Crit Luallen's personal colon cancer story began when her mom was diagnosed with the disease in the early 1980s. Her mom battled the disease for 3 years, with surgery and chemotherapy. Very sadly, she died of colon cancer in 1986.
Crit's mom was 68 when she first complained of symptoms that indicated she might have colon cancer. She died at age 72.
"I had no idea that everything my mother went through...the diagnosis after cancer had spread, the aggressive treatment with chemotherapy, and all the suffering that went with that...is preventable. No one ever told me and certainly, my mother didn't know this," says Crit.
Crit also points out, "For my mother's generation, cancer was viewed as a death sentence. Apparently, my mom had symptoms for quite some time, but she didn't mention it. When I asked my mom why, she said there was no reason to bring it up, because nothing could be done anyway."
Living in Denial
Despite watching her mother's personal struggle with colon cancer, Crit says, "I just didn't think it could happen to me." When she turned 50, Crit's doctor recommended that she get a colonoscopy, to screen for colon cancer.
Crit knew the colonoscopy her doctor recommended was a good idea, but the demands of a busy job and family life kept her from making the appointment. "I just let it slide," says Crit. "Plus, there was the embarrassment factor everyone feels about colon cancer screening. I just didn't want to deal with it."
Another year passed and Crit was back in the doctor's office for her yearly physical. Her doctor asked, "Have you had that colonoscopy yet?" Crit had to admit that she hadn't gotten around to it. Her doctor said, simply, "You HAVE to get screened. I won't let you not get screened."
A Brush with Mortality
"Thank goodness my doctor pushed me so hard to get screened," says Crit now. "If it hadn't been for my doctor pushing me to get a colonoscopy, I probably wouldn't be here today."
Crit reluctantly scheduled her colonoscopy. When she went in for the test, she got the shock of her life. The doctors found a tumor right away. She was scheduled for surgery immediately. Her surgeon removed an 18-inch section of her colon.
Lucky for Crit, the colon cancer was early. It was stage 1. Surgery was all she needed.
From Resisting Colonoscopy to Advocating It
Crit very quickly became a vocal advocate for colon cancer screening. She daily counts her blessings that her doctor wouldn't take "no" for an answer.
Colon Cancer Screening, Part 2
Fast forward 1 year. Crit returned to the doctor for her yearly physical. This included a colon cancer screening to make sure she remained healthy and cancer-free.
Much to her disbelief, the screening found a second, primary colorectal cancer. A second primary means that this new cancer was not a recurrence. It was not related to her first colon cancer.
Due to the location of this second tumor, doctors recommended a combination of chemotherapy and radiation therapy instead of surgery. Crit endured a grueling treatment program of chemotherapy and radiation therapy, both delivered at the same time.
Crit states, "My GI tract just shut down. I ended up spending 15 days in the hospital to recover. I'm so incredibly fortunate to have received such excellent care at the Markey Cancer at the University of Kentucky."
Life After Colon Cancer
It's been 6 years since her first colon cancer and nearly 5 since her second. Crit acknowledges, "Screening for colon cancer has really saved my life, not once, but twice. There simply is no value that you can put on this process of being able to detect colorectal cancer. It's priceless."
Now Crit spends time and energy trying to educate others on the importance of colon cancer screening. In her role as a cancer survivor, she has spoken to the Kentucky Legislature to help push through a bill to provide assistance for colon cancer screening for people who are un- or under-insured.
"Lack of coverage for this life-saving screening simply isn't an option. Everyone deserves access to colon cancer screening," says Crit.
Biggest Challenge
When asked what her biggest challenge is regarding colon cancer screening promotion, Crit is quick to answer, "Changing people's perceptions."
Crit explains, "For my mom's generation, cancer was a death sentence. People felt that there was nothing you could do about cancer, so it was better not to know. We need to make sure that people today understand this simply isn't true anymore. We can detect colon cancer early. And we can cure it when it's caught early. People need to understand how bad it is to wait to be screened. Nobody needs to die of colon cancer."
