Jill MacDonald

Story: “I received my diagnosis shortly after my 37th birthday, in January 2015. For all of December and most of January I underwent ultrasounds, numerous types of scans and blood tests to finally be told after my colonoscopy that I had colon cancer. I was told in a private room after the procedure by the sweetest, most sympathetic doctor, who had performed my procedure. We had to wait for my friend, who was my ride home, to arrive. I remember the words coming out of the doctor's mouth and just being relieved. I finally had an answer. This explained the nodules we were seeing in my liver. I could finally move forward with actively addressing this monster, rather than sitting and waiting for the 'next test' to rule something out or reading things on the internet to worry me further. Ha. It was the day I REALLY started living my life, honestly.”

Advice: “That's tricky. I guess just listen to your body if something seems wrong or out of whack: You know better than anyone else. Also, I came up with every explanation for my symptoms. Ultimately, there's no shame or fear involved in seeking medical advice. It's something you just have to do. The longer you wait, the worse things could possibly get. You don't want to go through what I have endured and what I have seen other diagnosed friends and families go through. Preventive screening is a necessity. sadly I know of many people that had to lie about symptoms to be taken seriously in order to receive the proper screening.

"Get knocked down 10 times, get up 11. Just get up, you can do it."