Era “demasiado joven” para tener cáncer de colon

As relayed to Shannon Shelton Miller, I was thrilled to be pregnant with my first child at 29 years old. Everything was going well for about eight months until one day when the toilet was filled with blood. I immediately called my obstetrician-gynecologist because I feared something might be wrong with my baby. During the visit, he reassured me that we were both fine. It was probably just hemorrhoids or maybe my baby was resting on my organs as it grew, causing some bleeding. However, new symptoms began to appear. I experienced dizziness, abdominal pain, and could not sleep at night. My obstetrician-gynecologist told me that all of this was normal during pregnancy. Being a first-time mother, I assumed it was logical. The bleeding and overwhelming fatigue did not stop after the birth of my son, Cameron. Once again, I was told that this was normal for new mothers. My obstetrician-gynecologist only suggested changing my contraceptive method, even though I continued to have vaginal and rectal bleeding months after childbirth. When Cameron turned 1 year old, I knew something was wrong because the bleeding did not stop. This time, I had a consultation with a general physician, who initially prescribed pills for irritable bowel syndrome. He issued a referral to a GI specialist in case these pills did not work. Weeks later, I had to consult with the specialist because the pills did not work. “You’re too young to be sitting in my office,” he said. “What’s going on?” I explained my symptoms, and he requested a colonoscopy. When I woke up in the operating room after that procedure, the doctor and four nurses were there, along with my husband Derrick. The room seemed crowded, and I asked what was happening. My doctor showed me pictures of my colon and told me I had cancer. “No, I don’t have cancer,” I said. We had established a good relationship, so I started laughing a little. “It’s okay, what’s really going on?” He kept a serious face. “I would never joke about something like this,” he said. “You definitely have cancer.” A few weeks later, my mother, father, and I met with the oncologist. He came in, sat down, and said, “You have stage 4 cancer and…” He continued speaking, but I did not hear anything after that. I just imagined that it couldn’t be as bad as what I was hearing. It was. He said it was a truly rare case due to my age and good health. Genetic tests showed nothing. We had no family history of cancer. I was healthy, played sports, did not eat red meat when I grew up, and could not understand what was happening. I did not want to think about treatment at that moment. I told my family that I wanted to go to the sunflower field near my house because I had never seen it up close. We picked some sunflowers and took some pictures. It was a beautiful day. Afterwards, we picked up my son from daycare, and I held him in my arms for the rest of the day. The last seven years have been very difficult. I underwent several rounds of chemotherapy and surgeries. After my diagnosis, a foot of my colon, two parts of my liver, and my gallbladder were removed. I was very weak and could not walk. My son could not sit on my lap, and I couldn’t lift him. I couldn’t even hold him in my arms alone. The cancer had already spread to my liver when I was diagnosed. And over time, the cancer spread to my lungs and lymph nodes. There were spots all over my body, but one on my heel stood out as darker, so I asked my oncologist to examine it. It turned out to be a precancerous melanoma. I had to undergo surgery to remove it, and it was incredibly painful because it was on my heel and they could not numb it. They took out a part of my heel, and I could not walk, drive, or do anything on my own for four months. I was completely helpless. There were some happy moments during that time. I was in remission for most of 2021 and 2022, and 2022 was one of the best years of my life. I was able to exercise again, do pilates, spend time with friends, and play baseball with my son; it was wonderful. I even had to stop my treatment. But before Christmas that year, they detected cancer in the lymph nodes in my chest. My doctors wanted to start treatment before Christmas, and I said I couldn’t do it. I wanted to have a perfect Christmas first. I’m glad I did because it was wonderful. I started treatment again in January 2023 and must continue it for the rest of my life. My regimen consists of three days of chemotherapy in the hospital and at home, followed by three weeks without treatment. I am still busy as an administrative director of a technology-focused startup. I work and travel a lot, had personal goals before I fell ill, and will do everything I can to achieve them. I am now 38 years old, Cameron is 8, and I try to enjoy time with my family as much as possible. I started sharing my story after attending a Colorectal Cancer Alliance event in 2019. At the dinner of that event, they asked people in the audience to stand up and share their stories. There were actors and dancers on stage dramatizing what was being said. It was great. I was nervous, but I stood up and shared my story. People applauded and came to hug me. No one could hold back their tears. To this day, no one knows why I developed colon cancer or why it happened during my pregnancy. Was it the rapid generation of cells that occurred for a new human being to grow within my body? That is the only connection I can think of because I am the only person in my family who has it. Since I have no family history or risk factors for colon cancer, I know that my young age was not helpful in getting an early diagnosis. That is why I always advise people to do everything possible to advocate for themselves with their healthcare providers because one does not know what they do not know. No doctor knows everything. Tell your doctor that you will not leave the office until they evaluate your problem in a more detailed manner because it is your body, and you know better than anyone when something is wrong. This educational resource was prepared with the support of Daiichi Sankyo and Takeda. Are you a woman with real stories you would like to share? Let us know. Our stories are authentic experiences of real women. HealthyWomen does not endorse the views, opinions, and experiences expressed in these stories and do not necessarily reflect the official policies or positions of HealthyWomen.