Surgery for Colorectal Cancer: 338 Real Stories
338 stories match colorectal cancer and surgery. 274 of them mention chemotherapy.
Stage IV Colorectal Cancer: Scott’s Patient Story
Scott Sterling was 51 in 2018 when a sudden sharp pain in his lower right abdomen led him to the emergency room. After several tests, a pelvic scan found Stage IV colorectal cancer that had spread to his liver. He learned that the disease was not considered…
Read this storyStage 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 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…
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 Adenocarcinoma: Jana’s Survivor Story
Jana learned she had Stage I colon adenocarcinoma in July 2020 after stabbing stomach pain, blood in her stool, weight loss and feeling unwell led to further testing. At first, she was told the cancer might also involve her liver and lungs, which made the…
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 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 IV Colorectal Cancer: Teri’s Patient Story
Teri Griege became an endurance athlete after running a marathon in 2002 and completed her first Ironman in 2008. While training for another Ironman in 2009, she developed symptoms that suggested colorectal cancer but initially ignored them. Two weeks after…
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 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 storyColorectal Cancer: Ronnie’s Patient Story
Ronnie was diagnosed with colorectal cancer after a routine colonoscopy. He remembered waking up and being told by oncology that he had cancer and that it needed to be treated. His first major treatment was surgery, and at that point his team believed surgery…
Read this storyStage III Colorectal Cancer: Rachel’s Survivor Story
Rachel was 34 when she was diagnosed with Stage III colorectal cancer after a colonoscopy. She had gone in expecting another explanation and remembered telling people not to worry because she was too young for cancer. The diagnosis was a shock and changed how…
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 storyColorectal Cancer: Ed’s Patient Story
Ed Godic, 60, first tried changing his diet after noticing blood in his stool. When 2 weeks without gluten and with healthier meals did not improve the bleeding, he saw his primary care doctor at Cleveland Clinic Beachcliff Family Medicine. His doctor advised…
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 storyColorectal Cancer: Jennifer’s Survivor Story
Jennifer Gerres, 32, was a podiatric surgery resident when she developed pain and nausea that progressed to passing clotted blood and severe cramps. Her husband urged her to call Cleveland Clinic’s same-day appointment line, and the care team convinced her to…
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