Sweets by Steph

February 8, 2026, will forever be etched in my memory. My doctor called and told me that the pathology from my very first colonoscopy came back positive for cancer.

Shocked.
Speechless.
Terrified.

I'm 46. I eat healthy. I walk almost 3 miles a day. I workout. I don't eat fast food. I don't eat overly processed foods. I didn't have symptoms or any family history. But I still received a cancer diagnosis. I don't get colds, I don't remember the last time I had the flu, and I've never even had Covid. But now I have cancer? Unbelievable.

Luckily, it was Stage 1. We caught it very early. My medical team was extraordinary. I had an endoscopic full thickness resection 10 days later. Two days after surgery, I sat in my oncologist office where he told us the pathology report came back clean. Glory be to God! I'll follow-up in May with bloodwork, CT and MRI scans. If that's good, another colonoscopy in August.

The only physical scar I had was a bruise on my right hand from the IV. The pain was pretty intense from surgery, but only lasted a few days. I didn't have to endure chemo or radiation. I got cancer, but I was lucky, I caught it early. The emotional toll has been a silent battle. I only knew I HAD cancer for 10 days. A month later, I'm still a little shaken thinking about what COULD have happened if I didn't listen to my gut.

If you're 45, GET YOUR COLONOSCOPY! If you have changes to your bowels (at ANY age), mention it to your doctor and advocate for a colonoscopy. Don't blow it off, don't think, "Oh, it'll never happen to me," because as I stand before you, it happened to me.

March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. 💙 We wear blue. ✌️💙💪 EARLY DETECTION SAVES LIVES!