Faces of Blue: Renee Branem

I was diagnosed in October 2014. One evening we had ordered take-out; after I had extreme cramping, my husband later took me to the emergency room at Huntersville Presbyterian hospital in Charlotte, North Carolina. They soon took me to get a cat scan and that’s when they found the tumor in my colon. Couple days later I had surgery and was in the hospital for 11 days. I have stage III, it got into one of lymph nodes and the tumor attached to back abdominal wall. It took me two months to recover and soon after I started chemo in November. I have to do twelve rounds of treatment folfox; I also have five more treatments to go. The treatment definitely makes me feel fatigued and nauseous, and usually knocks me down for 5-7 days after each treatment.

I was in real shock hearing all this news. I am trying to keep a positive attitude and The Lord in my life. I have a two-year-old daughter, which makes it a little harder for me to take care of her when I get treatments, but my family has been a huge support and helps take care of my daughter, Lexia. My husband Matt sits with me during my treatment days also. I have a huge support system with friends and family. My family threw a benefit for everything and so did my boss Shannon where I work at Chapter 2 Boutique. All the money raised has helped with medical bills. After chemo I will start radiation. So treatment will put me into this June. It’s all about keeping a positive attitude and praying to God. Some words of wisdom that I have for another person who is fighting the disease is to be strong, positive and take all the support people want to give. There is a light at the end of the tunnel.