SHEILA’S STORY
My cancer journey began 11 years ago when I was diagnosed with uterine cancer. The tumor was removed with a complete hysterectomy. After 26 rounds of radiation and 2 rounds of internal radiation, I went into remision. In August 2022, my blood pressure skyrocketed for no apparent reason. After multiple visits to After Care Hours, […]
RACHAEL’S STORY
I’ve always known the importance of having a voice and advocating for yourself. I’ve had ulcerative colitis since I was 12. I was never told by doctors to get my colon removed, so I had to do my own research on ostomies. I always had to go to the bathroom, which made my work as […]
Jearlean’s Story
I was diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS), a rare cancer, at 3 years old. From ages 3 to 11, a Manhattan cancer center was my home away from home. I wound up getting 2 ostomies—colostomy and urostomy—for a better quality of life. Can you imagine, at age 3, doctors not thinking you’re going to live? After […]
Kimberly’s Story
I found out I had cancer without my doctor saying the word “cancer.” I was constipated and constantly bloated. My bowel movements weren’t voiding completely, and blood was in my stool. In March 2015, I was still feeling off, so I scheduled an OBGYN appointment. I was told it was probably hemorrhoids and sent home […]
Meghan’s Story
I couldn’t ride in a car for fear of having an accident. I was diagnosed with Crohn’s at age 13. I went into remission a year later, met my husband, and we married in December 2015. I went in for my routine colonoscopy in July 2016, and the doctor said he found precancerous cells in […]
Mikey’s Story
Imagine not being able to go to the bathroom—and you don’t have a colon. For 14 years, I had digestive issues, and it was hard to go to the bathroom. My colonoscopy said there was a small line of tear in my stomach, but doctors said it was nothing to worry about. In 2017, I […]
Nicky’s Story
I was always the youngest person in the doctor’s office. Back then, younger people didn’t used to get Crohn’s, but I was one of them who did. I felt like I was the only person walking around with it, and I never felt like I belonged. I was diagnosed at 16 and began taking steroids […]
Clare’s Story
I was 18 when I started feeling unwell. For years, I was in and out of the hospital. At first, the doctors thought it was appendicitis, but they settled on ulcerative colitis, which put me on a heavy-duty drug (Azathioprine) for 12 years. It kept me quite well, but my gastrologist took me off it […]
TIONNA’S STORY
My ostomy was my Christmas miracle. I was in the hospital for 3 months because of a bad Crohn’s flare. On Christmas Eve of 2007, I was finally allowed to go home. As I was signing discharge papers, I started having sharp pains in my stomach. I knew something was wrong. After that, everything was […]
Carol’s Story
Not a lot of people talk about cervical cancer or having ostomies. I was diagnosed in 2011, and it reoccurred 10 months later. I was faced with total pelvic exenteration (TPE) surgery. I was told I had to get important organs taken out, which was a bit of a shock—my new “normal” being diagnosed with […]