Lynch Syndrome: 21 Real Stories
21 stories match lynch syndrome. 17 of them mention surgery.
Colorectal Cancer: Lisa’s Survivor Story
Lisa Roth was 59 when she reflected on colorectal cancer connected to Lynch syndrome, also called HNPCC. She was about 45 when the diagnosis first entered her life. One morning before work, she suddenly had intense urgency and heavy bleeding from the bowel…
Read this storyColorectal Cancer: Danny’s Survivor Story
Danny Soto was used to danger as a firefighter, but colon cancer felt different because the disease had taken his father’s life. His case was aggressive and complex. Before he came to Memorial Sloan Kettering, treatment at another hospital left him weak, sick…
Read this storyStage IV MSI-High Colorectal Cancer: JJ’s Patient Story
JJ was 27 when months of abdominal pain, bowel problems, vomiting and rapid weight loss led to an emergency CT scan and colonoscopy. Surgery removed about 80% of his colon and 36 inches of small intestine. He needed a second operation during a 16-day hospital…
Read this storyStage III Colorectal Cancer: Zed’s Survivor Story
Zed was 35 when blood in his stool continued for about 1.5 months and fatigue began affecting sports he usually handled well. A FIT test confirmed blood in the stool, and colonoscopy found a large bleeding tumor blocking the colon so completely that the scope…
Read this storyStage IV Colorectal Cancer: Jackie’s Patient Story
Jackie was diagnosed with Stage IIIB rectal cancer after constant blood in her stool and worsening constipation led to colonoscopy. CT imaging raised concern for a liver spot, but that finding was later considered nothing. Genetic testing then showed Lynch…
Read this storyStage IV Colorectal Cancer: Mike’s Patient Story
Mike Ray was 39 when he faced colon cancer that had spread to his liver. He also learned he had Lynch syndrome, a hereditary condition that raises the risk of several cancers. Many centers could only offer palliative care because his cancer was metastatic and…
Read this storyStage III MSI-High Colorectal Cancer: Tommy’s Survivor Story
Tommy Allen was 57 when severe stomach pain and bright red blood in his stool led to a colon cancer diagnosis. He first had surgery in June 2019 near home in Alabama, but the surgeon could not remove all the cancer because the tumor was wrapped around…
Read this storyStage I Colorectal Cancer: Jessica’s Survivor Story
Jessica was diagnosed with Lynch syndrome in February 2023 after genetic testing connected to family-planning discussions and a strong family cancer history. That result became crucial when bowel symptoms worsened. She had constipation, abdominal pain, blood…
Read this storyStage II Colorectal Cancer: Marc’s Survivor Story
Marc Anthony was 29 when he was diagnosed with Stage IIA colon cancer in January 2015. He had noticed rectal bleeding but delayed care, partly because he was young and doctors had suggested he was too young for cancer. Family history changed the urgency: his…
Read this storyStage IV Colorectal Cancer: Esteban’s Survivor Story
Esteban Moreno pursued genetic testing after his father was diagnosed with colon cancer. The testing showed that Esteban had Lynch syndrome, and a routine colonoscopy then found a malignant tumor. Further evaluation showed that the cancer had already…
Read this storyStage IV Gastric Cancer: Mark’s Patient Story
Mark Scragg knew cancer risk ran in his family after he and several relatives learned they had Lynch syndrome. In May 2021, persistent fatigue and stomach pain led him to move up his yearly endoscopy and colonoscopy. Doctors found a stomach tumor, and…
Read this storyStage II Colorectal Cancer: Maddee’s Survivor Story
Maddee was diagnosed with Stage II colon cancer in February 2023 after months of symptoms that did not fit her active lifestyle. She first noticed fatigue and intermittent abdominal pain in December 2022. The symptoms then escalated to burning stomach pain…
Read this storyStage II Colorectal Cancer: Maddee’s Survivor Story
Maddee Moore was diagnosed with Stage II colon cancer in February 2023 after months of fatigue, abdominal pain, burning sensations, shortness of breath on hills, dizziness, and anemia. Because she had a history of gastrointestinal problems after a prior…
Read this storyColorectal Cancer: Jay’s Patient Story
Jay Reese was 36 in 1987 when abdominal pain, bloody stool, and edema led to a colon cancer diagnosis. He underwent surgery, followed by 6 weeks of radiation and 1 year of chemotherapy. After treatment, he had annual colonoscopies and went nearly 25 years…
Read this storyStage II MSI-High Colorectal Cancer: Shannon’s Survivor Story
Shannon was 29 when severe pain after eating eventually led to a Stage IIA colon cancer diagnosis. The pain began in late 2014 and was first treated as an ulcer, then linked to gallbladder problems. Her gallbladder was removed in January 2015, but the pain…
Read this storyStage III Colorectal Cancer: Amy’s Survivor Story
Amy was 34 when she was diagnosed with Stage IIIB colorectal cancer associated with Lynch syndrome. Treatment was described as a marathon in 3 legs. The first leg was 6 weeks of chemotherapy plus radiation. After a break, she underwent a 9.5-hour operation…
Read this storyStage III MSI-High Colorectal Cancer: Amy’s Patient Story
Amy Hart was 34, a mother of 2, and trying to understand why she felt increasingly “off.” Early bloodwork looked normal, and her symptoms were attributed to anxiety, so she began counseling and focused on mental health. The symptoms kept getting worse. She…
Read this storyStage IV Colorectal Cancer: JJ’s Patient Story
JJ Singleton was 27 and had been working hard to get healthier when abdominal symptoms began around Memorial Day 2015. He felt throbbing pain, became extremely tired, had trouble eating and using the bathroom, and was losing about 5 pounds a week. By…
Read this storyColorectal Cancer: Wenora’s Patient Story
Wenora Johnson was 55 when she described how a colorectal cancer diagnosis had changed the way she approached her health. She had first been diagnosed with colorectal cancer in 2011. Genetic testing afterward identified Lynch syndrome, an inherited condition…
Read this storyColorectal Cancer: Alejandro’s Patient Story
Alejandro Mirazo joined the Mayo Clinic Tapestry DNA Sequencing Research Study in 2021 to contribute to research on genetics and health. He expected to help science, but the study also changed his own care. Genetic sequencing raised concern for Lynch…
Read this storyStage II MSI-High Colorectal Cancer: Shannon’s Survivor Story
Shannon was 29 when severe pain after eating began in fall 2014. At first, doctors thought it might be an ulcer. In December, an emergency-room visit led to an ultrasound showing gallbladder problems, so her gallbladder was removed in January 2015. The pain…
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