The average odds of getting colorectal cancer in your lifetime are 1 in 24.
The average odds of getting it before you turn 45 are 1 in 240.
But, as Erik Stanley shared with Blue Hope Bash Denver guests this weekend, the odds of a married couple under 45 — who grew up 1,000 miles apart and without any genetic predisposition — both being diagnosed with stage IV colon cancer within two years are about 1 in 100 million.
That’s exactly what Erik and his wife, Kacie Peters, are facing today.
“Since our diagnoses, we’ve done over 100 hours of chemotherapy, had a dozen surgeries with more to come, and spent at least 65 nights away from home in the hospital,” Kacie told Bash guests.
“And we’ve done it all so that our 5-year-old son doesn’t have to grow up without us,” Erik added.
Kacie and Erik are extraordinary. Despite dual, concurrent diagnoses with stage IV colorectal cancer, they have risen to the challenges posed by this disease and continue to be incredible parents, accomplished professionals, and now, outspoken advocates for colorectal cancer.
They spoke at the Blue Hope Bash Denver on October 1 to encourage support for the Alliance’s mission and raise funds to research new treatments and find a cure.
You can support them in the cause by donating here.
The Alliance is the nation’s leading nonprofit dedicated to ending colorectal cancer. Through programs to screen, care, and cure this disease, we will end this disease in our lifetime.
Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), top Democrat on the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Subcommittee on Primary Health and Retirement Security, along with Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Congressman André Carson (IN-07), introduced the Asal Sayas National Strategy on Young Adult Cancers Act to establish a national strategy to tackle the growing epidemic of cancer among adults under age 50.
For many cancer patients, the end of active treatment brings a new kind of dread. Scans every few months and anxious waits for results. A blood test is changing that experience for a growing number of patients.
When Helen was diagnosed with metastatic colorectal cancer, the biggest concern for her medical team was that her cancer had spread to her liver. One type of therapy, hepatic artery infusion, offered a path forward, but there was a catch. Nobody at her hospital had ever done it before. She'd have to be first.