Radiation for Colorectal Cancer: 140 Real Stories
140 stories match colorectal cancer and radiation. 132 of them mention chemotherapy.
Stage IV Colorectal Cancer: Jessica’s Survivor Story
Jessica Dazzler was diagnosed with Stage IV colorectal cancer in January 2021, soon after her 37th birthday. For about 1 year before diagnosis, she had pelvic and tailbone pain, changing bowel habits, blood in the stool, low iron, and fertility-related…
Read this storyStage III Colorectal Cancer: Andrea’s Survivor Story
Andrea was 32 when Stage III colorectal cancer was diagnosed, after symptoms that began while she was about 7 months pregnant. She first noticed bloody stool, lower back pain, and pressure in June 2021. During childbirth she had severe rectal pain, and…
Read this storyStage III Colorectal Cancer: Andrea’s Survivor Story
Andrea was 32 and working as a nurse practitioner when she was diagnosed with Stage III rectal cancer. Her first symptoms started while she was pregnant: blood in her stool, low back pain, pelvic pressure, and the constant feeling that she needed to use the…
Read this storyStage III Colorectal Adenocarcinoma: Michael’s Survivor Story
Michael Holtz was diagnosed with Stage IIIB rectal cancer on March 27, 2012, 5 days after his 43rd birthday. He had experienced rectal bleeding, changes in bowel habits, and constipation or obstruction. After the colonoscopy, he and his wife were taken into…
Read this storyStage IV Colorectal Cancer Patient Story
Elsa Lankford became a caregiver when her wife was diagnosed with Stage IV colon cancer at age 49. The recommended screening age had been lowered from 50 to 45 only 2 months earlier. They already feared cancer, and the diagnosis was confirmed while Elsa’s…
Read this storyStage II Colorectal Cancer: John’s Survivor Story
John Johnson was 35 and training seriously as a runner when rectal bleeding led to a Stage II rectal cancer diagnosis. At first, he thought the bleeding might be hemorrhoids. When it worsened, he saw his physician, who recommended a colonoscopy. The…
Read this storyStage IV Colorectal Cancer: Justine’s Patient Story
Justine was 32 when bowel changes became impossible to ignore. In the summer of 2018, her bowel movements increased until she was going up to 20 times a day, with soft stool and blood. A colonoscopy on February 11 found a tumor, and she was diagnosed with…
Read this storyStage IV Colorectal Cancer: Jason’s Survivor Story
Jason Randall was 35 in 2018 when severe cramping and inability to move his bowels led to scans showing Stage IV rectosigmoid colorectal cancer. He had a large tumor where the rectum and colon meet, and cancerous lesions covered about 80% of his liver. His…
Read this storyColorectal Cancer: Stephanie’s Patient Story
Stephanie McBride was 42 when she was finally referred for a colonoscopy after at least 18 months of colorectal cancer symptoms. She had repeatedly reported rectal bleeding, changes in bowel habits, narrow stools, abdominal cramping and bloating, low iron…
Read this storyStage IV Colorectal Cancer: Bobbi’s Survivor Story
In June 2022, Bobbi Ratliff went to the emergency room with severe stomach cramps and vomiting. A CT scan showed that her colon was about 90% blocked, leading to hospital admission and a diagnosis of Stage IV colon cancer at age 50. Imaging also found a liver…
Read this storyStage III Colorectal Cancer: Jelena’s Survivor Story
Jelena was 34, healthy, and running half marathons when she began noticing unusual digestive changes. Her gas smelled different, then she saw blood in her stool. Because colorectal cancer did not run in her family and she felt otherwise well, she first…
Read this storyStage IV Colorectal Cancer: Jason’s Patient Story
Jason Reese was 49 when he described living with Stage IV colorectal cancer that started in the rectum and spread extensively to his liver. For a long time, he explained away gastrointestinal distress as diet-related. Blood on the toilet paper slowly worsened…
Read this storyStage IV Colorectal Cancer: Jim’s Patient Story
Jim Bromwich was 36 when mild abdominal cramps and a small amount of blood in his stool pushed him to ask for a colonoscopy. He had been active and healthy, and an initial doctor reassured him that colon cancer was unlikely at his age. His GP still offered a…
Read this storyColorectal Cancer: Bridget’s Survivor Story
Bridget noticed blood in the stool and other symptoms in April 2024 but waited a few months before seeking medical care. The diagnosis of colorectal cancer was further delayed after early concerns were not taken seriously, leaving Bridget angry about the time…
Read this storyStage III Colorectal Cancer: Debra’s Patient Story
Debra was diagnosed with Stage III colorectal cancer in June 2024 after symptoms that included blood in her stool, incomplete bowel movements, weight loss, fatigue, fecal incontinence, and increasing groin pain. Her diagnosis came during an emergency visit…
Read this storyStage IV Colorectal Cancer: Jeff’s Patient Story
Jeff Williams was 50 when his first routine colonoscopy found a tumor in his sigmoid colon. Scans the next day confirmed Stage IV colorectal cancer that had spread to his liver and lungs, with 4 liver lesions and 3 lung lesions. He first had surgery to remove…
Read this storyStage IV Colorectal Cancer: Julie’s Patient Story
Julie Flower was diagnosed with Stage IV colorectal cancer in March 2018, initially with liver metastases. Over the next 5 years, the cancer involved multiple sites, including the lung, liver, lymph nodes, and bone. Her treatment history was long and…
Read this storyStage IV Colorectal Cancer: Danielle’s Patient Story
Danielle Archer was 40 when worsening constipation, abdominal pain, and a feeling that something was off led to a colonoscopy and endoscopy on December 31, 2018. During the colonoscopy, doctors found a bleeding 7-centimeter mass in the upper sigmoid area…
Read this storyStage IV Colorectal Cancer: Jason’s Survivor Story
This Patient Story video is a survivorship discussion with 2 colorectal cancer survivors, Jason Randall and Amy Hart, focused on living with an ostomy. Jason describes himself as a Stage IV colorectal cancer survivor who was almost 5 years into the experience…
Read this storyStage IV Colorectal Cancer: Michelle’s Patient Story
Michelle Cappel was first diagnosed with Stage IV colorectal cancer in 2017. Initial treatment included chemotherapy and curative-intent surgery, and she reached no evidence of disease for about 2.5 years. As she approached the 3-year mark, she developed a…
Read this storyStage IV Colorectal Cancer: Jason’s Survivor Story
Jason Randall was diagnosed with Stage IV sigmoid colon cancer on July 17, 2018, after severe abdominal pain and bowel obstruction symptoms led to imaging. About 80% of his liver was covered with metastatic disease, and his sigmoid colon was fully blocked, so…
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: Carmen’s Survivor Story
Carmen Susman was active and felt healthy when urinary symptoms unexpectedly led to a Stage IV colorectal cancer diagnosis. In November 2021, he had a renal ultrasound to check for kidney stones. Instead, the test found a mass on his liver. Follow-up tests…
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