认识Frankie

患者 / 幸存者

North Little Rock, Arkansas

弗兰基的故事

From Jul. through Aug. 2015 I experienced four main colon cancer symptoms. At the time I did not know that these were symptoms that I needed to look out for. Those symptoms included severe stomach/abdominal cramps and pain, I felt tired, weight loss, and loose/runny stools.

The pain continued to worsen so I decided to go to the doctor, and he ordered a CT scan. The doctors found an apple-sized tumor in my lower left colon. I was diagnosed with stage IIA colon cancer.

Two days later I had surgery, in which a foot-and-a-half of my colon was removed. The surgery turned out to be successful. There were no signs that the cancer had spread anywhere else.

I was declared cancer-free by age 46.

After 1 1/2 years of good clean scans, good lab results and very low number CEA (6). I contracted the flu and my CEA numbers started to rise and go back down repeatedly. My oncologist got concerned and within a two-week period, she ordered a PET scan, MRI and a biopsy.

Unfortunately, she was right. The scans revealed spots on both sides of my liver and the biopsy confirmed it was cancer. My cancer reappeared and metastasized to my liver.

On Mar. 24, 2017, I was re-diagnosed with stage IV colon cancer at the age of 47.

I now have a port and I am about to start my third round of chemo and 5FU. A new journey has started for me in my fight, and I am determined to help others fight this disease.

弗兰基的建议

在对抗这种疾病时，你必须有信心，相信自己。你必须坚强、乐观、积极，永远做自己。态度是关键!做一个倡导者，学习和教育他人倾听自己身体的重要性，不要忽视各种迹象。

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