Bowel cancer runs deep in my family. My uncle was diagnosed in his 30s, and my dad lost his life to it. In 2020, it became my reality too, I was diagnosed with Stage 3B bowel cancer. I went through a bowel resection and endured four rounds of chemotherapy. Just a year later, I was told the cancer had spread to my right lung. It was now considered incurable.

I had surgery to remove the middle lobe of my lung, and then, two years later, faced another lung surgery for yet another cancerous nodule.

This journey has taught me, painfully and profoundly, that you can’t ignore symptoms. And more than that, you must speak up. You must advocate for yourself, and for others, to receive the care every human being deserves.

I am deeply passionate about holistic care, treating the whole person, not just the disease, and that’s why I’m now pursuing a PhD in this space. If sharing my story helps even one person take action, ask a question, or feel less alone, then it’s worth every word.