Chemotherapy for Colorectal Cancer: 310 Real Stories
310 stories match colorectal cancer and chemotherapy. 274 of them mention surgery.
Stage III Colorectal Cancer: Allison’s Survivor Story
Allison was 32 and already familiar with bowel symptoms because of Crohn’s disease, so subtle changes caught her attention. She noticed weight loss, severe fatigue, more blood in her stool, and a feeling that food was getting stuck. Her gastroenterologist…
Read this storyStage III Colorectal Cancer: Brooks’s Survivor Story
Brooks Bell was in follow-up after Stage III colorectal cancer and chemotherapy. Her July 2020 story follows a surveillance colonoscopy, a key part of monitoring after colorectal cancer treatment. She describes arriving at the endoscopy center, going through…
Read this storyStage III Colorectal Cancer: Barbara’s Survivor Story
Barbara Majeski was 42 when colon cancer was finally diagnosed after a long period of symptoms and dismissal. She had trouble processing food, felt that things were sitting in her gut, and did not feel like herself despite being active and health-conscious…
Read this storyStage IV Colorectal Cancer: Howard’s Patient Story
Howard Brown was 50 when a routine colonoscopy led to a diagnosis of colon cancer. At 24, he had survived non-Hodgkin lymphoma and then lived 26 years without evidence of that disease before the colon cancer was found. For colon cancer, surgeons removed 13…
Read this storyStage I Colorectal Cancer: Aloysius’s Patient Story
Aloysius had no cancer symptoms when a routine medical checkup led his doctor to recommend further testing. The additional evaluation eventually resulted in a diagnosis of Stage I colorectal cancer. Following the diagnosis, he underwent a partial colectomy to…
Read this storyStage II Colorectal Cancer: Clement’s Patient Story
Clement sought medical care after vomiting blood and noticing blood in his stool. The evaluation led to a diagnosis of Stage II colorectal cancer. He described the diagnosis as an emotional shock, bringing anger, sadness, fear, and concern about his own…
Read this storyStage I Colorectal Cancer: Andy’s Survivor Story
A routine colonoscopy a few years ago led to Andy’s diagnosis of Stage I colorectal cancer. Doctors said the 5-year survival rate was 90%, which offered some reassurance, but the diagnosis still brought fear, surprise, nervousness and worry, especially…
Read this storyStage III Colorectal Cancer: Mike’s Patient Story
Mike Fitzpatrick initially ignored symptoms that he thought were caused by a virus. By spring 2008, the symptoms had persisted, and his wife encouraged him to see a doctor. Screening led to a diagnosis of Stage III colon cancer. He was 44 and had six…
Read this storyStage III Colorectal Cancer: Suzanne’s Patient Story
Suzanne Kulliver’s first cancer diagnosis followed an unexpected chain of events in 2015. After losing about 35 pounds through an intensive fitness program, she noticed that her hair was thinning. A visit to her doctor showed that she was anemic, and concern…
Read this storyStage II Colorectal Adenocarcinoma: Anne-Marie’s Survivor Story
Anne-Marie was diagnosed with Stage II colon adenocarcinoma in June 2019 after a bowel screening program detected the cancer. The diagnosis came after about 12 months of earlier concerns that had been attributed to other causes. A strong family history of…
Read this storyStage III Colorectal Cancer: Catherine’s Patient Story
Catherine sought hospital care after developing blood in the stool, large clots and changes in bowel habits. Testing led to a diagnosis of Stage III colorectal cancer. Cancer had affected Catherine’s family before, including a grandmother and uncle, which…
Read this storyStage IV Colorectal Cancer: Carole’s Survivor Story
Carole Motycka, a 44-year-old mother of 4, had no obvious cancer symptoms before an Easter hike in 2016 left her with severe back and shoulder pain. Tests showed Stage IV colorectal cancer that had spread to her liver. Doctors explained that her situation was…
Read this storyStage IV Colorectal Cancer: Anatole’s Survivor Story
Anatole Karpovs was a 37-year-old pediatrician when persistent bloody stools, bowel changes and abdominal pain led him to seek care in April 2013. Blood tests were normal, but scans showed a large tumor in the lower left colon. Colonoscopy and biopsy…
Read this storyStage III Colorectal Cancer: Annie’s Patient Story
Annie Schreiber, a 36-year-old mother of 3, first noticed blood in her stool in August 2017 and thought it was probably hemorrhoids. She was young and healthy, and even her first doctor recommended more fiber and water. When symptoms persisted, she was…
Read this storyStage IV Colorectal Adenocarcinoma: Darrell’s Survivor Story
Darrell Sawyer’s colorectal cancer journey began in November 2012, when what seemed like a short stomach flu did not go away. After a month of ongoing stomach upset, a colonoscopy found a tumor in his intestines so large that the procedure could not be…
Read this storyColorectal Cancer: Theresa’s Survivor Story
Theresa Cotton was 49 when she opened her colonoscopy results alone in a hospital parking lot and learned she had cancer. She called her husband immediately, then started researching cancer centers and treatment options. People she knew encouraged her to go…
Read this storyStage III Colorectal Adenocarcinoma: Anne’s Survivor Story
Anne developed persistent diarrhea with blood and later unexplained weight loss. After several months, a primary-care physician referred Anne to a gastroenterologist, and testing confirmed Stage III rectal adenocarcinoma in February 2017. Anne was 39 at…
Read this storyColorectal Cancer: Steve’s Survivor Story
Steve B., a 30-year-old computer programmer, noticed intermittent rectal bleeding and the feeling that he needed to use the bathroom but could not. His family physician knew Steve had a family history of colon cancer and recommended colonoscopy. The test…
Read this storyStage IV Colorectal Cancer: Kim’s Survivor Story
Kim Austin, 53, initially connected urgent bowel changes and traces of blood in her stool to stress. She also had a dull pelvic ache. After discussing the symptoms with her primary care physician, CT and MRI imaging showed a questionable liver mass. A…
Read this storyStage IV Colorectal Cancer: Dawn’s Survivor Story
Dawn Eicher had intermittent bleeding from age 21, but for years she was told she was too young for cancer. In 2012, while pregnant at 35, she developed worsening bleeding, mucus, narrowing stools, and pain. Her symptoms continued after the birth of her son…
Read this storyStage IV Colorectal Adenocarcinoma: Betsy’s Patient Story
Betsy sought medical attention immediately after severe rectal bleeding and was diagnosed in April 2020 with Stage III colon adenocarcinoma. The diagnosis was unexpected because Betsy had felt well and had been living a healthy lifestyle. Treatment began with…
Read this storyStage IV Colorectal Adenocarcinoma: Alecia’s Patient Story
Alecia learned she had Stage IV colorectal cancer in August 2020 after a blood test showed a hemoglobin level of 6 and a colonoscopy found colon adenocarcinoma. Before diagnosis she had frequent diarrhea and fatigue. She began treatment with 4 cycles of…
Read this story