Griffin Zysk
Patient/Survivor |
Colon - Stage III |
Age at Diagnosis: 37
When my youngest daughter was 10 months old I decided to finally go see a GI. I had been bleeding on and off since her birth. I figured it was a hemorrhoid but wanted to be sure. Turns out it was stage 3B sigmoid colon cancer. I remember getting the call from my doctor confirming it was cancer. My husband is a merchant marine and was in the shipyard in Bahrain at the time. I numbly called him and told him. From there it was a blur. I had surgery on my daughter’s first birthday. I was 7 rounds into chemo when my husband had to leave to go back to sea and then the world shut down because of Covid. Thank god for my mom who came and stayed with me. She got me through the last 5 rounds of chemo while homeschooling my kindergartner and taking care of my one year old. That 7 months was the hardest of my life.
Griffin Zysk
Patient/Survivor |
Colon - Stage III |
Age at Diagnosis: 37
When my youngest daughter was 10 months old I decided to finally go see a GI. I had been bleeding on and off since her birth. I figured it was a hemorrhoid but wanted to be sure. Turns out it was stage 3B sigmoid colon cancer. I remember getting the call from my doctor confirming it was cancer. My husband is a merchant marine and was in the shipyard in Bahrain at the time. I numbly called him and told him. From there it was a blur. I had surgery on my daughter’s first birthday. I was 7 rounds into chemo when my husband had to leave to go back to sea and then the world shut down because of Covid. Thank god for my mom who came and stayed with me. She got me through the last 5 rounds of chemo while homeschooling my kindergartner and taking care of my one year old. That 7 months was the hardest of my life.
"Find someone you can talk to. Whether it be a mentor or therapist."
Griffin Zysk
Patient/Survivor |
Colon - Stage III |
Age at Diagnosis: 37
When my youngest daughter was 10 months old I decided to finally go see a GI. I had been bleeding on and off since her birth. I figured it was a hemorrhoid but wanted to be sure. Turns out it was stage 3B sigmoid colon cancer. I remember getting the call from my doctor confirming it was cancer. My husband is a merchant marine and was in the shipyard in Bahrain at the time. I numbly called him and told him. From there it was a blur. I had surgery on my daughter’s first birthday. I was 7 rounds into chemo when my husband had to leave to go back to sea and then the world shut down because of Covid. Thank god for my mom who came and stayed with me. She got me through the last 5 rounds of chemo while homeschooling my kindergartner and taking care of my one year old. That 7 months was the hardest of my life.
"Find someone you can talk to. Whether it be a mentor or therapist."
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