Survivor Story: Eileen Tierno

I am a happily married, 33 year old mother of three amazing sons. I have been blessed to be a stay at home mom for a little over ten years now. I have college credits in accounting. I had to leave school when I became ill, I was pregnant at the time so the symptoms seemed normal with pregnancy. I have great customer service skills, and dream to one day open Survivor’s Pool Hall and Arcade in Raleigh, NC. I dream of running the business with my husband and sons. I love children, swimming, playing and watching basketball, tennis, and football. I love to cook for my four men.

My mother’s sister had stage one breast cancer. She had the tumor removed and is doing great. Other then that there is no known cancer going back to my great-grandparents.

My symptoms prior to diagnosis were, I had the worst itch on my arms for four years. I was tired all the time, I also couldn’t lose weight. I was depressed, very edgy and I also suffered my period twice a month every month after having my third son. Only a few times did I have blood in my stool. When I went to the doctor the first time I was told the blood in my stool was from hemorrhoids. I had never had them so I just went with it. The second time I was told IBS. Maybe three months before the diagnosis I had a pulse like feeling in my butt.

I finally was sent for an ultrasound of the abdominal. Where they saw a cue ball sized mass on my liver. If I had a pelvic ultrasound as well, they would’ve seen the tumor in my colon. Within three weeks to a month I was sent for a abdominal MRI, then CT, then a biopsy of the mass. I was still having this pulse in my butt. I went to the ER near my home. When the doctor walked in I could see wings on his back. He sent me for a pelvic CT, forty five minutes later the doctor came and told me I have a huge mass in my colon. On November 16, 2009, I had a colonoscopy and the next day my surge0n told me I had stage four colon cancer that spread to my liver.

My advice for others going through this would be don’t let your mind get the best of you. Let people help you, forgive and forget, rest as much as you can, take the time to take care of you.