TAMMY FIGG

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.