment she would have — a lumpectomy followed by radiation, a mastectomy, or a mastectomy followed by reconstructive surgery. She opted for the lumpectomy and radiation and had her surgery on Oct. 29. She’ll also take the breast cancer drug, Aromacin, for five years.

“My sister had breast cancer and had a mastectomy, but hers was a lot further progressed,” Janet said. “She’s been clear of cancer for 20 years.”

Chuck had a section of his colon removed on Oct. 31.

“They had me up walking the first night, and I went to a fire meeting the next Monday,” Chuck recalled.

The Karls said they had every confidence in the local surgeons and their staffs as well as the people at the Albert Lea Cancer Center.

“I was totally confident having my surgery done here,” Chuck said.

Through it all, the Karls hardly missed a beat. They are the owners of Karl’s Carquest and Janet also works as a dispatcher at Albert Lea Bus Co. Chuck is a member of the Albert Lea Township Fire Department.

They said they felt very fortunate that their types of cancer are very treatable.

Janet said Alexis recently commented to her that she never felt anything negative about her parents’ diagnoses or their prospects of recovery.

While they try not to, Chuck said they can’t help but look at things a little differently now. “We have cancer. We’ll get to our appointments. Follow-up is so important,” he said.

He said if he’d gone in for his first colonoscopy at age 50, he may not have ended up with cancer. He urges everyone to go in.

“People say they can’t afford to have one (a colonoscopy). I say you can’t afford not to,” Chuck said.

“Our kids will have to go in to be screened earlier than 50,” he added.

Both Janet and Chuck lost their fathers to cancer; Janet’s father died 16 years ago and Chuck’s died 31 years ago.

“Cancer’s a whole different thing now,” Chuck said. “The types we have are very treatable.”

With the birth of their first grandchild, they hope to be around a long time, they said.

The Karls wish to say thank you to all those who were so supportive during their cancer diagnosis and treatment: all the guys at Karl’s Carquest, everyone at Albert Lea Bus Co., the Albert Lea Township Fire Department, United Methodist Church, Crossroads Church, Dr. David Appel and Dr. Jeffrey Lotts and the staff on the second floor — Jan, Diann, Darlene and Lola.

They also thank their neighbors, Jerry and Gerry, Rick and Pam, Jean and Leon, Bill and Sue, Warren and Ki, Marsha and Dale, Tom and Trudy, Roxy and Terry, Dori, Marlene and Suzanne, Sheryl, Cindi and Esther, and all who sent their prayers and cards or brought food over.

“We had lots of people praying for us in many different churches, and some that still are,” Chuck said.

They’re grateful to the radiation technicians, Donna, Jenni, Lisa, Liz and Kristin.

“And we can’t forget our children, Chad, Jill and Avery and Lex and Scott. Thank you to you all!” they said.

The Karls are planning to volunteer with the American Cancer Society’s Daffodil Days fundraiser this week. They will be manning the table at Wells Fargo Bank from 9 to 11 a.m. Friday.