Samantha Fletcher
Patient/Survivor
Colon
Age at Diagnosis: 35
"Start every morning with your feet on the ground and in the sunshine."
What started as stomach pain turned into ER visits, a surgery for an ovarian cyst, and months of unanswered questions. Finally, in July 2024, a colonoscopy revealed the truth: a tumor in my colon. Cancer. At 35. It didn’t make sense. It still doesn’t.
In September 2024, I had surgery to remove part of my colon. In October 2024, I started 6 months of chemo—8 brutal rounds that tested every part of me. In March, I rang the bell. Scans showed no evidence of disease. Grateful doesn’t even begin to cover it.
But here’s what no one tells you: surviving is only the beginning. Life after cancer is hard. I’m still learning how to be me again—because I’m not the same. And that’s okay.
