I was diagnosed on April 5, 2023, at the age of 36. At the time of my diagnosis, I was 32 weeks pregnant with my youngest child. I had symptoms for many months, but they were always brushed off as being “pregnancy-related”. I was encouraged to get a colonoscopy after I delivered my baby, but my symptoms kept getting worse, so my doctor finally referred me to a GI. At first, they did a stool sample and blood work, which all came back “normal”. So the next step was a flexible sigmoidoscopy. I was 32 weeks pregnant when I had that appointment. I was awake for the procedure and saw the tumor pop up on the screen. In my heart, I knew what it was before the doctor even said anything. It was such an awful feeling! At 36 weeks, I was induced to get things moving with my treatment. Originally, I was told I would do chemo first and then surgery, but during a colonoscopy, my bowel was perforated, which required immediate surgery. This changed the order of my treatment. I had my first surgery in May of 2023. While addressing the infection, they also removed my colon tumor and a tumor from my right ovary. The surgery also required a colostomy bag. To help with the healing, my wound was left open, and I was sent home with a wound vac and drain line. Spring of 2024, I had three rounds of radiation to target the spots on my liver. In August of 2024, my cancer spread to my remaining ovary. I had my second surgery – a full hysterectomy with a vertical incision due to the tumor’s large size (6.6 pounds!)
After healing from my hysterectomy, I returned to chemo, but it wasn’t long until my cancer progressed and I needed another surgery! In November of 2024, I had a liver resection to remove 40% of my liver. Some of my liver tumors were growing despite being within the radiation field. I had to take a break from chemo to recover from surgery. Unfortunately, my newest scans are showing a new spread to my lungs and a new spot on my liver. I’m back on chemo and have scans coming up soon. It has felt like one thing after another! I am thankful that my body has remained strong enough to keep fighting, but I wish I could get to a place where treatment isn’t the main focus of my life! Being a young adult with cancer is really frustrating and exhausting.
Andrea’s LifeList:
- I would like to do something with my children to create lasting memories