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Survivor Stories

Survivor: Colleen Jorgensen

It was labor day 2005 and my 29th wedding anniversary. Little did I suspect that I would eat something that caused a previously symptom-less tumor in my colon to bleed profusely.

The week that followed was like falling off a cliff into a raging river. My doctor saw me within hours of my phone call. During my visit he said it was probably nothing serious but scheduled a colonoscopy for the next day. As I was coming out from under the anesthetic, the gastroenterologist told my husband and I that he had found a tumor, had taken a biopsy, and that I most likely had colon cancer. We knew for sure when the biopsy came back positive.

We were in shock. I was in perfect health. I had never had digestive problems; in fact I can't remember when I last even had a cold. My diet had been mostly vegetarian for the past 15 years. This could not possibly be true. But inside I knew it was true. During my colonoscopy I was semi awake and I could see what was happening on a TV monitor. I saw my tumor and will never forget what it looked like.

My husband became my advocate and my subject matter expert. Within days he knew what treatment options were available and what were considered best practices. This proved invaluable as I approached surgery for the first tine in my life. The right half of my colon would be removed along with all connecting lymph nodes. While we awaited the after surgery pathology report, my husband researched the staging of colon cancer and follow-up treatment options.

The second shock hit. The cancer was completely though the intestinal wall and had spread to three lymph nodes. Chemotherapy was strongly recommended. I decided to enroll in a clinical trial which added the experimental drug Avastin to the traditional treatment regime. For six months I had chemotherapy every two weeks with four drugs followed by an additional six months of Avastin only.

Today, I am reclaiming my life and my health as I recover from the cancer and its treatment. I am wonderfully blessed to have had so much support during this ordeal from my workplace, friends, family and most of all, my husband.

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