Craig PhinneyAnkeny, IA

Our whole conversation lasted approximately four minutes.  Understand this is a Doctor I have seen for approximately seven years for treating an Ulcertic Colitus (Ulcers of the Colon) problem matter and who knew my background.

Following a week of depression and some very positive conversations with my supervisors at work, I met with Dr. Michael Page, MD Colon & Rectal Surgeon in Des Moines. Prior to this meeting the only thing the two of us had in common was, we both lived in Ankeny and both love to smoke and BBQ meat.

Following a very positive discussion with Dr Page, a decision was made. I DECIDED GAME ON DOC!

From there March 24, 2009 was surgery, with a complete colon removal, I was in the hospital for two weeks with complications and then in the recovery at home for 6 weeks with an ostomy bag. The second surgery was in May for reconnect. I was released from the hospital one week following my second surgery. I was home for 24 hours, when I had complications from severe dehydration and was re-admitted to the hospital for another week.

During my stay in the hospital, I had time to think, past all the drugs or maybe because of the drugs.Anyway, this came to a question I challenged myself during the quiet times.  What would I do with an extra hour today, that special 25th hour?  How could I use it to benefit myself or someone else?

I realize cancer does funny things with time.  #1 it surprises you when you don’t expect it and #2 you’re caught between time moving ever so slowly, giving you too much time to think and time moving so fast you can’t live the life you want to live.

Tonight, I challenge you to commit to arrest time and stop this unfairness this disease has on us, our friends and our family.

I challenge you with one simple question: If you could have one more hour today how would your spend it?

If you are battling cancer presently, walking along side a friend or family member fighting the disease or you just want to ease the pain that cancer causes someone else.  THINK!  WHAT CAN I DO WITH ANOTHER HOUR TODAY

Following my first surgery, I was on an ostomy pouch for six weeks, which was a miserable ordeal.

During this transition, I met a wonderful friend with similar health concerns who is and also will be my pouch partner.  She spoke openly with me about my concerns about the disease and what was ahead of me. Her commitment was for me to understand this disease and that yes, it is a lifestyle change, it’s not ending the enjoyment of living.She encouraged me to attend cancer support and ostomy support groups, which I have and one thing I learned, this disease DOES NOT DISCRIMINATE. Six weeks ago I had my second surgery to attach the J-Pouch.

My second commitment, I saw what this disease was doing to me and what it was doing to my wife. I was determined to prove my colon doctor wrong. My wife and I have taken this disease head on and have reached several goals along the way. It has not been an easy journey, but all of this could not have been made possible without your support, kindness, hospital visits, prayers, phone calls, and encouragement of friends/co-workers, our extended family and our renewed faith in God.

One day while in the hospital, I had 26 visitors – to the point my mother-in-law started keeping a guest book.

You have had a few minutes to think what your commitment to this disease will be. It can simply be talking to your state legislators, volunteering for a Cancer Association event, donating money to one of the local area events promoting cancer prevention, or reminding and encouraging a friend or a family member about their annual checkups and prescreening exams, but do something, COMMIT.

I have mentioned a few things I have committed to. Here are a few more suggestions:

• Keep those date nights going, whether with your wife or your family. Remember to keep telling them how much you love them and remind them you realize what this disease has done to them.
• Keep those special social events going as well, you and a friend taking in a baseball game some afternoon. Keep those lunch plans with friends. If they offer you assistance with a project around the house or at work. Allow them to help you.. Remember it’s their commitment!
• Last keep your faith in God. Whether you speak to him in a concrete church or while floating in your kayak on a river. Talk to him.   I am an example,  GOD LISTENS.
• STAY POSITIVE AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE

It has been almost nine months since I heard the most frightening three word statement in my life, “We found Cancer.” Followed by the most encouraging eight word statement I’ve ever heard, “We got it all and no further treatments.”

Since March, 2009, I bounced back sooner than expected after two  surgeries and two separate weeks in the hospital and from the Dr Page’s original plans -earlier than he expected. To say the least, I’ve impressed my Doctor a little. Maybe something one of the Drs previously said made me a little mad and I am determined to prove him wrong.

My wife Shirley and I have taken this disease head on and have reached several goals along the way. It has not been an easy journey, but all of this could not have been made possible without the support, kindness, visits, prayers, phone calls, food delivered and encouragement that has been provided by our family, friends, co-workers and a renewed faith in God.

Last years during the Relay for Life event was a milestone event in my life.  I was asked one week prior to the event to be the guest speaker during the Survivors Fight Back segment. The segment features persons with remarkable results and stories of their struggles with cancer.

During the event and following my presentation, after everything my wife and I had been through, it finally hit.

Craig,  you had cancer.  CRAIG YOU HAD CANCER.   WHOA!!!!!!!  Cancer does
not discriminate.

Well, Wednesday, July 01, 2009, marked another major event this year in my life. At 5:00 in the morning, three and one half weeks earlier than expected, sooner than Dr Page normally allows, I suited up for the first time in four months, 44 lbs lighter with more energy and joyful tears in my eyes, I kissed my wife and thanked her for everything those past four months, she told me to be safe and I went back to a profession I LOVE.

Did I mention what Dr Page’s commitment to me was before surgery?

I’m back on the streets,  protecting the public, making children smile, and Oh yeah, did I mention, BACK CHASING BAD GUYS..

Thanks Dr. Page

I AM A SURVIVOR, in more ways than one…

Amy-Weidner-LaSalaJackson Heights, NY

I’m a high school English Teacher in the New York City Public School System.

There has been a history of cancer in my family. My grandfather had an intestinal cancer- we assume it was colon cancer. He died young, when my father was 18. My father was diagnosed with colon cancer in 2001. His tumor was removed and he is currently cancer free!

I had rectal bleeding for many years. Doctors assumed I had a hemorrhoid. I was told that because I was young and healthy, it was nothing to worry about. After about 5 years of intermittent rectal bleeding, and two doctors telling me it was probably nothing, I decided that *something* was wrong with me, and self-referred to a gastroenterologist in 2005. He preformed a rectal exam as well, agreed that I was probably fine, but seeing how my father had colon cancer it was not unreasonable to get a colonoscopy. That’s when he found my tumor.

I first went to the hospital connected with my gastroenterologist. The course of treatment they recommended was very aggressive. I then got a second opinion at Memorial Salone Kettering Cancer Center. The surgeon I saw there was a specialist in early onset cancers and preservation of the sphincter muscle, both of which were very applicable to my situation, as my tumor was very low and I was only 27. I was looking for the best quality of life as possible afterward, and I felt confident that MSKCC would provide me the best care for my needs.

I had relatively aggressive treatment starting with chemotherapy on a pump- I was connected to chemo 24/7 for about two months. I simultaneously had 30 sessions of radiation. Once a week, I received a new chemo pump and a dose of Herbitux, which was then a clinical trial drug. When I finished my chemotherapy/radiation treatments, I had a two week break, and I had my surgery. I had what is known as a Lower Anterior Resection, where my surgeon removed my rectum and formed a “j-pouch” with some of my intestine to act as a rectum. I was able to avoid having a colostomy.  A few months after my surgery I had another round of chemotherapy, but this time through an oral dosage, which was a relief!

Colon cancer pretty much sucked, but it helped me realize what an amazing community of friends and family I have. My husband (then-fiance) was an amazing support, my friends were always around with cards, phone calls, care packages and trashy magazines. One of my friends drove me to radiation as much as she could. People hung out with me on my “chemo chair” days. My colleagues even donated me sick days! It was an amazing outpouring of love and support.

My doctor put me on a high-fiber, low fat diet. I mostly stick to it, avoiding fatty foods (though sometimes I can’t resist) and taking a fiber supplement in addition to eating whole grains.  When I give into fatty temptation, I have a lot of stomach problems, so I try to avoid it. The only medicine I currently take is Imodium for when my stomach issues strike. I have a normal, active lifestyle. I don’t feel like there’s much of anything I can’t do!

Before I started my chemo and radiation therapies,  I was told that I would become infertile due to my treatments. To have the option of biological children (or heck, even children- who knows if I could adopt with my cancer history) I had to go through fertility treatments, creating embryos with my future (current) husband.

Now, four years later, we’re weighing our options on how to proceed, as the scar tissue in my body will inhibit my ability to carry a child to term. I have no doubt we’re going to complete our family, but loss of my fertility and my inability to carry my children is something that I mourn.

My advice to someone fighting colon cancer is to be as strong as you can, but allow yourself to be sad or scared when you need to be. Let yourself lean on people- your family, your friends- they want to help. They feel helpless- perhaps more helpless than you do. They’re scared too. If they want to help you, let them. You don’t have to protect them, and you don’t have to be strong by doing everything yourself. I know it was weird for me to have to ask for help, but by getting help, I was also giving help.

Kim Ruder

I was born in Hays, Kansas and moved to Austin, Texas when I was 20 years old. I have lived in Austin for 28 years. I manage a doctors office and love what I do. I have two beautiful daughters and a wonderful supportive husband. My hobbies are riding my horse and reading.

I was diagnosed with colon cancer 10 years ago. I thought I had a spastic colon. I had bowel problems off and on for 20 years. I felt a lump in my stomach and then I went to see a doctor. I had surgery to remove three feet of my transverse colon and chemo. My tumor was the size of a large tomato and all my lymph nodes were negative.

Now I live life to its fullest with new meaning. I worry a lot less about the small things. I worry a lot more about getting cancer again though. I constantly try to loose weight and struggle with it every day.

I also try to do something fun at least once a week, like going to a movie. I coped by trying not to think about what the next chemo session was going to be like. I really coped by not letting the cancer be a part of my life. I know it sounds crazy, but if I stayed busy and didn’t talk about cancer, I was happier. I still feel that way today, my husband likes to tell people about it but I just want to forget it ever happened. That is my coping skill.

Going through the chemo and cancer was scary but not as scary as hearing people that were cancer free for several years got it back. I hate what cancer does to your fear factor. I am a 10 year survivor and that is so important for other people to hear, to give them hope. That is why I am writing this. I want to give hope to people. I think more people like me should be shown, it is amazing what it does for people dealing with cancer. Hope is all you have.

Cancer survivor Dave Shogren and his kids

Last summer, I was watching my son’s baseball game and found myself up against a fence with my husband and a couple of other fathers. One dad started talking about a young father we all knew named Dave Shogren. Dave had been recently diagnosed with stage III rectal cancer in June of 2009. There I stood, listening to these dads saying that Dave was “too fit and he was far too young at age 41 to get this disease.

Diet and exercise
Growing up, Dave was very active. He played basketball in college. Later, as he focused on his career, Dave became less active and started gaining weight. He determined that if he wanted to function well on a daily basis, he needed to exercise. So in his mid-twenties, he began to run on a regular basis and play team sports such as basketball and hockey.

Since Dave lived an active life, he ate most of what he wanted but always tried to make the healthier choice. If he was eating red meat, for example, he usually selected a filet because it had less fat. When Dave started a family, his healthy choices stayed in tact and they remain standard operating procedure in the Shogren household today. At home, healthy foods are emphasized and processed foods are kept to a minimum. The kids know that sugary cereals and snacks are not the healthiest choice.

In October 2008, Dave injured his leg and had to limit activity. By June of 2009, when he was diagnosed with cancer, his knee had heeled and he started running and lifting weights. He wanted to be in the best possible condition to be ready for surgery and treatment. Dave is a percentage guy and felt his strive for a healthy lifestyle allowed him to be at 85% two months later while undergoing radiation.

Since being diagnosed, Dave has changed his diet significantly to avoid things such as MSG, aspartame, Splenda, sugar and red meat. He has added more fish and chicken and greatly increased leafy greens and vegetables. His diet during treatment has eliminated some of the foods considered most healthy such as fruits and vegetables in raw form, but he plans on including those foods again after treatment ends in June of 2010.

Diagnosis
Having been in touch with his body, Dave thought something was wrong when he started to see blood in his stool for two to three days. It wasn’t constant. It wasn’t dramatic. He questioned the severity because there was nothing heavy and then the blood went away. He determined it was a fluke and maybe something in his diet causing the issue.

When the blood reoccurred 3-4 days later, he knew he had to make a call and find out if he needed a colonoscopy. He was not going to wait months to get the answer. He knew that it might be nothing, but he also knew it could be something.

With a history of colorectal cancer on both his mother and father’s side of the family (grandmother, grandfather and two great uncles) in their late 60’s and 70’s, Dave had extra reason in his mind to get the answer. During his last physical he had spoken to his doctor about when he should have a colonoscopy and the doctor recommended the standard age of 50.

Dave went in for his first colonoscopy thinking he’d know soon if it was just hemorrhoids or cancer. His father joined him in the surgery room where Dr. Stone immediately found a cancer growth and was going to order a biopsy. Thankfully, Dave was still under sedation which made him relaxed, but he was still aware of the situation. Panic didn’t set in. Instead, he thought to himself, “If this is what it is, it is time to figure out how to beat it.” Dave is always up for a challenge.

Treatment
After the biopsy came back confirming he had cancer, Dave had a handful of exams including CT scans and a rectal ultrasound. The cancer had spread to six lymph nodes which were close to the tumor.

When he went to the staging room to meet with the first surgeon, it was the same staging room section of the hospital where his wife Melissa’s mother had been diagnosed with breast cancer 15 years earlier. Melissa’s mom eventually died of breast cancer at age 44. It was not a very pleasant experience for his wife, to be in that same place. She had always thought she would be the one to get cancer and now she was sitting there watching her husband. Dave could see the fear in both his wife and his parents when it was determined he had stage III rectal cancer. But, he felt blessed because it was stage III and not stage IV.

Dave underwent over five weeks of radiation in conjunction with chemotherapy, starting the first week of July. The second staging session identified surgery would occur to remove part of the rectum as well as all of the infected lymph nodes. He had surgery on October 22 and his doctor was very pleased with the results. Dave will have a temporary ileostomy and 6 months of follow-up chemo as part of his treatment. After his ileostomy is reversed in mid-July of 2010, he is looking forward to a normal lifestyle after battling this awful disease for 14 months.

On Monday, November 16, after eight days in the hospital, Dave was released after a set-back with a blockage in his bowel He told me he still wanted to attend a fundraiser as a speaker two days later benefiting the Colon Cancer Coalition. But, Dave’s mind over matter attitude didn’t win this time. He still wasn’t feeling well on Wednesday. He had to decline our invitation to attend the fundraiser so he can reach his goal: to finish and survive his cancer marathon.

Dave’s perseverance over these last six months is proof that he has been up for the challenge he spoke of on the first day he knew he had cancer. His mindset has not changed. In fact, it is more steadfast. Dave speaks openly about his rectum cancer in circles where conversations are usually centered on hockey. He is a role model to hundreds of parents. He truly believes that what does not kill him will make him stronger!

• Visit our Stories page to read about other cancer survivors.

Mike Dellosso and his daughters Hanover, PA

Sometimes, blessings come in strange little boxes.

It was March of 2008 and I was busy preparing for the release of my first novel in June. As is the case with any writer who has spent months, even years, finishing a novel, “shopping it” to agents and editors, dealing with rejections and self-doubt and a steadily declining will-power, these were exciting days, a regular dream-turned-reality.

But there was something else going on too. I had been having some rectal bleeding, a nuisance more than anything that had hung around for the better part of three weeks. Finally, at the urging of my wife, I saw a doctor. A colonoscopy followed and on March 17th I was given the grim news—“I’m very sorry, but you have colon cancer.”

At thirty-five with a wife and three daughters and a hopefully budding career as a novelist I had to ask, “Lord, in my head I know you’re in control, but my heart is wondering what’s going on here. You sure you know what you’re doing?” My biggest fear was that this cancer was going to take my life and leave my wife a widow and my children fatherless. I remember praying early on, “Lord, I don’t care how hard this is going to be, but please don’t let it take my life.”

A whirlwind of a month later I went in for surgery to remove the tumor and eighteen inches of my colon. A month after that (and just weeks before the big release) I started on a six-month chemotherapy regimen.

As you can imagine, all this was cause for a little reflection on life and living. I started evaluating my priorities, separating the wheat from the chaff, if you will, drawing a line between the things that really matter and those things that only seem to matter. Eventually, the microscope found my writing, and I took a good hard look at what I was writing and why I was writing it.

Now, what we write and our motives for writing is a highly personal affair for authors and each of us needs to wrestle with it sooner or later. After much reflection, much searching, and much wrestling, and in the words of the Preacher of Ecclesiastes, here is the conclusion of the matter: I want my writing to matter; I want it to move, to convict, to change. I want my words to be more than mere stories; I want them to be reflections of life, reflections of the heart, reflections of issues that matter.

So what does all this look like? Where is the point at which idea and practicality intersect? Well, for me, being a Christian author, it begins at the feet of my Savior, placing my writing before Him and saying, “Take it Jesus, it’s all yours. I surrender it to you.” And it fleshes itself out by approaching everything I write with an eternal perspective. Does my writing bleed with issues of eternal weight? Is it meant for more than smiles and temporal fuzzies? Do my stories house themes that are truly life-changing and perspective-altering?

I sure hope so. I sure hope what I write–the stories, the characters, the themes–are worth more than fleeting sentiments and momentary feelings. I hope readers walk away from my stories truly impacted and provoked to really think. In my book, that’s success as an author, that’s writing what really matters.

This is just one of the many blessings this strange little box has produced, but it is oh so important. Life is too short and too much is at stake to be spending time producing words that only seem to matter. At the end of my life, no matter how short or long it may be, I want to look back and be satisfied that I got it and in getting it I wrote stories that mattered. Really mattered.

Cancer. What a strange little box, indeed.

Visit Mike’s website: www.mikedellosso.com
Visit Mike’s blog: www.mikedellosso.blogspot.com

Natalie Savoie with her mother

I am Natalie and a student at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. I am studying to become a nurse and specialize in Pediatric Oncology.

I have no history of cancer. The symptoms I had were an increased appetite, constant weight loss, anemia, and always exhausted

In December of 2007, I became very exhausted all of the time. I would get up in the morning and still be tired after a full nights sleep. Even though I have never been the one to catch bugs or the flu, I knew something was very wrong. In early March of 2008, while walking around campus between classes, I told one of my best friends that I thought I had cancer. A week later when I was walking to work I experienced severe rectal bleeding. I immediately called my mother and told her she needed to rush me to the ER.

She called my doctor’s office and they reassured her that I had probably busted a blood vessel in my rectum. I kept telling her that something was very wrong. Instead of going to the ER we went to Urgent Care. My family doctor took one look at me and knew something wasn’t right. He took a tube of blood and ran it to see where my counts were. As soon as he saw the results, he came in the exam room. He looked at my mother and said “Natalie needs to go to the ER. “Am I saying she’s going to die tonight if she doesn’t go? No, but there is a chance”.

I was admitted to see a doctor within five minutes of arriving. They took a stool sample and checked me for a bacterial infection. My hemoglobin (Iron) levels had reached a 7. I was informed that if I bled anymore or dropped to a 6, I could have a stroke at age 19. To perform more tests, they admitted me to the hospital that night and gave me two blood transfusions. They gave me a day and a half to recover and watched my blood counts.

The third day, I had a colonoscopy. That simple procedure changed my life. I was diagnosed with Familial Adenomatous Polyposis (FAP). I had 140 polyps in my colon and part of my rectum. Along with those, I had 50-75 small ones in the bottom of my stomach and a five inch tumor in my colon. FAP is a very serious genetic disorder that causes thyroid and colon cancer. If not caught by age 30, chances of living are slim.

Three weeks later, I had my colon removed. During my surgery, my surgeon realized that I had swollen lymphnodes. He removed 60 and only one was malignant. I started my six months of chemotherapy that May. Since chemotherapy, I have been coasting through doctor’s appointments. I still continue to grow polyps, but they remove them before they turn into cancer. My last CT scan came back clean, so I have been in remission for a year

Having cancer has forever changed my outlook on life. I have made it goal to touch as many people as I can with my story to raise awareness about colon cancer.

Some words of wisdom, “In trying times, don’t quit trying”

Natalie and her brother

Erica Paul - Reston, VA

At 26 the farthest thing from my mind was colon cancer.  Now, at age 28, it is all I can think about.

In June of 2007, I was diagnosed with Metastatic Colon Cancer. Stage IV it had already spread to my liver and lungs. In the blink of an eye, my life completely changed, and my future was uncertain. I was a young professional, in the prime of my life, and now I was a young woman fighting to stay alive.  There was no time to waste; I had to immediately begin chemotherapy to stop the progression of my disease. I have been receiving bi-weekly chemo treatments ever since.  I am determined to get better and reach my goal of a clean scan without any evidence of disease, and I will do whatever it takes, including traveling up to NYC from Virginia on a monthly basis for treatment. It has not been an easy road, but it’s the road I am on, and I have accepted the situation that life has thrown my way.

I am very fortunate to receive some of the best medical care available. My local Oncologist and his team in Fairfax, VA have been fantastic, and are like an extended family to me. I also work with an amazing team of physicians at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City who have played a huge part in developing treatments and procedures that increase Colon Cancer survival rates and improve quality of life. Since having surgery in November of 2007, all of the tumor on the right lobe of my liver had been removed, and the remaining tumors on the left lobe would be treated by Hepatic Artery Infusion (HAI) pump therapy. The primary tumor in my colon was also removed, along with many diseased lymph nodes. Although the surgery was risky, it was very successful, and a substantial amount of the cancer was removed from my body.  The disease that remains on my liver and in my lungs have been stable for the most part until just recently.  Because of the progression of the tumor size in the existing diseased areas, I have decided to take part in a clinical trial at MSKCC that entails radioembolization to the liver using SIRSpheres.

Despite the side-effects that treatments bring, I am determined to live a normal, happy, and otherwise healthy life. I have found enjoyment in regular exercise which has helped me become stronger, has reduced the severity of side effects, and helps to reduce emotional stress that comes with the territory. In October 2008, I married my college sweetheart, Michael Paul. It was the happiest day of my life, and knowing that I had overcome adversity to get to that day made it even more special because at one point I didn’t think I would live to experience it. But, here I am, 2 years since my diagnosis, and although still fighting to beat cancer each and every day, I feel happy, healthy, and determined to help others by sharing my story and increasing awareness of cancer in young-adults.

Without the support from my family, my devoted husband Michael, huge network of friends, Team Fabulous, and even people who don’t necessarily know me personally–but are praying for me, I don’t think I would be as strong as I am, or have had as much success. The thoughts and prayers are working!

This experience has taught me not to take life for granted, and to thank God for each and every day He gives me. I try not to stress about silly, petty things anymore because it’s just not worth it.  Life is just too short and precious. Getting healthy and spending time with my family and friends is my top priority. I know something positive will come from this, and so much has already. I am hopeful that more than just my life is changed from this experience.

For more information please visit:
Team Fabulous
Caring Bridge – Erica Paul

Meg Davis

I was diagnosed when a tumor in my ascending colon, near my appendix, ruptured one night. I thought it was my appendix and my friend Jenn drove me to the hospital. She left around midnight thinking I would be having a laparoscopic appendectomy. That’s what I thought too. Imagine how I felt when I woke up at 4AM with a huge bandage covering my entire belly. The surgeon said there was a “mass” and he had performed a hemi-colectomy.

There was a bad snow storm that week and the pathology lab was short staffed and behind. It took four days to find out that the mass was adenocarcinoma. I healed and started chemo the following month.

I had very few symptoms, other than I felt bloated after meals. I didn’t think it could be serious because I felt fine and 30-somethings don’t get colon cancer, or at least that’s what I thought.

The treatment wasn’t as bad as I anticipated. After the tumor and half of my colon was removed I had 6 months of FOLFOX4 followed by another 6 months of 5FU/LV alone.
I kept working during the treatment and rarely felt that sick. I am a scientist doing basic research. Science is my life and I am happy that I could continue working. My toenails turned black, I lost feeling in my hands and feet and my memory wasn’t very good for about a year afterwards. Nobody warned me about “chemo brain”. Maybe the fog is actually a blessing. I’m not sure I want a clear memory of that year. Fortunately, I slept through most of it!

People cope in different ways, but I think denial went a long way for me. I never believed that I wasn’t going to make it. My friends were also a huge help. They kept me active, even taking me out while I was getting infused. They kept my life as normal as possible and allowed me to forget for a while.

My friends had to occasionally give me rides to appointments or visit me in the hospital. They helped with chores while I was recovering from surgery. Mostly they provided emotional support and did their best to keep my life as normal as possible over the year I was getting treatment. I am thankful that I have so many great friends in my life but I know this was difficult for them too.

My family knows that they are also at risk. I’m not sure they all fully understand but I tried to explain as best I could. Some of them didn’t want to know if my cancer was the “genetic” form. I don’t really understand this since regular screening could save their lives.

The effect on me is a little more insidious. I begin to forget but that is short-lived when my CEA goes up or I have to wait for the results of a scan. There’s always a grey cloud somewhere over my shoulder. It casts a shadow every time I need to have a scan or get screened for some other cancer.

It took me a year to get back into running shape but I was doing long walks throughout the treatment. Exercise probably isn’t what people think of when they are being treated for cancer but I think it helped me, if only mentally.

I am now five years from diagnosis and I feel great. Four years ago every step was painful, now I barely notice except for the days that I do really long runs. What sane person needs to run 15 miles anyway? Marathons are probably not in my future but I can accept that limitation. I am training for a 10 mile race in a few weeks and will be running the 5K for the colon cancer coalition this month. I’m awaiting scan results as I prepare for the races so that little dark cloud is still in the sky.

I take an aspirin a day and calcium/vitamin D. Aspirin, calcium and vitamin D are also supposed to protect against colon cancer. I also need to build my bones since I lost some bone mass from the chemo. My feet hurt from neuropathy and my abdomen hurts from 2 surgeries but it doesn’t slow me down much. I run 40 miles a week and try to ignore the pain. Ibuprofen is a perfectly acceptable breakfast food!

My diet has changed a little. I have always eaten a lot of vegetables, but wonder if that was such a good thing when you consider the pesticides on our food. I try to stick with organic food these days for that reason and grow my own vegetables in the summer.

Today, I am reminded of how lucky I am as I type this. I made and lost a friend while getting treatment and I think of him often. Seeing him fight and eventually lose the battle will stay with me for the rest of my life.

Robin HewittOccoquan, VA

I went in for my routine colonoscopy at age 50, it was fine. I was told that I did not need to be seen again for another five to ten year years. 18 months later, I was having a section of my colon removed because of a cancerous tumor! I was diagnosed with Stage IIA colon cancer. The medical field needs to rethink the time frame of being screened for colon cancer. At the first sign of any colon cancer symptoms, do not wait. Call your doctor and request to be screened.

Prior to my cancer diagnosis, I was a healthy 51 year old female. I am now 53, again healthy I hope, but forever changed. I work as a bookkeeper with Prince William County Schools, Virginia. I have been with the county for 14 years.

There is no colon cancer in my family that I am aware. I had a distant male cousin who had colon cancer years ago, when he was in his twenties.

I had my first and only colonoscopy at age 50 in June 2007 as a routine medical exam. The results were fine. About eight months after that routine medical exam, I began having difficulty emptying my bowels completely, constipation, bloating and fatigue. As symptoms continued, my stools became thin and spotted with blood. I went for several months with these symptoms, thinking that I was eating something that was upsetting my stomach. I justified the symptoms and brushed them off because I was an active, healthy person.

I finally went in to see the gastrologist who did my original colonoscopy. He recommended a follow up colonoscopy. I had the follow up colonoscopy on January 27, 2009. I was diagnosed on February 3rd with colon cancer.  I had surgery on February 5th, ten inches of my sigmoid colon was removed. I was diagnosed on February 5th with Stage IIA colon cancer.

I had surgery at Fairfax Hospital and chemo at North Virginia Oncologists. I had chemo beginning in March 2009 through May of 2009. I stopped chemo due to negative reactions. I am now being checked every three months by my oncologist with blood tests and CT scans. Hopefully I will begin seeing my oncologist every six months starting in December of 2009 if all of my tests come back with no evidence of cancer. Presently, I am cancer free. I want the word to get out; that if you have any symptoms, please see a doctor right away. Do not wait. It could save your life.

Robin and her family

Barb Rosen

When I hear the phrase “into each life some rain must fall,” I think of the joy that comes with rain, not the rain that wrecks a moment or day.  So, when I say, “Into each life, some Barb Rosen must fall,” I refer to a privileged experience.   For one afternoon, my soul opened up to the constant pouring of wisdom from this woman – a 20-year survivor of cancer.

At 53, Barb Rosen is healthier and in better shape than she was during a period of her life which some could call a nightmare.  Her story begins with the birth of her daughter.  Her pregnancy was uneventful, but then rectal and abdominal pain became unbearable and eventually high blood pressure caused an emergency c-section.  Barb was smart enough to have been a doctor.  So when nothing made sense to her, she began researching the cause of her symptoms.

As part of the process to find the source of her abdominal pain, she found herself in the offices of her gynecologist, gastroenterologist and internal medicine doctor only to find out her hemoglobin was low.  She also found out that she might have a bleeding ulcer and possible upper gastrointestinal issues.  She began to have pain more frequently. While preparing for a colonoscopy, she ended up in the emergency room.   After multiple tests and a colonoscopy, she was sent home with a “you are fine” report.

The pain heightened over the next weekend.  She was too embarrassed to go back to the hospital.  But eventually she gave in and was admitted at 2 am.   While in the hospital, by chance, her father’s colorectal surgeon miraculously ran into Barb.  He knew there had to be something wrong and ordered exploratory surgery.   At 4:00 pm, Barb went into emergency surgery where they discovered her intestines were overlapping and hiding a tumor.  The pain she had been feeling was not the cancer, but a symptom of intussusception. (An intussusception is a medical condition in which a part of the small intestine has in-vaginated into another section of intestine). She awoke to her husband telling her “everything is out. “  She thought for that moment, “What is out?”  Her out of body experience started at that moment.

As the oncologist, nurses, and her one-year-old visited over the next hours, she tried to listen to the words about life expectancy and treatment options.  She didn’t realize that they were talking about her until the next day when she read her medical chart.  She knew she had to get all the facts and a second opinion.

Dr. Mick Belzer of the Mayo Clinic considered Barb to be a 33 year-old mystery woman.  He helped her make the decision to undergo treatment when he said, “If you were my wife, I would tell you to undergo chemo.” As far as Barb is concerned, he saved her life.  Her family questioned her decision to undergo chemo and she had to convince them that her medical case was not the same as her father’s.  Barb’s dad had recovered fine after removal of a tumor in the colon and no chemo in his 60′s.

Barb remembers her six months of chemotherapy; one week of treatment, which made her sick, and then three weeks afterwards when she was well enough to be out walking.  She can still remember the smell of chemo and sight of  hair everywhere.   She gained weight, which didn’t seem to make sense.

Today, Barb is a twenty-year survivor and a miracle cancer story.  Her baby girl is turning twenty-two and her miracle baby girl she had post-cancer is eighteen.  Twenty years ago she almost died, because at that time medical testing couldn’t detect her condition.  Her story didn’t fit the medical bill.

Get Your Rear in Gear has been an amazing and exciting experience for Barb.   She was totally blown away when she participated in the 2009 Edina event.  She started out walking with WCCO-TV’s team.   She soon found herself running.

Barb’s message to those diagnosed is to live life to its fullest and to not think of the diagnosis as a death sentence.   She never stopped asking questions.  Her steadfast belief in getting answers saved her life.