My name is DeAnn and I am creating this account for a dear friend that has recently began her fight against stage 4 Rectal Cancer. Please read her information in her own words, below and consider donating to help her with medical costs during this difficult time.

My name is Anandi Seepaulsingh, I am 38 years old and I'm originally from Trinidad and Tobago. In Trinidad, I was surrounded by my big family and the beautiful scenery of the island. I worked as an Attorney-at-Law and thoroughly enjoyed helping my clients find peace and happiness. I migrated to Texas, USA in 2022 to have a better life with my husband and my beautiful son, Zayn (aged 7). I'm now recently separated and mom to another beautiful soul named Anais who is lovingly called Sunny (age 1). Also, I currently work at an amazing tech company as a Document Analyst and I felt like life was finally settling into a beautiful rhythm.

A few months after giving birth to Sunny, in April 2025, I noticed blood in my stool. I ignored it for a few weeks because I thought it was a hemorrhoid and I knew this was part of birth recovery. When the bleeding continued for 3 months, I went to my PCP who was also of the belief that it was hemorrhoids and treated it as such. But the bleeding continued and it was now August 2025. In September 2025 I began getting pains in my lower abdomen, lower back and pelvic bone. The pain would be more intense whenever I went to the toilet and it felt like there was a blockage preventing the stool from coming out. In October 2025 I advocated for the PCP to send me to a gastroenterologist, Dr. Hamza Aziz of Memorial Hermann, Cypress. I finally got an appointment in November 2025 and he ordered a CT scan of my abdomen and pelvis. The CT scan results showed that the sigmoid colon was inflamed. He then scheduled a colonoscopy which was done on December 15, 2025. While in recovery, Dr Aziz told me that unfortunately he found a mass during the colonoscopy and in his experience, it was consistent with a malignant tumor. He immediately referred me to Dr. Urmeel Patel of Texas Oncology and Dr. Harith Mushtaq of UT Physicians Colon & Rectal Clinic. Also, on this date, after the colonoscopy, a second CT scan was done.

Upon meeting Dr. Patel he confirmed that the tumor was an adenocarcinoma. He also stated that the second CT scan that was done by Dr. Aziz showed numerous nodules in my lungs that were concerning. In light of this, he ordered a PET scan to be done from my skull to mid-thigh.

I also met with Dr. Mushtaq that same week who walked me through what the tumor meant, stated that from the CT scan it appeared to be Stage 2 sigmoid colon cancer and he explained how he would perform the surgery to remove it. However, he wanted to have an MRI to confirm the exact location and size of the tumor.

The PET scan was done on December 27, 2025 and Dr. Patel confirmed that the report stated that nodules in my lungs seemed consistent with metastatic cancer from the primary colon cancer. However, because of how small the nodules were, he wanted to be absolutely sure that these nodules were in fact cancerous and not because of any other auto-immune disease or respiratory infection. He then ordered a lung biopsy to be done.

While I waited for the hospital to schedule the lung biopsy, I did the MRI scan on January 6, 2025. Dr. Mushtaq then gave me some shocking news. The MRI scan revealed that the tumor was not in the sigmoid colon but it was actually in the upper rectum. He also said that the tumor had infiltrated lymph nodes and there were tumor deposits on the outside of the colon wall. This meant that I was now at Stage 3 rectal cancer. He further went on to explain that surgery would not be considered right now because they needed to see the lung biopsy results. Nonetheless, he scheduled the port placement surgery because the team had already decided that chemotherapy would be the focus. The port placement surgery happened on January 13, 2026.

The lung biopsy was done on January 27, 2026 and it was such a scary experience! The doctor who performed the biopsy said that it was a high risk procedure for her because the nodules were so small, they were located very close to blood vessels so I was at risk for bleeding, and that there was a risk of a pneumothorax. I cried when she left the room. But my family gave me reassurance and strength and I knew I had to do this so that I could start my journey to healing and being with my babies for years to come.

The lung biopsy revealed that the nodules were in fact cancerous and I am now considered a Stage 4 rectal cancer patient with metastasis to the lungs. Dr. Patel confirmed that this is going to be a long hard journey that will involve aggressive treatments, numerous scans, radiation and possible clinical trials that may best suit my circumstances. He then scheduled my first chemotherapy infusion for February 2, 2026. My medical team has been working with me closely and constantly so that I can achieve my goal of being cancer free and living many years to see my beautiful babies grow into amazing adults.

As I begin this fight, the reality of medical bills, ongoing treatment, medications, home and childcare expenses, and time away from work has become overwhelming. My focus right now needs to be on healing, staying strong for my family, and responding to treatment - not on how to cover the growing financial strain that comes with cancer care. Any contribution, no matter the amount, helps lift a piece of that burden and allows me to put my energy where it matters most. I am grateful for every donation, prayer and message of support. Thank you for standing with me during this incredibly difficult time, it truly means more than I can express.

With hope and gratitude,

Anandi