Henry Gray

Story: "I was diagnosed with colon cancer at 47 years old. My job went through an insurance change, and the new insurance offered 100 percent coverage if employees participated in a wellness program. I agreed to participate. I scheduled my physical with my new primary care doctor, who recommended a colonoscopy. This recommendation was based on the fact that I am African American, it is recommended that we're tested starting at age 40. I figured that since I had no symptoms, I would not test positive for colon cancer, so I agreed to get tested.

"During the colonoscopy, they noticed a dark spot in my colon. They took a sample to see if it was cancerous. It turns out it was. A surgery was promptly scheduled to remove the section of my colon that was cancerous. Once it was removed, a biopsy was performed and I was told that I had stage III colon cancer. The treatment would include six months of chemotherapy with an attached pump for 46 hours for every treatment."

Advice: "Try to stay strong and healthy throughout the treatment. Throughout the six months, I had very little downtime, since I took very little time off from work. Due to me a being a relatively healthy person, my body was able to tolerate the treatments."