Rachel Yingling

I was diagnosed with Stage III colon cancer in March 2011, at age 26. Since then, the question everyone (friends, family, coworkers, survivors, nurses, doctors, taxi drivers, strangers!) wants answered is, “How did you find out?”

People my age who are in good general health do not have regular colonoscopies that might discover something like a colon tumor. And we don’t go to the doctor too frequently, instead tending to ignore symptoms unless they become acute – after all, by the time we’re able to schedule an appointment, we’ll probably be feeling better anyway.  One of the most important lessons I’ve learned from this journey is that feeling unwell – no matter what your symptoms are – is not normal, and should not be ignored. I had been experiencing persistent abdominal pain since that January; by the time I went to the ER on Monday, March 7, my pain was so severe that I could barely move. It had been days since I’d eaten or been able to sleep for more than about an hour at a time.

• To find a cure for colon cancer by funding and facilitating cutting edge research programs across the nation

• To improve the lives of patients diagnosed with colon cancer by funding and developing programs to support patients and their caregivers

• To increase awareness of the life-saving importance of early screening for colon cancer by using innovative strategies