Blog
Short, honest writing from a stage 4 colorectal cancer survivor — what helped, what hurt, and what I wish someone had handed me on day one.
- What Your Oncologist Doesn’t Have Time to Tell YouYour oncologist has 15 minutes per visit. Here are the gaps a stage 4 CRC survivor learned to fill — pharmacogenomics, lab trends, nutrition, and supplement timing.
- How to Read Your Own Pathology Report: A Cancer Patient’s GuideA stage 4 CRC survivor breaks down how to read your pathology report — TNM staging, grade, margins, molecular markers, and the questions to bring to your oncologist.
- I Ran My Entire Medical Profile Through an AI Research System. Here’s What It Found That My Doctors Missed.A stage 4 colorectal cancer survivor built an AI research system to analyze his full genomic data — and found clinically actionable findings three providers missed.
- Cancer and Mental Health: The Emotional War Nobody Prepares You ForDepression, identity loss, grief, and fear — a stage 4 CRC survivor gets honest about the emotional toll of cancer and what actually helped him survive it.
- How to Find a Clinical Trial for Colorectal Cancer (When No One Finds It for You)Three professional research teams missed the trial that may have saved my life. A stage 4 CRC survivor shares exactly how he found it — and how you can search for yours.
- Just Diagnosed With Colorectal Cancer: Your First 30 DaysA stage 4 CRC survivor walks you through the first 30 days after diagnosis — what to do, what to ask, and what nobody tells you. A practical roadmap.
- 4 Doses of IL-2: What High-Dose Interleukin Therapy Actually Feels LikeA stage 4 CRC survivor describes what high-dose IL-2 interleukin therapy actually feels like — the rigors, the fevers, the nightmare, and why he kept saying yes. Most patients ICU after one dose. He took four.
- TCR-T Immunotherapy for Colorectal Cancer: What It’s Like to Be the First PatientA stage 4 CRC survivor shares what it’s actually like to receive TCR-T cell therapy — the first-ever infusion for a specific solid tumor. The prep, the pain, the results.
- Chemo Neuropathy: What It Actually Feels Like and What Might HelpA stage 4 CRC survivor shares his real experience with chemo-induced neuropathy — when it started, what it feels like now, and the supplements, meds, and strategies showing real promise.
- FOLFOX Chemotherapy: What It Actually Feels LikeA stage 4 CRC survivor walks you through FOLFOX chemo — from the first infusion to the take-home pump to the cumulative toll. What to actually expect, not what the pamphlet says.
- Living With a Ileostomy Bag: The Unfiltered TruthA stage 4 CRC survivor shares the unfiltered truth about living with a colostomy bag — the blockage that almost broke me, the noise, the bag changes, and why it’s more livable than you think.
- Treatment Ended. Now What? The Weird Limbo Nobody Prepares You ForWhen cancer treatment ends, relief mixes with anxiety and loss of identity. A stage 4 CRC survivor on navigating the strange limbo of post-treatment life.
- A Note to Caregivers: You’re Allowed to Be ExhaustedCancer caregivers carry an enormous weight and rarely admit it. A CRC survivor writes directly to caregivers about burnout, guilt, and taking care of yourself.
- What I Actually Ate During Chemo (and Why)Forget the idealized cancer diet advice. A stage 4 CRC survivor shares what he actually ate during chemo — and what worked when nothing tasted right.
- Scanxiety: How to Survive the Wait for Scan ResultsScanxiety is the dread that builds before and after follow-up scans. A stage 4 CRC survivor shares honest strategies for getting through the wait.
- Chemo Brain Is Real: What It Feels Like and What HelpsChemo brain is more than forgetfulness. A stage 4 CRC survivor explains what cognitive fog actually feels like and shares practical ways to cope.
- CEA Levels and Colorectal Cancer: What Your Number Actually MeansWhat CEA actually measures, normal ranges, what specific numbers mean, non-cancer causes of elevated CEA, and what to do with the result. From a stage 4 CRC survivor.
- What Is LARS? After Colorectal SurgeryLARS (Low Anterior Resection Syndrome) after colorectal surgery is brutal and under-discussed. A stage 4 CRC survivor shares what it’s really like and what helps.
- Off-Label Medications for Cancer: What I Took and WhyA stage 4 CRC survivor shares the off-label medications he took alongside chemo, what the research says, and why he made those choices.
- You Are Not a StatisticA stage 4 colorectal cancer survivor shares why statistics don’t define your outcome — and what actually helped him beat the odds.
The CRC Roadmap 