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(CNN) --
Kris Sokolowski has always been active, spending his free time climbing mountains, running and practicing martial arts.
And every chance he got, he could be found boarding a plane, en route to explore the world.
On his first official date with his now-wife, Sokolowski booked flights to South Africa for two weeks.
The couple have a son, 11 years old at the moment, who also joins them on their adventures.
Sokolowski's outdoor activities have helped him stay healthy.
At his last annual physical in December 2020, his doctor called him "Iron Man."
But about six months after that medical appointment, Sokolowski began experiencing what he describes as a "funny feeling" in his stomach.
“It was like gurgling, like you were hungry.
And he just wouldn't disappear for a couple of days,” he told CNN Travel on Saturday.
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Sokolowski went to get it checked out and was told it was probably acid reflux.
They gave him some pills and sent him home.
A couple of days later, the gurgling sensation was still present, so he sought further medical attention and an examination, after which he was told to see a gastro-specialist immediately.
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Sokolowski's doctor told him he had a "large mass" in his colon and liver and suspected advanced stage four cancer.
Stage four is the most advanced of the cancer and usually means that it has spread from its source.
"My first reaction was, 'How can this happen? I've never missed an appointment,'" Sokolowski recalls.
But at 48, Sokolowski hadn't been old enough for the regular colonoscopies recommended in the United States (the age has since been lowered to 45).
And until the gurgling sensation, he hadn't experienced any symptoms.
An MRI, a colonoscopy, and a tissue sample confirmed the worst: Sokolowski had stage four colon cancer.
"The MRI showed it in six places on my body," says Sokolowski.
"So it was my colon, my liver, my breastbone, my spine, my lymph nodes, and the walls of my abdomen."
Oncologists told her there was no cure for her condition.
"They gave me a life expectancy of between two and a half years and five years to live," he says.
love of travel
The Sokolowskis traveled to China in 2015, here they are on the Great Wall.
Courtesy: Kris Sokolowski
Atlanta-based Sokolowski is the first-generation American son of two Polish immigrants.
He says his love of travel stems from the many childhood summers he spent in Poland.
When he was 20 years old, he began to travel whenever he could, regularly exploring Europe.
When Sokolowski met his wife Elizabeth in their thirties, the two realized that they were united by a thirst to see the world.
That first date in South Africa sealed the deal, and the couple married six months later.
"When our son was born a year later, in 2010, we made a commitment to get him out of the country every year," Sokolowski says.
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It is important for the couple to introduce their child to cultures and experiences outside of the United States.
Since he was born, the family has been to 19 countries and counting.
"We both work for US companies, but we save all year and it usually takes us about three weeks to travel, whether it's Asia, the South Pacific, Europe, wherever we can go."
Solowski says that he and his wife always look forward.
They rarely return to the same place and focus on how they can make the best of their current circumstances and plan something exciting for the future.
Here is the family in Seoul, South Korea.
Courtesy: Kris Sokolowski
It is that attitude that Sokolowski brought to his terminal cancer diagnosis.
He says he's on the highest dose of chemotherapy available.
Doctors warned her about the side effects of fatigue, vomiting, hair loss, and weight loss.
"I said, look, I'm a young guy, I'm 48, I have a 10-year-old at home. Throw away everything you've got now that I'm young and strong," Sokolowski recalls.
So far the side effects have been minimal and he continues to exercise and run regularly.
"I've never gotten sick for a day from it," Sokolowski says.
"The fatigue started a little bit, but I was able to get over it. So whatever they told me was going to happen, it didn't happen for me."
Sokolowski and his family canceled a planned trip to Iceland in the summer of 2021, but as the months passed, he was informed that, against all odds, his tumors were shrinking and he was doing well enough to afford to skip one of her chemotherapy treatments -- which occur every two weeks -- to go on vacation abroad.
Even contracting covid-19 in November 2021 didn't stop the plans;
fortunately, Sokolowski was vaccinated and only mildly ill with the virus.
The Sokolowskis love to go out on vacation.
Here they are exploring in Slovenia.
Courtesy: Kris Sokolowski
When he received the go-ahead to travel with his family over the Christmas period, Sokolowski was delighted.
"Even above my health, traveling was still a priority," Sokolowski says.
"Because it was a commitment that we made when we got married, it was a commitment that we made to our son when he was born, that we would get him out of the country every year. So for me, that was always the number one priority."
Sokolowski and his wife Elizabeth and their son Braden began planning a trip for Christmas and New Years.
They decided on a three-week adventure in French Polynesia, heading to Bora Bora, Moorea, and Tahiti.
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Sokolowski traveled with his chemotherapy pills, as well as a precautionary letter from his doctor to make sure he could return to the United States, "in case there were any kind of restrictions due to covid-19. And that letter basically stipulated that "Kris has stage four cancer which is terminal, which is really dependent on her chemotherapy."
While Sokolowski had avoided many side effects from his treatment, when the day of departure arrived he was suffering from a condition called hand-foot syndrome, which can cause the bottoms of the feet to become very sensitive and prone to blistering and inflammation. .
The Sokolowskis rarely go to the same place twice.
Here is the family on a previous trip to Malta.
Courtesy: Kris Sokolowski
"When I was running before our trip, I got blisters on both feet, I think I had four on each foot and it was extremely difficult to walk, it was almost like walking on razor blades," he says.
"So the day we were leaving for French Polynesia, we went through three different airports. We went through Atlanta airport, LAX and then Tahiti, and at all three airports, I had to be in a wheelchair because I couldn't walk. And that was a little difficult."
However, Sokolowski says that arriving in Bora Bora and diving into the turquoise waters was an almost instant healing.
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That was probably the salt water in action, he says.
But Sokolowski also thinks the happiness and delight he felt vacationing in a beautiful place with his loved ones lifted his spirits, providing invaluable hospice care.
Under warm blue skies, the family enjoyed swimming with blacktip sharks, jet skiing, exploring volcanic landscapes, and relaxing.
"We spend a lot of time in the water. I mean, how can you not? It's crystal clear. It's a turquoise color you've never seen before. You know, you could see all the way to the bottom where the fish are swimming. And it's very calm and relaxing".
living for the moment
Kris, Elizabeth and Braden Sokolowski, pictured here on the island of Moorea, fell in love with French Polynesia during their trip in late 2021. Courtesy: Kris Sokolowski
For Sokolowski and his wife, it was important to be honest with Braden about his father's cancer, while also helping him adjust to this new reality and supporting him.
Sokolowski says the family's focus is on making memories and continuing to encourage their son to take advantage of new opportunities and adventures.
One of Sokolowski's favorite moments of the 2021 French Polynesia trip was watching Braden dive with sharks for the first time.
"He was a little worried about going in the water with sharks. But then he saw us doing it. So he jumped in," Sokolowski said.
"And the first time a shark came up to him and then he turned around and just walked away, I was underwater with him and the look on his face, it was pure excitement and adrenaline and joy. And I saw how much he enjoyed himself and couldn't coming out of the water, I mean, it was fantastic."
Diving with sharks in French Polynesia in 2021 was a highlight for the family.
Courtesy: Kris Sokolowski
Sokolowski hasn't taken her son to Poland yet, but says that's on the agenda for future trips.
He wanted to wait until Braden was old enough to fully understand and appreciate the trip.
While the family is currently in Atlanta, the Sokolowskis are also seriously considering a move to French Polynesia, if they can do it with remote work and health care.
"For 15 days, I had a smile on my face, from ear to ear," Sokolowski says of the family's time there.
"Honestly, I think if there's one thing that's going to cure my cancer, it's going to be living a life of positivity and happiness."
Wherever they are based, travel will continue to be a priority.
In 2022, the family hopes to travel to Pamplona, Spain, to see the annual bullfighting festival, a longtime dream of Sokolowski's.
Prioritize health and travel
Sokolowski hopes to defy expectations and statistics to recover from his illness.
No matter how much time he has left, he vowed to spend as much of it as possible exploring the world with his loved ones.
"I don't know how much time I have left on this earth, but I want to leave behind fond travel memories and a legacy where my son can make our planet a little bit better," he says.
Sokolowski has a blog where he summarizes his own experiences with cancer.
He has become passionate about encouraging people with illnesses to travel if they can, and he is equally committed to encouraging people in their 40s to get a colonoscopy.
When he received his diagnosis, Sokolowski asked his gastroenterologist what the prognosis would have been if he had had a colonoscopy three years earlier.
"Before I finished my sentence, he said, 'I would have had a couple of polyps removed and you wouldn't even be sitting here, we wouldn't be having this conversation.'"
And that really hit me hard."
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Sokolowski says that concentrating on this "what if" isn't helpful to him.
“I don't look in the rearview mirror,” he says.
"That doesn't help me at all. It is what it is. And I only look forward, the only time I look back is to tell people my story and say, 'This is what happened to me. Don't let happen to you'".
Instead, Sokolowski's focus is on staying as healthy as possible and looking forward to future adventures with his family.
His wife, Elizabeth, tells CNN Travel that she has the same perspective.
"You need to live your life, you only have one life," she comments.
"Memories are really what will make you happy in the end."
Adds Sokolowski, "The one thing I've always told people is get out of your bubble, get out of your town and go see the world."
"It amazes me how many people aren't interested in traveling, or are interested and say, 'Well, we can't do this,' and make excuses. Drop the excuses and do it."
Top photo: The Sokolowski family in Padar, Indonesia. Courtesy Kris Sokolowski
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