Nik Colon - ritz75

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Maggie Nell
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Location: Central Highlands, Victoria, Oz

Nik Colon - ritz75

Postby Maggie Nell » Wed Sep 12, 2018 7:21 am

For those of us who remember Nikki, she passed away on 21st of July, age 42.

http://www.startribune.com/obituaries/d ... le-(umlauf)-ritzschke


Play the Game
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=50203


If you find yourself alone, riding in green fields with the sun on your face,
do not be troubled; for you are in Elysium


Merry meet, so sad to part
but merry meet again.
Last edited by Maggie Nell on Wed Sep 12, 2018 8:21 am, edited 2 times in total.
DX April 2015, @ 54
35mm poorly diff. tumour, incidental finding following emergency R. hemicolectomy
for ileo-colic intussusception.
Lymph nodes: 0/22
T3 N0 MX
Stage II CRC, no adjuvant chemo required.

ams5796
Posts: 2298
Joined: Fri Feb 06, 2009 10:07 am

Re: Nik Colon - ritz75

Postby ams5796 » Wed Sep 12, 2018 7:44 am

Wow, so sad. I do remember her. My condolences to her friends and family.


A bad week around here...
Stage 3C (or 4?) Rectal Cancer 01/07
2/10 lung mets
3/11 VATS
6/11 VATS
7/13 lung met
2/14 SBRT
NED 8/14
5/17 scan and MRI found treated spine met

stu
Posts: 1613
Joined: Sat Aug 17, 2013 5:46 pm

Re: Nik Colon - ritz75

Postby stu » Wed Sep 12, 2018 10:39 am

I was just wondering about her last week . Too young for sure .
Thinking of her husband and daughter at this difficult time .
Stu
supporter to my mum who lives a great life despite a difficult diagnosis
stage4 2009 significant spread to liver
2010 colon /liver resection
chemo following recurrence
73% of liver removed
enjoying life treatment free
2016 lung resection
Oct 2017 nice clear scan . Two lung nodules disappeared
Oct 2018. Another clear scan .

jortego128
Posts: 288
Joined: Sat Aug 15, 2015 7:47 am

Re: Nik Colon - ritz75

Postby jortego128 » Wed Sep 12, 2018 4:10 pm

This is terrible, Nik was so young. She was very active at one time on here, I spoke with her quite a bit. She really struggled mentally at times trying to deal with this horrible disease...

What a horrible week, such beautiful people were taken...

May God rest her soul... :cry:
DM 57 yrs old dx 6/8/15 T:4a N:1b M:1
KRAS G12D and TP53 C242fs mutations
Poorly Differentiated, Prominent Signet Ring Component(~50%)
Microsatellite Stable, 3 of (13)lymph nodes positive
15 Liver mets, largest 3.2 cm
Prim. Resection, Right Hemicolectomy 6/21/15
Start Chemo 7/20/15
2 rounds FOLFOX, 1 round FOLFOX +Avastin
CT 8/28/15, met growth, largest 4.5cm
4 rounds FOLFOX+Avastin
CT 11/06/15 mets stable, lungs clear
Begin FOLFIRI+Avastin 11/17/15, Stop chemo 1/26/16
Entered Paradise 3/11/2016

WarriorSpouse
Posts: 220
Joined: Tue Aug 16, 2016 9:02 pm

Re: Nik Colon - ritz75

Postby WarriorSpouse » Wed Sep 12, 2018 7:09 pm

I am saddened to read this.

I know that she had difficulty and stopped communicating on the public forum. I hope that some of what has been written here has helped her along the way. Sometimes people are quite, but participate by reading and relating to other's experiences. If you can share, please do. Nik Colon was one who I always suspected to be watching and listening from a distance.

RIP Nik, you are not alone, and are with the many brave souls who have passed before you.
My thoughts are with your family during this difficult time.
WS
D/H 47 years old, 10/2014, Stage IV M/CRC, nodes 12/15, para-aortic, 5 cm sigmoid resection, positive Virchow. KRAS mut, MSS, Highly Differentiated, Lynch Neg, 5FU/LV and Avastin 1 YR (Oxi for 5 months), Zeloda/Bev since 01/2016. 02/2019 recurrence para-nodes, back to 5FU/LV Oxy/Bev. It is working again. "...Perseverance is not a long race; it is many short races one after the other."-Walter Elliot

Utwo
Posts: 285
Joined: Mon May 23, 2016 10:14 am
Location: T.O.

Re: Nik Colon - ritz75

Postby Utwo » Wed Sep 12, 2018 8:21 pm

WarriorSpouse wrote:I hope that some of what has been written here has helped her along the way.
Or not.
The latest virtuous attack on Nik was rather vicious.
58 yo male at diagnosis: T1bN0M0, 0/15 nodes, low grade/moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma
03/2016 colonoscopy: 2 small polyps removed in left colon; CEA = 1.3
04/2016 colonoscopy: caecum sessile 3.5 cm polyp piecemeal removed with kind of clear margins
05/2016 "prophylactic" laparoscopic right hemicolectomy - bleeding, leak, infection
06/2017 CT scan, colonoscopy OK; CEA = 1.6
A lot of funny stuff discovered by CT scans in liver, kidney, lungs, arteries, gallbladder, lymph node, pancreas

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Maggie Nell
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Joined: Wed May 27, 2015 1:57 am
Location: Central Highlands, Victoria, Oz

Re: Nik Colon - ritz75

Postby Maggie Nell » Wed Sep 12, 2018 9:43 pm

jortego128 wrote: She was very active at one time on here, I spoke with her quite a bit. She really struggled mentally at times
trying to deal with this horrible disease...

May God rest her soul... :cry:


Nikki received her diagnosis on 12 December 2014 and wrote that it was a relief for her to have a diagnosis of a visible disease
process that most everyone would understand and she wasn't going totally around-the-twist after all! She was very candid about the challenges she
- and her whole family - lived with. The discussions she initiated drew interesting perspectives from other members, such as the
below from behconsult, a psychologist:

ALL HUMANS have there own garbage that frequently started before their age of 18 and to some extend remains unaware of it. This "garbage" is frequently multifaceted with regard to beliefs and themes about self, perceptual shifts/projections about what others believe about them and the like. This "complex" gets triggered by only certain things. When this stuff gets activated by current life junk like cancer, finances, isolation, and the like it takes a larger then life experiences and painful. We create stories we tell ourselves about our future, past, self and others that are frequently painful and in themselves cancerous or toxic. It is a process problem and not a content problem.


viewtopic.php?f=1&t=52755&start=15


Nikki spoke up about her experiences as mental health awareness and stigma reduction is at it's most powerful when somebody
shares their personal story. I can remember a time when cancer was 'taboo' and people would keep their diagnosis secret for fear of being
shunned or perceived as having a disgusting contagious affliction. The work continues behind the seen with the array of mental health conditions.
DX April 2015, @ 54
35mm poorly diff. tumour, incidental finding following emergency R. hemicolectomy
for ileo-colic intussusception.
Lymph nodes: 0/22
T3 N0 MX
Stage II CRC, no adjuvant chemo required.

Lee
Posts: 6207
Joined: Sun Apr 16, 2006 4:09 pm

Re: Nik Colon - ritz75

Postby Lee » Thu Sep 13, 2018 5:04 pm

Thank you Maggie for the update. I have always liked her, for sometime she was the welcome wagon around here.

I will miss here. My thoughts and prayers go to her husband, her daughter and any other family members or friends.

RIP Nik Colon,

Lee
rectal cancer - April 2004
46 yrs old at diagnoses
stage III C - 6/13 lymph positive
radiation - 6 weeks
surgery - August 2004/hernia repair 2014
permanent colostomy
chemo - FOLFOX
NED - 16 years and counting!

MissMolly
Posts: 645
Joined: Wed Jun 03, 2015 4:33 pm
Location: Portland, Ore

Re: Nik Colon - ritz75

Postby MissMolly » Thu Sep 13, 2018 6:51 pm

Another sad loss to absorb in reading of Nik’s passing.

Nik’s posts and writings were infused with her personal passion. I was always impressed by her bare-to-the-bone honesty on the topic of mental health.

Like Nik, I shuffled from physician to physician for several months seeking a diagnosis for a garden of symptoms before being accurately diagnosed with Addison’s. Nik understood the personal toll of being dismissed by physicians and the anguish that accompanies being misdiagnosed or undiagnosed. I appreciate that Nik gave light to what it means to be the person behind a misdiagnosis and the quest for legitimacy and validation.

Nik . . . Please know that your voice was heard.

Gentle prayers,
Karen
Dear friend to Bella Piazza, former Colon Club member (NWGirl).
I have a permanent ileostomy and offer advice on living with an ostomy - in loving remembrance of Bella
I am on Palliative Care for broad endocrine failure + Addison's disease + osteonecrosis of both hips/jaw + immunosuppression. I live a simple life due to frail health.

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Kick'nAssCancer'sAss
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Joined: Tue Feb 25, 2014 4:38 pm

Re: Nik Colon - ritz75

Postby Kick'nAssCancer'sAss » Thu Sep 13, 2018 6:55 pm

Nik seemed to be a very pleasant person, she was always wanting to help others get through their journey. I remember reading threads that had multiple pages and most of the posts were Nik's. She was just thanking everyone who would reply to her post with a simple Thank You. What was very clever was when she went from ritz75 to Nik Colon because her name was Nicole Lynn. I always remembered that. She just seemed to disappear from posting I always wondered where she went.

RIP Nik
Last edited by Kick'nAssCancer'sAss on Sun Sep 16, 2018 7:39 pm, edited 1 time in total.
53M Dx RC Halloween 2013
CT & BONE scan
MRI/T3N0M0 1 suspicious LN
5 wks chemo/rad
LAR open TME Feb 26/14
temp bag
0/24 nodes pCR/pathological
Folfox (8) Mar 28-Jul 4 /14
Aug/14 clear CT scan
Aug 27/14 reversal
Feb/15 clear scope
July/15 Feb/16 Feb/17 Feb/18 clear CT scans
Feb/18 clear scope
Sept 19 clear CT scan & DISCHARGED :P
Mar/23 clear scope
CEA 1.6 @ dx
1.6,1.4,1.7,2.4,2.9, 2.7 2.3 2.5 2.2 2.1 2.5 2.6 2.7
2.7 Sept 19
0-4 normal
https://kickingasscancersass.blogspot.com/

mariane
Posts: 704
Joined: Sun Sep 13, 2015 6:16 pm

Re: Nik Colon - ritz75

Postby mariane » Thu Sep 13, 2018 9:09 pm

I am very sorry. I remember Nick very well. She was very active in 2015 when I got diagnosed and struggled with my disease.
Nick tried to help others as much as she could dealing with her own anxiety.
RiP dear Nick!
mom of now 14 years old twins, dx @ 40 in 6/2015 with upper rectal cancer, 10+ liver mets, CEA 140
chemo: 8/2015 - 10/2016 - 4xFOLFIRINOX, 2xFOLFOX, 8xFOLFIRI, 10x5FU, HAI pump -12xFUDR
4 surgeries, complete pathological response
CEA<2 since 10/2015
NED since May 2016

I praise God for every day with my family!

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CRguy
Posts: 10473
Joined: Sun Feb 10, 2008 6:00 pm

Re: Nik Colon - ritz75

Postby CRguy » Thu Sep 13, 2018 10:16 pm

muskokamike wrote:..... then she just seemed to disappear from posting I always wondered where she went.


I believe I owe it to Nik to set the record straight about something.
Nik and I exchanged MANY PMs and FB messages about a lot of things. She was a creative soul, wore her heart on her sleeve and was passionate about life ... hers and others.

At one point there were
"differences of opinion" here on the forum, and as has been alluded to above, she was on the receiving end of intense criticism.

We chatted and she actually decided that, like kennyT, she was kind of "... drawn like a moth to a flame..." to the impact and intensity of this very forum whether positive or negative ... just drawn to the forum.

She asked that her account be deleted.
I told her we could deactivate it but that her contribution and memory HERE is part of what makes this forum THIS FORUM
and that her posts would continue to be part of what drew her here.

She agreed, despite being the recipient of less than "supportive" comments on what should BE the world's BEST SUPPORT FORUM.
That was just another part of who she was.

Her posts here have drawn us together, so I am glad she decided to continue to be a part of the forum, a minority of which, drove her away.

Nik ... your posts and the love we feel for you
Live On

WORD !

CRguy
Caregiver x 4
Stage IV A rectal cancer/lung met
17 Year survivor
my life is an ongoing totally randomized UNcontrolled experiment with N=1 !
Review of my Journey so far

CLD
Posts: 206
Joined: Fri Mar 27, 2015 7:16 pm

Re: Nik Colon - ritz75

Postby CLD » Fri Sep 14, 2018 5:52 pm

So sad to lead of Niks passing. I often traded advice with her and i missed her so much when she left, I searched hed her out on facebook. She always tried to reach out and help others on the forum. I assume was was the same in real life. Rest in peace, Nik.
Wife to DH/ Father of 6 (age 42 at dx) diagnosed Jan 2015 stage IIIC
Tumor deposit in mesentery 13/24 lymph nodes +
CEA at dx: 5
MSS
Low Grade/Mod. Diff.
FOLFOX 6 months
N.E.D until June 2018
PET Scan 6/18
Biopsy confirms cancer in 3 Paraaortic lymph nodes
Folfiri + Avastin (6tx) and Xeloda during radiation
Cancer all over both lungs dx Jan 2019
FOLFIRI +AVASTIN presently

DarknessEmbraced
Posts: 3816
Joined: Sat Nov 01, 2014 4:54 pm
Facebook Username: Riann Fletcher
Location: New Brunswick, Canada

Re: Nik Colon - ritz75

Postby DarknessEmbraced » Mon Sep 17, 2018 10:10 am

So very sad to hear of Nik's passing! :( My deepest condolences to her family and friends.
Diagnosed 10/28/14, age 36
Colon Resection 11/20/14, LAR (no illeo)
Stage 2a colon cancer, T3NOMO
Lymph-vascular invasion undetermined
0/22 lymph nodes
No chemo, no radiation
Clear Colonoscopy 04/29/15
NED 10/20/15
Ischemic Colitis 01/21/16
NED 11/10/16
CT Scan moved up due to high CEA 08/21/17
NED 09/25/17
NED 12/21/18
Clear colonoscopy 09/23/19
Clear 5 year scans 11/21/19- Considered cured! :)

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HopeForJesse
Posts: 249
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Location: Philadelphia

Re: Nik Colon - ritz75

Postby HopeForJesse » Mon Sep 17, 2018 7:41 pm

Like many of us, Nik was one of the first to reply to me 2.5 years ago. I was so grateful and felt an immediate kinship with her. I was very sad when she had the lung recurrence and when she abruptly left here. I hope she had peace in her final months and wish much peace to her family.
DH DX 01/16 49 YO inop RC stage IV liver mets
MSS TP53 APC,BRCA2
12/15 CEA 241, FOLFOX to 11/16
LAR/ileo 5/16 Clear margins 1/29 nodes
HAI, reversal, liver resections7/16
FUDR 8/16 -NED 3 mos
Rising CEA 3/17 Xeloda, 5/17 -12/17 Erbitux & Iri stable but lung/lymph mets CEA 2.7
5/18 5 days SBRT radiation to sternum 10/22/18 surgery to remove zyphoid process met
6/11/19 5FU added to cetuximab and irinotecan CEA 16
Ephesians 3:20 Our God is able to do immeasurably more than we can ask or imagine!


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