Stéphanie Lévesque
Patient/Survivor
Colon
Age at Diagnosis: 44
"Don't be scared, colonoscopy is the most effective way to detect colorectal cancer. I waited too long, and luckily it wasn't too late for me! But this is not the case for everyone! Focus on the positive. Stop comparing yourself to other people with the same cancer because each case is different even if the cancer is the same!"
It was February 14, 2023, Valentine’s Day, that my partner and I met with the surgeon who did my colonoscopy on February 6.
It’s as if my brain wasn’t assimilating the information: It was telling me that I had stage III colorectal cancer. But the “good” news is that my tumor was well-located and the affected lymph nodes were as well.
My partner held my hand and reassured me that we would face this together.
My surgeon explained the game plan to me, but after radiotherapy everything changed because I had rare complications: 1 chance in 1,000,000 I was told! And it didn’t stop there; after each step I had complications. My treatments included chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation. I’ve had biomarker testing, and I’ve also had an ileostomy.
Despite everything, I am still here on my two feet! I’m not giving up! The treatments are not finished. We are waiting for what happens next, February 13, 2024, almost a year after the announcement of my cancer!