Cancer: A Survivor's Tale

With the rising rates of cancer, almost everyone knows someone that has been affected with cancer either directly or indirectly. This is why it is important to get annual physicals and any recommended procedures by doctors. Cancer does not discriminate against age or gender as there are so many different types of cancers. Cancer can start as early as birth in some. Some is uncommon cancer and others are hereditary.

In the case of Jazmine Santiago, cancer is hereditary in her family. Her mother passed away when she was a teenager of colon cancer. Her aunt, her mother’s sister, also passed away of cancer, and even her grandmother had cancer. So, when she started having symptoms at such a young age, it was imperative for her to get checked out. At just the age of 21 she was diagnosed with colon cancer. This news was detrimental as she had a 5-year-old son. According to Christina Marin, M.D., a gastroenterologist, explained “It is uncommon for someone to be diagnosed with colon cancer as young as Jasmine was. The majority of my patients are over the age of 50. But when cancer is hereditary, it is even more important for you not to avoid any symptoms and for you to share your family cancer history with your primary doctor.”

In the interview, Jazmine explains the first time she heard she was cancer free. “My last day of chemo was September 17, 2007. That was my last day of chemo.” It was an emotional roller coaster ride for her, but she is now in remission and an advocate for cancer. She has had to have other tests, including a breast biopsy, to make sure there are no pre-cancer cells in her body. She hopes her story of beating cancer will bring awareness to symptoms and comfort for those who are fighting colon cancer.