I was once diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer at 31 despite being fit and healthy. Doctors pushed aside my issues as pregnancy symptoms.

• Jenna Scott was once diagnosed with stage four colon cancer extinct 31 despite being fit and healthy.

• Misdiagnosed symptoms at some level of pregnancy delayed her cancer prognosis, complicating treatment.

• She expects to undergo treatment for the the relaxation of her life to assist the cancer at bay.

This as-suggested-to essay is in preserving with a dialog with Jenna Scott a 39-three hundred and sixty five days-old Chief Working Officer in Peach Tree Corners, Georgia. The next has been edited for size and readability.

For the foremost three a protracted time of my life, every thing was once expansive. I was once a cheerleader in center college and college, where I met my husband.

We obtained married in 2015 and our chums would remark we had been living a fairytale.

I obtained pregnant with our son, Cameron, that three hundred and sixty five days and I belief, “Oh, how could life get any better?”

But in 2017, on the age of 31, I was once diagnosed with stage four colorectal cancer.

The doctor said my symptoms had been linked to my pregnancy

My symptoms started when I was once around seven or eight months pregnant. I suggested my obstetrician I had in actuality horrible abdominal cramping and rectal and vaginal bleeding, but he said no longer to grief because they had been pregnancy symptoms.

It was once my first pregnancy so I belief: “This is what pregnancy is like, I can handle it, I’m tough.”

My abdominal anxiousness didn’t whisk away after I gave start and my obstetrician put it appropriate down to the C-piece. Cameron was once my predominant peril. I was once all the time tired, too, but didn’t must bitch.

I saw a health care provider who gave me some IBS medication and said he’d refer me to a GI specialist within the event that they didn’t work.

They didn’t, so he despatched me to a GI specialist who suggested me: “Why are you in my office? You’re way too young.”

On June 29, 2017, factual over a three hundred and sixty five days after Cameron was once born, I had a colonoscopy and wakened to four nurses, my doctor, and my husband within the room.

The doctor suggested me: We chanced on cancer.

Most cancers does no longer hump in my household and I didn’t stamp the plan it’s miles going to have took put to me at 31.

Stage four cancer modified every thing

I was once diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. The oncologist said they would possibly possibly no longer sight the cancer that neatly on the CT scan because I had so remarkable muscle and so puny fat.

It didn’t produce sense and I shut down. My husband and mom had been extra emotional than me.

After that appointment, we serene my son from day care and I factual held him. He’d factual grew to vary into one: how would possibly possibly I route of the belief that he would possibly possibly no longer know me?

Existence quickly grew to vary into fleshy of clinical doctors’ appointments and scans, and my employer took away my elevated projects so I would possibly possibly focal level on my neatly being. I had worked entertaining to procure them so it felt unfair but in hindsight, they had been appropriate.

I started chemo on August 9. It took eight hours every different week on the neatly being facility, then a 46-hour drip at house with a portable pack. I had insomnia, hallucinations, and dread. I would glimpse on the toddler show screen and sight considered one of my coworkers in my son’s crib, or tarantulas crawling at some level of my hands.

I had 11 months of chemo, stopped for just a few months, then was once suggested it had spread to my colon, liver, and lungs, so I started any other 11 months of treatments and surgical procedures.

By 2021, I was once on a lower “maintenance” chemo dose to assist the cancer at bay. I would rob six chemo medication on on daily foundation foundation, alongside lots of others, which made me very sick and saved me at house when I needed to be show hide for my son.

One day I determined I factual didn’t must develop it anymore and my doctor said I would possibly possibly pause for a whereas. But by Christmas 2022, the cancer was once in my lymph nodes. I waited unless the contemporary three hundred and sixty five days to originate up treatment so I will have my storybook Christmas.

Even with insurance, clinical bills had been a nightmare

I had to pay a lot out of pocket that first three hundred and sixty five days earlier than my insurance provider would possibly possibly reimburse me, including $500 upfront for the colonoscopy. That was once a lot alongside bills like our mortgage and day care costs.

My husband’s insurance belief was once in actuality correct but I started having complications just a few years in when appointments had been motivate-to-motivate and I was once racking up bills of about $3,000 a month. The neatly being facility saved calling me for payments and we regarded as selling our house and entertaining in with our fogeys.

At final, my husband’s chums impressed him to location up a GoFundMe page, which raised $17,000 in factual just a few hours whereas I was once having surgery, and $30,000 in 17 days. I felt betrayed on the starting put, but my mom helped me sight it as a blessing.

My son looks to be out for me

Seeing my son grow up has been preserving me collectively this complete time. We now had been discovering out young other folks’ books about cancer and emotions to Cameron for years and he is starting to cherish what’s happening.

As soon as he asked me, “Mommy, can you die from cancer?” and I iced up. I didn’t know what to remark. He cries at evening about it, holds me, and tells me he does no longer desire me to leave. But he takes correct care of me. When my hair was once longer, he aged to put it in a ponytail for me and put chapstick on my lips.

This present day, my cancer save is “non-detectable.” I even have chemo every four weeks and demand to be on this upkeep regime indefinitely, an thought I struggled to deal with on the starting put.

I work fleshy time, which is entertaining as I’ve had lots of side effects. I’ve handed out just a few events, my body overheats so badly I even must rob off all my dresses, I in actuality feel like I even must vomit but my body would possibly possibly no longer develop it, and I barely sleep for days at a time. Right here is my life now.

I attempt to deal with busy to rob my suggestions off the tense treatments. When I even have chemo on Fridays and Cameron, who’s 9, has a baseball game on Saturday morning, I am there with my transportable pack factual doing every thing that I’m able to, despite the fact that I in actuality feel tired and nauseous and vomit a lot.

And I am so grateful to our household and chums who peaceful come over to cook dinner and clear for us after eight years. But for the reason that cancer treatment side effects are cumulative, having a joyful life is in actuality entertaining.

I’m hoping I in actual fact have a prolonged life earlier than me, but I develop no longer can must be on this treatment forever and am forever crossing my fingers that science can search for original treatments.

I’ve realized the issues I aged to emphasise about are entirely manageable and I even have so many blessings. I explain every person that life is correct, it be factual the plan you glimpse at it.

I desire formative years to cherish that they’re no longer untouchable. You will must procure usual check-united states of americaand recommend for your self.

Correction: June 23, 2025 — An earlier model of this narrative misstated Cameron’s age. He is 9 years old.

Learn the genuine article on Alternate Insider