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Dr. Joaquin Estrada is helping Chicago become the forefront of colorectal cancer. Estrada is a colorectal surgeon, the Surgical Director for Digestive Health at the Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center…
It was the summer of 2016. I was looking forward to celebrating our daughter’s big 16th birthday party, summer vacation with the kids, swimming at the beach, and the family…
My name is Ilene Mastrangelo, I am a 42-year-old widow with a 6-year-old daughter. I was my husband’s caretaker and advocate; here’s our story. My husband was diagnosed with Crohn’s…
Editor’s Note: Feb. 28, 2021: Kara passed away on Feb. 25, 2021. Our hearts are with her family, friends, and loved ones. I began having noticeable bowel issues and ended…
I was diagnosed with bowel cancer at the age of 29, after a long fight to get my general practitioner to take me seriously. Subsequently, I was diagnosed with hypermethylation…
In 1998, when I was 34, I was first diagnosed with stage III colon cancer. Our daughters were still in elementary school and we had just moved to Florida from…
In July of 2015, I was living in Delaware with my fiancé. One morning, as he left for work and I began my day of studying for the California bar…
My name is Nicole Rivera and I’m 28-years-old. I have a B.S. in biochemistry from the University of South Carolina. I was the first person in my family to graduate…
I was born in St. Louis in 1966, five minutes later than my twin sister, Cheryl. I grew up in the Boston suburbs of Framingham, Massachusetts, being very active in…
Lisa met her husband, Mitchell Baxter, during a mutual friend’s baby christening back in 1992. They were introduced and it was an instant connection. After dating in 1993, they got…
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 StoriesFriends and family of those lost to colon cancer share a loved one’s story with us. Keeping their memories alive.
In Loving Memory Stories