Patient & Caregiver Stories

Elsa Lankford

The only way to know that you do or do not have colorectal cancer is to check. Colorectal cancer is one of the few cancers where, it might be able to be caught before it's cancer, and then it can be prevented.

Loralee Lovell

"It is scary! But, we all have one life to live and I want it to be a good one – despite this horrible diagnosis! I have also surrounded myself with other colon cancer fighters who are encouraging, and we check up on each other a lot via social media. That’s been helpful as well."

Ashley Pedro

"You have to advocate for yourself! If something doesn't feel right, keep pushing until you get answers and relief! Advocate, advocate, advocate! Your story is the most powerful thing you have in your own tool bag!"

Jessica Fox

Cancer treatment and recovery is like running a marathon, not a sprint. We go through a lot of "training" to get us as healthy and strong as possible to face what is to come. Some training days are easy but others are long and difficult. With the right mindset though, we can set ourselves up to be the best we can be, despite the circumstances.

Meredith Foster

The unknown will always be worse than the known. Don't be afraid to talk about your symptoms, everyone has a colon and a rectum and everybody poops! There is no reason to feel embarrassed or ashamed. The temporary discomfort of talking to someone or having screening done is nothing compared to a potential late stage cancer diagnosis. Yes, it is not fun to fast and bowel prep, but it is temporary and worth the brief disruption. Speak up. Ask all the questions. Share all the information. Ask for more if you need it.

Jacob (J.J.) Singleton

"I’ve been close to death and worked through anger and depression, but now I want to use my journey to help other people. Messages I get from patients or caregivers who say my podcast episode or social media post helped them with their issues, or understand this cancer craziness, keep me going."

Meredith Willcox

Stephen Estrada

“I often tell newly diagnosed patients that they are the coach of their cancer care team. Your oncologist is the quarterback, but it is up to you to run the team,” he says. “You will hear a lot of ‘no’s’ as you present information to your team, but for every 20 ‘no’s’ there will be at least one ‘yes.’ And sometimes, all you need is that one ‘yes.’”