It's really hard for me to post this and for me to ask for help, but I've had several people ask me to create this and ask for ways for to help...ANY amount or share of my story and post are greatly appreciated.

I've been keeping an eye on my insurance app and the claims and bills are starting to rack up quickly. Not to mention the numerous dr appointments I have coming up and starting chemotherapy soon.

So here's my story....on June 4, 2025, I went to a regular yearly physical and had bloodwork done. I'd been more tired than usual but nothing too crazy and my dr was starting to look into some autoimmune disorders that could make sense. I went into work the next day and got a phone call from my dr after lunch telling me to leave work immediately, and to call my mom and have her take me to the ER. She did not want me to be alone or driving at all. She went on to explain that my hemoglobin and iron levels were critically low. A "normal" low hemoglobin level was around a 12 and mine tested at a 4.5.

She had called the ER and told her I was on my way and ordered emergency blood transfusions. She then called us back and talked to my mom and I the entire way to the Emergency Room. We got signed into the overflowing ER and waited maybe 10 minutes before getting called back and getting a temporary room.

After being admitted into the ER, I got IV fluids, blood work, CT scans and ultrasounds of my abdomen. My hemoglobin and iron levels had dropped even further to a 4.4. They determined that my low blood levels were from a lower GI bleed but were unsure of anything beyond that. After getting my first unit of blood transfusions started, I got transported by ambulance from one ER to another local ER because they didn't have any GI drs on call over the weekend or into the following week.

Friday morning around 1am, I got admitted into the hospital and got a room upstairs. Friday was filled with tests, 2 more blood transfusions, and colonoscopy prep. I had my first colonoscopy on Saturday morning, but due to not being able to tolerate the prep, the dr only found a couple small ulcers. He decided that wasn't a good enough reason for my blood counts being what the were and scheduled a second colonoscopy for Tuesday (after ALMOST being discharged from the hospital...I even had the papers in my hand).

As much as I wanted to go home.... I'll be forever grateful I was told to stay and go through the 2nd procedure, because they found a tumor that had a possibility of being cancerous.

After a biopsy, it was confirmed to be cancer but they didn’t know much beyond that. I had surgery scheduled on June 12, 2025 to remove the cancerous tumor and part of my colon around it. The tumor itself was the size of a small "Cutie" tangerine and after biopsy, was found to be entirely filled with cancer. The surgeon also removed and took biopsies of lymph nodes in that specific area and 2 of the 20 came back cancerous as well. Because of this, I have officially been diagnosed with Stage 3 Colon Cancer and will have to undergo chemotherapy within the next month or so.

Throughout all of this, I've been in a daze and shock because I was never really in pain besides some stomach cramping and extreme exhaustion.

If you've read this far, please go to your physicals, do your bloodwork, and if you have signs of colon cancer; talk to your dr about screenings and getting a colonoscopy.