I was seeking treatment to address a large fibroid, and CT imaging confirmed I had a polyp in my colon. I went to schedule a colonoscopy as a follow-up and after the procedure my doctor let me know it was a tumor and could not be removed during the screening test. The next day I went for surgery to have laparoscopic surgery to remove part of my colon. All I could remember is that Memorial Day was right around the corner, and I was preparing for my daughter’s high school graduation and party. My diagnosis was a complete shock no signs, symptoms, or family history it was found incidentally! The worst news of it all was after the surgery a few days later they determined it was stage III colon cancer. About 20 lymph nodes were removed along with the mass and 3 of the lymph nodes were cancerous. The next part of the journey was getting a procedure to address the fibroid before beginning chemotherapy in July (FolFOX 3 months treatment 6 rounds). I have always been an advocate for 大肠癌筛查, but it was a different world once diagnosed and deemed living with cancer!

我加入 CRC 社区是因为我目前就职于美国放射学会，从事癌症政策和宣传活动。我今年 38 岁，于 2024 年 5 月被诊断为结肠癌 III 期，正在接受化疗，直到 2024 年 10 月。这对我打击很大，因为这是我始料未及的，而且发生在我最大的孩子即将高中毕业并计划上大学的时候。我希望成为一名癌症幸存者，并为得不到充分服务的少数民族社区分享我的故事。