Ivory Bruinsma

Story: "Cancer changed my life. It made me more self-aware and more aware of others. It increased my empathy and care for others. Having gone through something like this has made me a better, stronger more loving person. It also showed me that when it comes to colorectal cancer there wasn't a lot of information out there and being young made that much harder until I found some amazing online resources through a couple of great organizations and support groups. There I met some of my closest friends. I also have met some awesome people who are no longer with us. And that is heartbreaking and makes me passionate to learn more about this disease and help educate others. And that's where I feel most passionate in my fight.

"Every day I get up and try my best to live my best life. I fight for those who have gone before and who will come after me. I turn my heartbreak into the fuel that drives me to keep advocating, learning, and reaching out to others. I turn my pain into passion to get up each day and find new and different ways to be a better me because if my friends were still here that’s what they would be doing. I turn my grief into something beautiful to offer other survivors by just being a present in their fight. I fight for others because I know others who have fought for me and who continue when I can't. That's the beauty of this community we are all in this together. Every single one of us."

"No one fights alone and we are better together."

Advice: "At the end of all of this what matters the most is relationships. And that is why fight because every survivor needs to know they aren't alone and that they have a squad of people cheering for them and advocating for more."