Colorectal Cancer: 402 Real Stories
402 stories match colorectal cancer. 338 of them mention surgery.
Stage III Colorectal Cancer: Scott’s Survivor Story
Scott was diagnosed with Stage III rectal cancer in July 2020, during the height of the pandemic. The cancer was found after a routine physical showed blood in his stool. A colonoscopy the next month revealed a tumor in his rectum, even though he had not…
Read this storyStage IV Colorectal Adenocarcinoma: Nicola’s Survivor Story
Nicola, a mother and anesthetic technician, first noticed rectal bleeding. Doctors initially thought it was hemorrhoids, but a colonoscopy found a 4-cm colorectal tumor. She had surgery just before Christmas, and pathology showed that 4 lymph nodes contained…
Read this storyStage I Colorectal Cancer: Rashawn’s Survivor Story
Rashawn, a mother of 4 from Augusta, Georgia, was diagnosed with Stage I colorectal cancer in 2014. Her first warning signs were persistent fatigue and blood in her stool. A colonoscopy found a golf-ball-sized mass in her colon, and it was confirmed to be…
Read this storyStage I Colorectal Cancer: Rashawn’s Survivor Story
Rashawn Mitchell was 39 when fatigue and ice cravings became impossible to ignore. In February 2014, she was late to work repeatedly because she could barely get up in the morning. Her doctor suspected low hemoglobin and found blood in her stool during an…
Read this storyStage IV HER2-Positive Colorectal Cancer: Emily’s Patient Story
Emily King was 27 when stomach pain and blood in her stool led to an ER visit. A CT scan showed a large tumor in her transverse colon. Surgeons removed about 1 foot of colon and 23 lymph nodes; 13 nodes contained cancer. Her early recovery was complicated by…
Read this storyStage IV Colorectal Adenocarcinoma: Nicola’s Survivor Story
Nicola was first diagnosed with bowel cancer near the end of 2021 after years of rectal bleeding, stomach problems, and worsening anemia. A colonoscopy found a tumor, and staging scans followed. Five days before Christmas, she had bowel surgery that removed a…
Read this storyStage IV Colorectal Cancer: Rachael’s Patient Story
Rachael, a 34-year-old mother of 3, was diagnosed with Stage IV sigmoid colon cancer after severe stomach pain sent her to the emergency room. A CT scan unexpectedly showed cancer, and further workup showed spread to her ovaries and liver. Before diagnosis…
Read this storyStage IV Colorectal Cancer: Rachael’s Patient Story
Rachael Marie was 34 and raising 3 children when sudden worsening symptoms led her to the ER. She had bloating, severe abdominal pain, fatigue, trouble drinking water, and a swollen stomach. A CT scan led doctors to tell her she had Stage IV colon cancer with…
Read this storyStage IV BRAF Colorectal Cancer: Jennifer’s Survivor Story
Jennifer was 23 when a blood test showed extremely low iron and led to a colonoscopy. The scope found a tumor that blocked the camera, and she was diagnosed with colon cancer in December 2017. Surgery on December 29 used an open approach because doctors were…
Read this storyStage IV Colorectal Cancer: Roshonda’s Patient Story
Roshonda was diagnosed with rectal cancer in 2022 after symptoms that began with blood in her stool and a feeling that bowel movements were incomplete. As symptoms worsened, including blood after sexual activity and increasing discomfort, she changed…
Read this storyStage IV Colorectal Cancer: Roshonda’s Survivor Story
Roshonda Clark was 40 when she was diagnosed with rectal cancer in March 2022. Doctors first thought it was Stage III, but she later learned it was Stage IV. Her symptoms had started earlier with blood in her stool and a feeling that bowel movements were…
Read this storyStage II Colorectal Adenocarcinoma: Carmen’s Patient Story
Carmen noticed blood in the urine and stool in January 2025 and sought medical attention within a few days. A family doctor referred Carmen to a specialist, and colonoscopy confirmed Stage II colon adenocarcinoma. Carmen describes being in the 40s at…
Read this storyStage II Colorectal Cancer: Casandra’s Survivor Story
Casandra had persistent abdominal pain that caused significant discomfort. Although the symptoms were initially thought to be irritable bowel syndrome, Casandra remained concerned that something more serious was being missed. After about 2 years of raising…
Read this storyStage IV Colorectal Cancer: Shayla’s Patient Story
Shayla was 33 when years of stomach problems turned into a Stage IV colorectal cancer diagnosis. She had dealt with a sensitive stomach since high school, later received an uncertain celiac diagnosis, and continued to feel unwell despite cutting out gluten…
Read this storyStage IV Colorectal Adenocarcinoma: Lindy’s Patient Story
Lindy Avalos was 34 and 2.5 months postpartum when she was diagnosed with Stage IV colon adenocarcinoma. During her first pregnancy, she had severe abdominal pain, changes in bowel movements, blood in her stool, poor appetite and worsening pain. Because…
Read this storyStage IV Colorectal Cancer: Kate’s Patient Story
Kate was 36 when a bowel obstruction led to her Stage IV colon cancer diagnosis in July 2024. For about a year before that, she had bloating, severe fatigue, constipation and cramping that she attributed to diet changes, work stress, young children and…
Read this storyStage III Colorectal Cancer: Jose’s Survivor Story
Jose Santos lived with severe ulcerative colitis for 16 years before his Stage III colorectal cancer diagnosis in 2022. The autoimmune disease had caused abdominal pain, bleeding, urgency, weakness, and a major loss of quality of life since his 20s. When…
Read this storyStage I Colorectal Cancer: Jay’s Survivor Story
Jay Trevino was 48 when a routine screening test unexpectedly led to a colon cancer diagnosis on June 14, 2024. After a change in health insurance, he had to find a new primary care physician. The new doctor recommended a Cologuard test for colon cancer…
Read this storyStage IV Colorectal Cancer: Monica’s Patient Story
Monica was 32, from Australia and living in Croatia, when she was diagnosed with Stage IV colon cancer. She had stomach pain that was initially brushed off as possible IBS or a gynecologic issue. When she ended up in the hospital, imaging showed a tumor…
Read this storyStage III Colorectal Cancer: Jazz’s Patient Story
Jazz, a Texas resident, began having frequent bowel movements, discomfort, and rectal bleeding during a vacation in Hawaii. He first thought the symptoms were hemorrhoids and delayed getting checked, but his girlfriend noticed his weight loss and pushed him…
Read this storyStage IV Colorectal Adenocarcinoma: Casandra’s Patient Story
Casandra was 38 when she was diagnosed with Stage IV colon cancer. For years, she had rectal bleeding and fatigue that she attributed to hemorrhoids, interstitial cystitis, and later recovery after gastric sleeve surgery. When the bleeding and fatigue…
Read this storyStage III Colorectal Cancer: Jazz’s Patient Story
Jazz Page was diagnosed with Stage III, borderline Stage IV rectal cancer after months of symptoms that he first tried to explain away. During a vacation, he felt the urge to use the bathroom 8 to 10 times a day and never felt fully emptied. He assumed it…
Read this storyStage IV Colorectal Cancer: Jess’s Survivor Story
Jess Thompson was diagnosed with Stage IV bowel cancer at 26 after months of severe stomach cramps, diarrhea, vomiting, fatigue, and anemia. The cramping came in sudden episodes that lasted 2 to 3 days, then eased. She also noticed she could no longer climb…
Read this storyStage III Colorectal Cancer: Paul’s Patient Story
Paul was diagnosed with Stage III rectal cancer in early 2024 after more than 1 year of bowel changes. He had frequent bowel movements and loose stools, but during a routine physical in late 2023, the symptoms were first thought to be inflammation or…
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