Feature Story: Cheryl from Fort Worth, TX

It was March 2008 when I went in for a scheduled colonoscopy, something my doctor had been advising since I turned 50 and I kept putting off. It was his persistence that got me into the test. I was in stage 2 colon cancer. At that moment, my whole world became a whirlwind. I was diagnosed that day, went into the hospital that night and had surgery the next day.

I really did not have the opportunity to think very long on what was happening. All tests at that time showed that the cancer was not spreading and was only in the tumor. It would be a clean cut, with that section of the colon removed. I would still need to have chemo as a precaution. The one thing that I got from this experience is the importance of getting the screenings done in a timely fashion. In the 1980s, I had a screening done for a totally different problem and a polyp was removed, but I was not told to have a repeat screening in 10 years or less. [Had I been told,] I may have been able to prevent this from happening.

I urge all of my family and friends to get the screening done. God blessed me with the opportunity to have a second chance and to change behaviors and attitudes. I completed chemo in November of 2008, and it will be two years at the end of this month that I had surgery. I have a new outlook on life and want to share with others the importance in listening to your doctor and getting the tests required of you. I have a supportive family and friends and with their help have been able to continue this journey with hope and love.