What happened, in summary

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 people say she had cancer. Surgery happened immediately. A tumor was removed, and she was given a colostomy. Doctors also found that the cancer had spread to abdominal lymph nodes. Her children were 16 and 18 at the time, and Jessica remembers going into crisis mode because she could only think that they could not lose their mother. She started treatment in January 2023, supported by family and friends who helped her keep going. By 2026, her colostomy had been reversed. Her cancer was stable, with no further spreading, but she was still on maintenance chemotherapy every 2 weeks. Jessica’s current status is best described as living with colorectal cancer under ongoing maintenance treatment, not cancer-free. She uses her experience to call for more research funding and answers about why young adults are being diagnosed at increasing rates.