Michelle Cappel's Colorectal Cancer Battle

Michelle Cappel is a 5th grade teacher, volunteer, and stage 4 metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC) patient, survivor, and advocate. Michelle was first diagnosed with metastatic CRC in 2017 after noticing persistent pain in her abdomen while exercising. The pain worsened and eventually Michelle went from exercising 5 days a week to not at all. Her diagnosis came slowly—first thinking she might have Crohn’s disease and then diagnosed with kidney stones during an emergency room visit due to an episode of severe pain. Eventually, Michelle had a colonoscopy which revealed she had cancer. After her initial appointment with an oncologist, she was told that she would have a permanent ostomy and was given 6 to 12 months to live.

Michelle sought a second opinion at MD Anderson, where she was told something quite different—she had options. She also did biomarker testing and was found to have MSS, KRAS, G12C, and TP 53 mutations. Her treatment began with FOLFOX which proved effective at shrinking her tumors, followed by surgery to remove sections of her bowel, a full hysterectomy, and temporary ostomy. Following surgery, Michelle was in remission, with no evidence of disease (NED).

Two and a half years later, in 2021, Michelle mentioned feeling pain in her leg and development of a limp to her oncologist; however, her routine scans were clear. Michelle insisted that something was wrong, and a PET scan revealed a large tumor wrapped around her femoral nerve. This time Michelle was treated with FOLFIRI and AVASTIN, but after 6 months the tumor had shown no progression (neither growing nor shrinking). She then began oral chemotherapy and internal radiation, ultimately leading to a successful surgery removing the tumor. Again, Michelle achieved NED.

In June 2022, at a routine PET scan, Michelle learned that she had a tumor wrapped around her femoral nerve. Doctors prepared her for the worst case scenario in which she would be wheelchair bound for the rest of her life. The team decided to try 30 days of radiation before surgery. Radiation proved to be a great option. The surgeons prepared to resect the tumor from the femoral nerve, but when they went in the tumor had moved to her muscle. The surgeon consulted an orthopedic surgeon to make sure they got the tumor with clear margins, but still leaving enough muscle that she would be able to walk again. They were successful and after months of physical therapy Michelle was able to not only walk, but even run again. She was NED once again.

2023-2024 has not been the year we would have liked. Michelle had another tumor removed from her pelvis region. The surgeons were able to get it all once again. They opted out of chemotherapy, because they wanted to save the lines of treatment for future use. Everyone thought she’d be in the clear for the rest of the year, but that did not hold true. At her 3 month scan check up she was notified that the colorectal cancer had spread to her right lung. This news was devastating. A lung metastasis was her worst fear. Doctors told her she would have to let it grow larger in order to operate. This has been a very difficult mental struggle for each and every day knowing cancer is slowly growing in her body and she cannot do anything about it.

Once this school year is over, Michelle will undergo a lung surgery and revisit chemo for several months. This has put Michelle in financial distress. Her insurance was changed this year and she no longer has the same coverage. Michelle cannot afford the treatment on her own. She needs our support to face this once again.

Throughout her journey, Michelle has drawn strength from both learning from and sharing her story with others. She became active with the Colorectal Cancer Alliance (CCA) soon after her initial diagnosis—engaging frequently in online forums, asking informed questions, and encouraging others to ask questions of their doctors. CCA took notice and asked Michelle to become a CCA volunteer which, Michelle says, has given her comfort and purpose. She frequently shares her journey through treatment and recovery, how she was able to work through cancer treatment, the importance of knowing about your disease and advocating for yourself, and how she copes with thoughts of death. Michelle is mindful of her mental health but always returns to CCA to offer her experiences and, especially, to encourage them to keep fighting because “6 months may be enough time for a new breakthrough in treatment options.”