I am a stage 4 young-onset colon cancer survivor. My journey began just a couple of months after turning 40, when my daughter was only 2 and my son was 8. Like so many others, my symptoms were initially misdiagnosed—I was told I had gallbladder stones. But after an ER visit, I received the life-changing news: stage 4 colon cancer. In that moment, my world and my family’s lives changed forever.
At the time of my diagnosis, the tumors on my liver were too large for immediate surgery. I underwent six rounds of chemotherapy with Avastin, which successfully shrank the tumors enough for me to have a colon and liver resection. After recovering from surgery, I continued with another six rounds of chemo, and I was declared NED (No Evidence of Disease).