Colorectal Cancer: 402 Real Stories
402 stories match colorectal cancer. 338 of them mention surgery.
Colorectal Cancer: Keith’s Survivor Story
Keith Akins had worked hard to improve his health before cancer entered the picture. In 2020, he changed his diet and exercise habits and lost 75 lbs, feeling healthier than he had in years. In 2024, his doctor recommended that he start colon cancer screening…
Read this storyColorectal Cancer: Petra’s Survivor Story
Petra Markert was 52 when colon cancer was found after months of severe constipation. Several examinations had not explained the problem, and preparation for a planned colonoscopy failed because of intense nausea and vomiting. She was admitted to hospital as…
Read this storyColorectal Cancer: Jessica’s Patient Story
Jessica Everts first went to her primary care doctor because she had near-constant stomachache and blood in her stool. She was referred to a GI specialist who came to town once a week, and her colonoscopy was scheduled for January. She was told cancer would…
Read this storyColorectal Cancer: Karl’s Survivor Story
Karl Bergmann was 82 when he reflected on rectal cancer first diagnosed 23 years earlier. Blood in his stool initially seemed like hemorrhoids to him, but his wife and daughter pushed him to be examined. Colonoscopy found rectal cancer. Surgery removed the…
Read this storyColorectal Cancer: Taletha’s Survivor Story
Taletha Walls shared this story as the wife and caregiver of her husband, who was diagnosed with rectal cancer at age 67 after a colonoscopy. The finding came during the holiday season, and Taletha carried the news quietly from December 13, 2018, until…
Read this storyStage IV Colorectal Cancer: Richard’s Survivor Story
Richard Linde was 61, married, and a father of 2 when he described colorectal cancer diagnosed 2 years earlier. He had not felt generally ill. The warning sign was repeated blood in his stool, which led him to contact his family doctor after 3 days…
Read this storyStage IV Colorectal Cancer Patient Story
In August 2009, a woman was hospitalized after abdominal bloating became too severe to ignore. Her family first thought constipation might be the cause, but testing showed advanced colon cancer. The cancer had spread through the large bowel area, with liver…
Read this storyStage III Colorectal Cancer: Karina’s Survivor Story
Karina Bandera had just turned 40 when she was told she had Stage IIIC rectal cancer. She had always considered herself healthy and kept up with yearly primary-care visits, but then noticed streaks of blood in her stool. A gastroenterologist referred her for…
Read this storyStage IV Colorectal Cancer: Sydney’s Patient Story
Sydney Stoner had digestive issues for years before lower abdominal pain became debilitating. The pain shifted from occasional constipation to frequent heavy pain with constipation and diarrhea. She tried elimination diets and holistic doctors, but she knew…
Read this storyStage I Colorectal Cancer: Margaret’s Survivor Story
Margaret Mullaney was told she might have colorectal cancer immediately after her first colonoscopy, while still sitting in a crowded recovery room. The colonoscopy had been ordered because of symptoms that included blood in the stool, bowel-habit changes…
Read this storyStage IV Colorectal Cancer: Janice’s Patient Story
Janice Johnson was 48 when severe abdominal pain sent her to the emergency room. At first, the symptoms were treated like constipation or food poisoning, but follow-up testing showed thickening in part of her colon wall. She pushed to get a colonoscopy…
Read this storyStage III Colorectal Cancer: Rebecca’s Survivor Story
Rebecca Barber had recently had a baby when she began bleeding while going to the bathroom in 2019. The bleeding worsened, and a sigmoidoscopy found a tumor while she was awake with only the doctor and a nurse present. The moment felt unreal, and she later…
Read this storyStage IV Colorectal Cancer: Gwen’s Survivor Story
Gwen Powell was 35, with 3 children under age 5, when repeated painful episodes were dismissed as constipation, gall or kidney stones, postpartum changes, or ovarian cysts. She kept going back for help, but it was hard to push for more testing while exhausted…
Read this storyStage II Colorectal Adenocarcinoma: Robert’s Survivor Story
Robert’s colon cancer was found after a colonoscopy showed a bleeding ulcer at the site where a suspicious polyp had been removed 6 months earlier. He was told he needed surgery right away. On December 27, 2010, surgeons removed the ascending colon and 10 cm…
Read this storyStage III Colorectal Cancer: Stéphanie’s Patient Story
Stéphanie Lévesque learned she had Stage III colorectal cancer on February 14, 2023, when she and her partner met with the surgeon who had performed her colonoscopy on February 6. The diagnosis was difficult to absorb, but her surgeon explained that the tumor…
Read this storyStage III Colorectal Cancer: Jameelah’s Survivor Story
Jameelah Mahmoud was 33 when persistent abdominal pain finally led to a Stage III colorectal cancer diagnosis. Her pain began in November 2018, but she was misdiagnosed 4 times before getting an answer in March 2019. She kept returning to her primary care…
Read this storyStage III Colorectal Cancer: Amy’s Patient Story
Amy Jensen was diagnosed with Stage III rectal cancer on September 24, 2020, after a colonoscopy. Before diagnosis, she had been active, loved running, traveled with her husband, and was working toward a goal of completing a race in every state. Everything…
Read this storyColorectal Cancer: Kelly’s Patient Story
Kelly Brophy shared the story of her mother’s colon cancer. Her mother was diagnosed with early-stage colon cancer in 2011. After treatment, she went into remission within 1 year, but chemotherapy left lifelong complications because of her health and the…
Read this storyStage IV Colorectal Cancer: Amber’s Survivor Story
Amber Madden was 42 when persistent stomach pain led to a Stage III colon cancer diagnosis that was soon upstaged to Stage IV. In late July 2024, she thought the discomfort might be constipation, but over-the-counter medicines did not help. At the emergency…
Read this storyColorectal Cancer: Kaitlin’s Patient Story
Kaitlin Van Saders first noticed bowel changes after the birth of her second son. She was going to the bathroom more often and asked a GI doctor for a colonoscopy, but at age 32, with no family history, she was denied and told to decrease stress. During…
Read this storyStage III Colorectal Cancer: Pete’s Survivor Story
Pete Di Stefano had a recommended screening colonoscopy at age 45 and learned he had a 3 cm mass in his transverse colon. Looking back, he realized he had missed anemia as a possible warning sign. His treatment plan began with surgery. After pathology came…
Read this storyColorectal Cancer: Jessica’s Patient Story
Jessica Engle’s only early symptom was that she could not pass stool for a week. On day 7, she developed stabbing pain on the right side of her abdomen, and her daughter took her to the hospital. Doctors attempted a colonoscopy, and Jessica woke up hearing…
Read this storyStage IV Colorectal Cancer: Helen’s Survivor Story
Helen D. was diagnosed with Stage IV rectal cancer after her doctor called with urgent news. The cancer had spread to her liver, where doctors identified 10 to 14 lesions, several close to major blood vessels. Her care team initially warned that she might…
Read this storyStage III Colorectal Cancer: Nick’s Survivor Story
Nick Cleworth, a 48-year-old train driver and father, went to his GP in late 2024 after seeing significant blood in his stool. Colonoscopy, CT, and MRI found a 4 cm rectal tumor, and the cancer had spread to nearby lymph nodes. His father had died from bowel…
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