As my way of coping I threw myself into research of therapies that may give me more time with my family. Shortly thereafter I found COLONTOWN. It was such an incredible relief to not only connect with people in the same situation, but to have access to such a wonderful network of knowledgeable advocates. Since finding COLONTOWN I made it to NED, have taken an 18 month chemo break, and fighting a thoracic recurrence and planning to be NED again.
I’ve been host in the early onset neighborhood YOUNGSTOWN and the parenting neighborhood THE PTA since late 2021. My goal is to be able to give patients the same hope COLONTOWN gave me and help them find the resources they need to cope with their diagnosis.
In early 2022 I became community leader for ‘THE CIRCUS’ neighborhoods. These groups focus not on the disease specifically but hobbies, identity, and the practical matters of dealing with a cancer diagnosis. It’s so important to acknowledge one’s whole self when diagnosed with cancer not simply responding to the symptoms and I’m so glad that these resources are available through COLONTOWN. In summer of 2022 I became a member of the COLONTOWN Cabinet