My name is RyAnn, and I was 36 when I was diagnosed with stage 2b colorectal cancer. On March 16, 2016, I was rushed to the ER due to rectal…
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Faces of Blue is colorectal cancer survivor stories, plus patients, friends and family, and others touched by this disease. This special place dedicated to a shared cancer experience. By publishing these accounts of courage, endurance, strength, and even humor, we hope to share a common experiences and provide encouragement for all affected by this disease.
New stories are published frequently throughout Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month (March), as well as the rest of the year. Each story puts another face to this disease. If you have been touched in some way by colon or rectal cancer, you are a face of blue.
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Rodnell’s Story
Rodnell didn’t have an extensive family history of cancer. His father had been diagnosed with prostate cancer, but it didn’t raise any eyebrows with his health care providers.
When a ruptured appendix in 2016 landed him in emergency surgery, however, his doctors discovered something more “shocking, surprising, and very unexpected.”
Stage IV colon cancer.
As a part of his care plan, Rodnell was offered genetic testing. The results would provide another shock to this father of two young boys. The news he carried the gene for Lynch syndrome, a hereditary gene that increased his lifetime risk of colorectal and other cancers.
Rodnell spent three years in treatment. Now in remission, he stays on top of his surveillance for the return of not only colorectal cancer, but also any of the other cancers associated with Lynch syndrome.
Share your Story
Tell us about your colorectal cancer experience or share your memories of a loved one lost to this disease.
Faces of Blue Stories
I was diagnosed with stage IV colorectal cancer in April 2020, shortly after the country closed down for COVID-19. I had to fight to get my colonoscopy after symptoms increased…
My name is Katie, and I was diagnosed with stage III colon cancer on December 26, 2019, when I was 28 years old. 2020 has been a crucial year for…
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My name is Dan “Dry Dock” Shockley — I’m a retired Navy, Operation Desert Storm, Enduring Freedom, and Iraqi Freedom veteran, and an eight-year hereditary colon cancer WARRIOR with a…
My name is Roberto, and I was 30 when I was diagnosed with colorectal cancer. I had blood in my stool for over a year. Not just once a week,…
My name is Curtis Blair, and I was 53 when I was diagnosed with stage II colon cancer. I guess the symptoms of my colon cancer were early 2019. I…
In 2013, I was having irregular bowel movements. I went to my doctor and asked for a colonoscopy, because my father had died of esophageal cancer and I thought it…
In 2017, Petra Mudrock and her husband were celebrating the birth of their daughter when lingering back pain kept getting worse. Her daughter was just seven weeks old when Petra…
My mother’s name was Vicki – she was passionate, smart and hard working. She would open her door to anyone in need, including animals. She spent her free time with…
Archived Stories
Survivor Stories
Colon cancer patients and survivors share personal experiences about diagnosis, surgery, treatment, side effects and the many ways that cancer has changed their lives.
Survivor StoriesIn Loving Memory
Friends and family of those lost to colon cancer share a loved one’s story with us. Keeping their memories alive.
In Loving Memory Stories