FOLFOX: 58 Real Stories

58 stories match FOLFOX. 55 of them mention surgery.

  1. Stage IV Colorectal Cancer: Jennifer’s Survivor Story

    Stage 4 · Single Nthl1 Mutation · cetuximab · Chemotherapy

    Jennifer Trefzger was diagnosed with colon cancer at 23 in 2017 after years of symptoms and severe iron deficiency. A colonoscopy found a 5 cm tumor blocking her descending colon. She was initially told the cancer was Stage III, but later learned it had…

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  2. Stage III Colorectal Cancer: Edie’s Survivor Story

    Stage 3 · Chemotherapy · FOLFOX

    Edie had noticed severe constipation for 1-2 years before her diagnosis. Because she had no family history or major risk factors, screening began when she turned 50. A positive Cologuard test led to a colonoscopy, where doctors found a mass near the border of…

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  3. Stage IV HER2-Positive Colorectal Cancer: Emily’s Patient Story

    Stage 4 · HER2 Positive · Chemotherapy · Clinical Trial

    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…

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  4. Stage IV Colorectal Cancer: Rachael’s Patient Story

    Stage 4 · Chemotherapy · colostomy

    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…

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  5. Stage IV BRAF Colorectal Cancer: Jennifer’s Survivor Story

    Stage 4 · BRAF Mutation · Chemotherapy · FOLFIRI

    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…

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  6. Stage III Colorectal Cancer: Alicia’s Patient Story

    Stage 3 · Chemotherapy · FOLFOX

    Alicia Blakey was being evaluated for a large fibroid when CT imaging unexpectedly showed a colon polyp. A follow-up colonoscopy found a tumor that could not be removed during the procedure. The next day, Alicia underwent laparoscopic surgery to remove part…

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  7. Stage IV Colorectal Cancer: Amy’s Patient Story

    Stage 4 · Ablation · Chemotherapy

    Amy Nicole was diagnosed with colon cancer after noticing only a small change in her stool. Initial blood work and other tests were normal, and her planned colonoscopy was delayed for about 1 year during COVID restrictions. When she finally had the…

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  8. Stage IV Colorectal Cancer: Jessica’s Survivor Story

    Stage 4 · Exact Mutation · Ablation · bevacizumab

    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…

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  9. Stage III Colorectal Adenocarcinoma: Michael’s Survivor Story

    Stage 3 · capecitabine · Chemotherapy

    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…

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  10. Stage IV Colorectal Cancer: Justine’s Patient Story

    Stage 4 · Ablation · Chemoradiation

    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…

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  11. Stage III Colorectal Cancer: Jelena’s Survivor Story

    Stage 3 · capecitabine · Chemotherapy

    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…

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  12. Stage IV Colorectal Cancer: Jason’s Patient Story

    Stage 4 · bevacizumab · Chemotherapy

    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…

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  13. Stage IV Colorectal Cancer: Jim’s Patient Story

    Stage 4 · Chemotherapy · FOLFOX

    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…

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  14. Stage IV Colorectal Cancer: Jeff’s Patient Story

    Stage 4 · Chemotherapy · Clinical Trial

    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…

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  15. Stage III Colorectal Cancer: Barbara’s Survivor Story

    Stage 3 · Chemotherapy · FOLFOX

    Barbara was an active, health-conscious woman who did not fit the stereotype many people imagine for colon cancer. Her first symptoms were digestive: food felt like it was just sitting in her gut, she had trouble processing meals, and she became extremely…

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  16. Stage III Colorectal Cancer: Amanda’s Survivor Story

    Stage 3 · Chemotherapy · FOLFOX

    Amanda Peters first noticed rectal bleeding after the birth of her son in 2014. She was told it was a fissure, then later that bleeding after childbirth was likely hemorrhoids. Over the next several years, the bleeding kept returning and eventually worsened…

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  17. Stage IV Colorectal Cancer: Keith’s Patient Story

    Stage 4 · bevacizumab · Chemotherapy

    Keith was 41 when abdominal pain after gallbladder removal led to an emergency room visit in May 2021. A CT scan showed a mass or blockage in his colon. Further evaluation also found affected lymph nodes and 4 lesions in his liver. He had emergency surgery…

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  18. Stage IV Colorectal Cancer: Michelle’s Survivor Story

    Stage 4 · Chemotherapy · FOLFOX

    Michelle Cappel was a 40-year-old fifth-grade teacher when years of chronic constipation, bloating, and worsening abdominal pain finally led to a Stage IV colorectal cancer diagnosis. Her symptoms had been blamed on antidepressants, possible celiac disease…

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  19. Stage III Colorectal Cancer: Angelica’s Survivor Story

    Stage 3 · Chemotherapy · FOLFOX

    Angelica Allen’s follow-up story focused on how life changed after Stage III bowel cancer. She was diagnosed in 2018 at age 38, after exhaustion, iron deficiency, bloating, bowel changes, and intermittent bleeding led to emergency evaluation. Treatment began…

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  20. Stage III Colorectal Cancer: Angelica’s Survivor Story

    Stage 3 · Chemotherapy · FOLFOX

    Angelica Allen was 38 when she was diagnosed with Stage III bowel cancer after months of symptoms that were easy to misattribute. She had iron deficiency, severe exhaustion that lasted 7 or 8 months, bloating, bowel-movement changes, and intermittent…

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  21. Stage IV Colorectal Cancer: Jason’s Survivor Story

    Stage 4 · Chemotherapy · colostomy

    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…

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  22. Stage IV Colorectal Cancer: Bart’s Survivor Story

    Stage 4 · capecitabine · Chemotherapy

    Bart Wilson was 37 when lower abdominal pain and blood in his stool led to a colonoscopy in January 2020. Doctors found a large tumor blocking much of his colon, and he needed emergency surgery. The next day, he learned he had Stage IV colon cancer that had…

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  23. Stage IV Colorectal Cancer: JJ’s Patient Story

    Stage 4 · Lynch Syndrome · Chemotherapy · FOLFOX

    JJ Singleton was 27 and had been working hard to get healthier when abdominal symptoms began around Memorial Day 2015. He felt throbbing pain, became extremely tired, had trouble eating and using the bathroom, and was losing about 5 pounds a week. By…

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  24. Stage III Colorectal Adenocarcinoma: Ashley’s Patient Story

    Stage 3 · capecitabine · Chemotherapy

    Ashley developed persistent heartburn and felt full after only small amounts of food. An initial diagnosis and medication did not explain the worsening symptoms, so Ashley sought another opinion after roughly 6 months to a year. In January 2023, testing…

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