Debbie V.
The Test That Saved My Life
Turning 50 was supposed to be about the jokes—the black balloons, the “over the hill” banners, the funny cards reminding me I was “halfway to 100.”
It wasn’t supposed to be about cancer.
I had no symptoms. No family history. A routine colonoscopy was just that—routine. A box to check.
Something I’d do, then forget about for the next five years.
That’s not what happened.
When my doctor walked into the recovery room, I knew. His face said it before his words did.
Multiple polyps. One looked concerning. It was sent for testing, but deep down, I already knew.
Days later, the call came. Colon cancer.
What followed was a blur — scans, consults, surgery. I went from someone getting their first screening to someone fighting for their future. My routine test had turned into a lifelong battle to stay ahead of something I never saw coming.
Jonathan
The Decision That Saved My Dad’s Life
In early 2020, my dad felt... off. Nothing too alarming. Just discomfort. Fatigue. A nagging feeling he couldn’t shake.
Doctors told him not to worry. It hadn’t been five years since his last colonoscopy, so he didn’t need another one yet.
But my dad knew better.
He had beaten cancer before. He wasn’t about to leave it to chance. So, he pushed for a screening.
That decision saved his life.
During the colonoscopy, doctors removed what they thought was a harmless polyp. It wasn’t. It was cancer.
The world was shutting down. COVID had just hit Nashville. But cancer doesn’t care about pandemics. It doesn’t wait.
Neither did my dad.
In April 2020, he walked into surgery alone. Due to COVID, no family was allowed in the waiting room. No hand to hold before anesthesia. Just him, the doctors, and the fight ahead.
