please help

[iloveucourt]

i don't even know how to start and i don't even know if writing this will get me anywhere or even if this sight is reliable. i have a cousin who was diagnosed this past christmas day in 2005 with colon cancer, she's 17. she went through chemotherapy right away for 6 mths and we all thought she was fine. on doing a final pet scan last month they found more cancer in her colon and decided today to do exploratory surgery. upon opening her up they discovered that the cancer was all over and the doctor closed her up and sent her home admitting that they could do nothing for her. now, all this information i am getting through my family while i'm at college.

i've gotten on this site to get someone to help me get information for my aunt and cousin. i have the colondar poster and realized that there is hope. i don't know how to get in contact with those girls in the poster or someone to talk to about other possible treatments and surgeries.

i want someone that knows what's going on to contact me please...post something and i'll get it as soon as i can.

[janb]

Hang in there...I'm not that person but I can guarantee you that a knowledgeable and concerned member will put you on the right path. You are blessed to have found this site, it's the best one out there for information.

[Holly]

ILOVEUCOURT,

Welcome to the Colon Club! My name is Holly, I am a stage IV colon cancer survivor, currently cancer-free and well...If you promise not to tell...I am Co-Miss March Colondar 2007.

I am sorry to hear about your cousin. I was diagnosed at the age of 30, and was not expected to live to December 2003. Not only am I alive but I am cancer-free. So, yes there is hope and lots of it! The information that you provided was a bit vague. For me to offer a personal point of reference, I need to know specifically what it is that you are looking for. If you would like, you may shoot me a private message and I will do the best I can to offer you some guidance and direction!

Please know that you and your cousin will be in my continued thoughts and prayers. Remember all things are truly possible!

Holly

[Molly]

I second what Holly said! There is ABSOLUTELY hope...and no doc has the right to tell you otherwise. Get your cousin to a MAJOR cancer center quickly (MD Anderson, Dana-Farber, Sloan-Kettering, NCI...just to name a few), to a doctor who has seen colon cancer in young people and who isn't afraid to be aggressive.

...and take a few pointers from Holly!

-Miss February 2005

[Sweet Peg]

AMEN!! and I 2nd, 3rd and 4th Holly and Molly! She needs a second or third opinion! There is so much hope out there these days that I would in no way give up! Get to a Major Cancer Center as Molly has suggested. Do it NOW and don't wait. Let them assess the problem and start aggressive treatment. Hang in there and know that we are all here to support you in anyway we can. Our thoughts and PRAYERS are with you all! Please keep us posted on what you find out.

HUGSSSSSSSSSSSS Peg

[Edward]

Let me jump on the bandwagon. Also, if your cousin has siblings and even the parents......get scheduled to be tested!!!

[missjv]

hi,
i agree with the others on this board. get your cousin to a large cancer center. there are so many treatment options. i went to a doc at 1st who told me i had 1 year without treatment and 2 years with treatment cause that is what statistics say. luckily i found this website and i did alot of my own research and found another doctor who is very aggressive in my treatment and i told i could possibly be cured with surgery so please tell your family to get 2,3, or however many opinions because 17 is young and you will find a doctor who will be more aggressive and willing to try anything to help your cousin.

[iloveucourt]

thank you all so much for your speedy replies. i have never posted on the internet or anything like that so this is very new and interesting to me. i will relay the information and replies from you all and get back on here with more questions, i'm sure.

it's my cousin's 18th birthday today and i'm taking off for the long trip home from college to be with her this weekend while she recovers from surgery. when it comes out i'm gonna buy her one of those awesome colondar calendars she's so beautiful and i want her to be happy.

my mom has the 2006 condar in her office. she's a social worker and working hard to get information for my aunt and cousin. it's incredible how far colon club with the colossal colon and colondar have reached. before my cousin was diagnosed i never would have been exposed to and have experienced such amazing people and attitudes in our world.

[ASTEPHENS33]

My good thoughts are with you/your cousin. I'd only like to add that if she is a cousin, there may be a genetic connection, so other family members might want to check having colonoscopies sooner, as well. No one in my family ever talked about my aunts and uncles who had colon problems (and one died from colon cancer), until I was diagnosed. So I encourage everyone to get one done.