The Colon Club

Although she was tired and had lost weight, Linda Savage believed it was because of new circumstances in her life, including a recent separation and beginning graduate school.

During a routine physical, blood work showed severe anemia - and luckily, Linda's doctor took her symptoms seriously and ordered more tests. She was diagnosed with stage IV colon cancer with tumors in her cecum, duodenum and liver. Linda started treatment immediately, and it eventually shrank her tumors enough to remove them.

Since the beginning of 2001, four new drugs have been approved for treating colorectal cancer, and Linda has taken all of them. She has also participated in two clinical trials - research studies that try to find new and better ways of treating people. By joining a clinical trial, Linda gained access to these new treatments before they were widely available - and was able to help others by contributing to medical research.

Linda, now 52, wants everyone to know that colorectal cancer can develop into stage IV without causing any noticeable symptoms, which is why proper screening is critical.

To find out more about clinical trials, visit www.clinicaltrials.gov.

Miss May
Angela Lawrence
Age at Diagnosis: 35
Hometown: Mocksville, NC

Angela Lawrence, 37, is an example of how things are supposed to happen.

Angela didn't think she needed to be screened until she was in her 40s, but unrelated problems sent her to a gastroenterologist, a doctor who specializes in the digestive system. Luckily, the doctor recognized that her strong family history of cancer and colon polyps meant that Angela was at high risk of getting colorectal cancer, and scheduled her for a colonoscopy.

Angela had a large, flat adenomatous polyp - a precancerous polyp that must be removed before it becomes cancer. Although most people do not have major abdominal surgery to remove polyps, Angela's polyp was so large that she had to have part of her colon removed.

That was a year and a half ago, and she continues to have regular follow-up colonoscopies. Angela feels fortunate that her polyp was removed. By the time most people experience symptoms, they already have late stage cancer.

As of 2004, only 18 states would have required insurance companies to cover Angela's screening. To see how your state measures up, visit the National Colorectal Cancer Research Alliance at www.nccra.org.

Miss June
Melissa Parker
Age at Diagnosis: 34
Hometown: Smyrna, TN

Melissa Parker was tired, losing weight, and anemic - but put it in the back of her mind when she became pregnant. When it persisted, she started looking for answers. By the time she was diagnosed with stage II colon cancer, Melissa, now 37, had been experiencing symptoms for almost two years.

Because Melissa's aunt had colon cancer at 48, her surgeon suggested postponing surgery to do genetic testing. If Melissa had certain gene mutations, she would be at high risk for uterine cancer, and would also need a hysterectomy.

Melissa postponed surgery to go forward with testing, and was told that she had a very unusual genetic mutation. She decided to have a hysterectomy in addition to having about 80% of her colon removed. She followed surgery with chemotherapy and has now been cancer-free for over three years.

Melissa's aunt and father were found to have the same gene mutation as Melissa, and she learned that she has even more family history than she knew - two great-aunts and her great-grandfather also had colon cancer.

To learn more about hereditary colorectal cancer, visit www.hereditarycc.org.

Miss July
Maria Carosella
Age at Diagnosis: 36
Hometown: North Hills, PA

Although her aunt and uncle had colon cancer and her father had a polyp removed, it never occurred to Maria Carosella that she could have colon cancer - and certainly not at such a young age. Maria ignored the bleeding and changes in her bowel habits for over a year, thinking it was pregnancy-related hemorrhoids. When she finally got a colonoscopy, Maria was told that she had stage II colon cancer. Fifteen months later, the cancer was in her lung.

Maria's biggest worries were not the surgeries that removed parts of her colon and lung, or the two rounds of toxic chemotherapy. Like most mothers, her fear was that she would be unable to care for her young children - or worse, that she would die while they were too young to know or remember her.

Those fears have not come true. Maria has been cancer-free for two years and takes time every day to relax and enjoy her husband and four-year-old twins.

Maria, now 39, wants people to know that if you have a family history, you are at greater risk of getting colorectal cancer. In addition, Maria is passionate about fertility issues and found support during the conception of her twins at www.ivfconnections.com.

Miss August
Sara Hatcher
Age at Diagnosis: 26
Hometown: Nashville, TN

Sara Hatcher was caring for her newborn daughter and two-year-old son while fighting abdominal pains she had been having since the middle of her pregnancy. Everyone seemed to agree that she had been experiencing "pregnancy pains," and although it seemed like a good rationalization, Sara suspected something else was wrong. She continued to seek an explanation and was misdiagnosed for months, being treated for IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) before finally being diagnosed with stage III colon cancer. She had surgery on Valentine's Day 2003 and began chemotherapy shortly thereafter.

Sara will turn 29 this month and has been cancer-free for over two years. She has learned that she can't control everything in her life, but strives to enjoy each day. She believes that it is extremely important for everyone to be aware that young people can get colorectal cancer even if, like Sara, they have no family history at all.

Sara recently joined the Colon Cancer Alliance (CCA) and plans to stay involved in their mission of patient support, advocacy, and education. For more information about CCA, visit www.ccalliance.org.

Miss September
Sarah Kincaid
Age at Diagnosis: 28
Hometown: Chicago, IL

Sarah Kincaid, who turns 37 this month, is a nine-year colon cancer survivor who was misdiagnosed for several months before being diagnosed with stage III colon cancer. After surgery and chemotherapy, Sarah became serious about regaining her fitness and setting athletic goals for herself. Since then, she has run numerous road races and triathlons, and has even climbed to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro.

As a colorectal cancer survivor, Sarah wants to promote fitness and wellness, but knows that educating people about basic digestive health can be a real challenge in today's world. Many people don't even know where their colon is located! She also believes that as a survivor, it is her mission to help others overcome obstacles and make it through treatment to survival and beyond.

Sarah trains for her races with Danskin's Team Survivor, founded in 1995 to provide free exercise and health education programs for women with a past or present diagnosis of cancer.

To learn more about Team Survivor, visit www.teamsurvivor.org.

Miss October
Tammy Figg
Age at Diagnosis: 27
Hometown: St. Peters, MO

Although she had every symptom of colorectal cancer, Tammy Figg was not correctly diagnosed until she went to the emergency room and received a colonoscopy. When she was diagnosed with stage III rectal cancer, Tammy was just six weeks away from her wedding.

Knowing that she would probably be unable to have children as a result of her radiation treatments, Tammy harvested her eggs for future in vitro fertilization. She also went on with her wedding, just four weeks after surgery.

Today, Tammy is fighting early menopause brought on by her therapies, and she and her husband are starting a family. If Tammy is unable to conceive, a close friend is ready to step in as a surrogate mother. She wants every young cancer patient to know that future fertility is an issue that should be discussed with a doctor.

Tammy, now 30, is an avid soccer player and Chairman of the Figg Tree Foundation, an organization that raises funds and awareness to educate about colorectal cancer at any age.

Check out www.figgtree.com for more information.

Miss November
Erika Kratzer
Age at Diagnosis: 22
Hometown: West Grove, PA

Erika Kratzer thought her symptoms - fatigue, abdominal discomfort, bloating, constipation, and blood in her stool - were due to the stress of being a graduate student. Her doctor suspected that she had parasites or colitis (an inflammatory bowel disease), but instead found a tumor in her colon during a colonoscopy. Erika had stage IV colon cancer that had already spread to her liver. She was not given much hope of survival.

Erika had three surgeries to remove part of her colon and over 60% of her liver. She also underwent two rounds of chemotherapy using an internal pump to deliver the drugs directly to her liver.

Despite the bleak outlook given by her doctors, Erika did not want cancer to rule her life. She returned to graduate school, obtained her master's degree, and got married.

Through surgery, chemotherapy, and spiritual and emotional healing, Erika has been cancer-free since 2001. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband and their two cats, and is passionate about her work at the Stroud Water Research Center.

To learn more about the Stroud Center, visit www.stroudcenter.org.

Miss December
Jennifer Edens Simmons
Age at Diagnosis: 36
Hometown: Indianapolis, IN

After experiencing severe rectal bleeding and anemia, Jennifer Edens Simmons knew she needed a colonoscopy. Despite her doctor's doubts that anything was seriously wrong, Jennifer had a precancerous polyp removed during a partially-completed colonoscopy.

After six months she was finally given a full colonoscopy, which discovered a tumor. Following surgery and chemotherapy to treat stage II colon cancer, Jennifer, now 39, has been cancer-free for over two years.

As a teacher, Jennifer understands the importance of education at an early age. She believes that explanations of preventable diseases such as colorectal cancer should be taught in biology and health classes at the middle and high school levels. She hopes that one day soon, young people will learn as much about colorectal cancer as they do about other preventable diseases such as lung cancer and AIDS.

Since her diagnosis, Jennifer has become an active member of the Association of Online Cancer Resources (ACOR), a free online service that provides information and support to anyone affected by cancer and related disorders.

To join the ACOR COLON mailing list, visit www.acor.org.