How One Woman Overcame a Critical Diagnosis and Found Renewed Hope

Bunten’s journey began in early 2020, when sudden and extreme bloating made her look as if she was “ready to deliver.” Local doctors initially suggested stress-related weight gain, but her condition worsened. She lost the ability to eat, grew alarmingly thin, and felt painful pressure in her abdomen. Concerned caregivers eventually ordered an ultrasound, which showed lesions on her liver, colon, and throughout her abdomen. A diagnosis of stage IV ovarian cancer soon followed.

Angry that her condition had gone undetected for so long, Bunten feared the worst. Yet her oncologist in Pueblo reassured her, pointing to recent medical advances that could improve her outlook. Referred to Dr. Dirk Pikaart at UCHealth Cancer Center – Memorial Hospital Central in Colorado Springs, Bunten was offered two treatment paths: begin with four rounds of chemotherapy followed by surgery or start with surgery first. She chose chemotherapy to shrink the tumors. Weekly paracentesis relieved fluid buildup, but it was the chemotherapy that rapidly decreased her abdominal swelling.

With the tumor load diminished, imaging revealed the disease was now small enough for a minimally invasive hysterectomy. Bunten had surgery and then completed two additional chemotherapy rounds. Doctors confirmed that her scans and blood tests showed no remaining evidence of cancer. Throughout treatment—a time complicated by the unfolding COVID-19 pandemic—Bunten praised the medical team for their unwavering dedication, describing them as “saving her life.”

Now free from invasive treatments, Bunten returns every three months for checkups. Though ever mindful of recurrence risk, she embraces an active lifestyle full of hiking and biking. Grateful to have overcome such a daunting prognosis, she channels her energy into living each day to the fullest.