Ashley Hudson

Ashley's story

My name is Ashley. I had been experiencing horrible stomach cramps for four years. I had went to the ER and nothing was ever done.

I went to the ER on April 21, 2022. I was in so much pain that I couldn’t take it anymore. I explained to them the pain I was having. I honestly thought my IUD had moved out of place.

They ended up doing a CT scan. They saw a blockage and a mass in my colon. I was sent directly from my small town ER to a bigger city. I was automatically admitted. I had to have a colonoscopy done. That’s when I was told it was cancer.

I knew as soon as they told me I had a mass that it was cancer. It was the scariest thing to hear. I was only 35 years old. I had three children ranging from 2 to 17 years old. It wasn’t supposed to happen that young.

I had surgery to remove the mass. They ended up taking 17 inches of my colon and placed an colostomy. I ended up infected. I went septic. I was in the hospital for four weeks.

There were days I didn’t know if I was going to even live to make it out of the hospital. I never lost faith or hope. I knew I had no other choice, so I fought the hardest fight of my life.

I ended up getting out of the hospital and going home with a wound vac. I was on the wound vac for eight weeks.

I started chemo treatment in August 2022. My first chemo went very good until I was sent home on the pump. I had a heart attack on my last day of wearing the pump. It was caused by the chemo.

The doctors had to change my regimen, and watched by a cardiologist, I made it through. I rang my victory bell on March 6, 2023.

It was a rough road, and it’s not completely over. However, I’m so blessed to be alive. Even on the hard days.

Signs and symptoms

Some signs and symptoms included stomach cramps/bloating/fullness, unable to have a bowel movement (bowel obstruction), or constipation.

Side effects

Side effects included fatigue, pain, infection, neuropathy, chemo brain, distress or mental health issues/illness.

Ashley's advice

If you feel like something is off with your health, then seek medical attention. There’s nothing to be ashamed of. The sooner that it’s caught, the better fight you’ll have.

Don’t lose faith. Even on those hard day, you’re not fighting alone.