Norberto Roman

Story: "I found out about my diagnosis in December 2021. After a Cologuard screening coming positive in November, my doctor scheduled me for a colonoscopy on December 20, 2021.

"On December 8 while participating in a veteran's retreat in California, away from my whole family, I ended up in the ER with a stomach pain on my right side. What we thought was appendicitis resulted as a cancerous tumor that looked like it spread to my liver. You can't imagine how my world went down at that moment, with only the leaders of the retreat there — no family — and I was miles away from home.

"I rushed back home to confirm the results of the CT scan and on December 16, I had a colonoscopy, which came back with metastatic stage IV colon cancer with known metastases to the liver, lung, and peritoneum. In January, I had to have a paracentesis to eliminate 3 liters of liquid in my stomach, after which I lost 41 pounds.

"I am a retired army wounded veteran with two tours in Iraq, I have a chronic lung disease from exposure to sulfur fires. You can't imagine how scared I was when I found out that cancer spread to other parts, especially the lung also."

Advice: "Do not wait to schedule an appointment for a colonoscopy. Get one as soon as possible. Early screening saves lives. Attitude is everything, I tell myself I don't have cancer: I was diagnosed with cancer. I don't let this dictate my life. Fight the good fight and be positive about it. We can beat this, with a positive mind and attitude and at the same time by helping other warriors fighting the same fight."