From Sudden Stomach Pain to Stage 4 Colon Cancer: How Carrie Keeps Dancing Through It

Carrie’s stage 4 colon cancer experience began in a way that can feel startlingly familiar. She was living what she describes as a full, healthy life as a single mom and elementary music teacher when sudden, severe stomach pain and gas changed everything. After a walk-in clinic dismissed her symptoms as “just gas,” her pain escalated over the course of a week. A night out listening to her boyfriend’s band ended in the emergency room (ER), scans, and the life‑altering news that she had a tumor in her colon that had already spread to her ovaries and uterus.

Interviewed by: Nikki Murphy
Edited by: Chris Sanchez

Looking back, Carrie now recognizes that her body had been signaling trouble for years. She had stopped having menstrual periods well before her colon cancer diagnosis, and although testing at the time didn’t show perimenopause, no one could explain why. Only later did doctors connect those changes to cancer cells that had spread to her reproductive organs. Surgery was swift and extensive: a large portion of her colon, her ovaries, and her uterus were removed by a team that included a general surgeon, a colorectal specialist, and a gynecological surgeon.

Yet Carrie’s stage 4 colon cancer experience has also transformed how she lives. Her surgeries and further intensive treatments, including chemotherapy and radiation, brought a precious nine‑month period of no evidence of disease (NED) before the cancer returned. Through anger, fatigue, and uncertainty, Carrie has chosen to keep creating joy by traveling with her kids, reshaping her work life so she can focus on her health, and starting TikTok dance projects like “A shimmy a day keeps the cancer away” and now “Hustle the cancer away.” For her, hope is not denial, but a daily decision to move, connect, and keep showing up for herself and the people she loves.

Watch Carrie’s video or read through the edited transcript of her interview below for more on her stage 4 colon cancer story.

• Sudden, persistent stomach pain and changes in bowel comfort, even when dismissed as “just gas,” can be early signs that something more serious is going on and deserve follow‑up.
• Irregular periods and unexplained changes in menstrual cycles can sometimes be connected to conditions outside of gynecology, including colon cancer that has spread to the ovaries and uterus.
• A rare, aggressive diagnosis can completely reshape treatment expectations, but clear, compassionate communication with an oncologist can still create a sense of focus and support.
• Carrie proceeded from shock and fear to redefining strength on her own terms, choosing joy, boundaries, and self‑care even while she is unwell.
• As her story shows, you can hold fear and hope at the same time: being fully aware of the reality of stage 4 colon cancer while still choosing connection, laughter, and purpose.
• Community support, from family and friends visiting in the hospital to people joining her daily dances, can make it possible to face long‑term treatment without feeling alone.

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Carrie’s Diagnosis Facts

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This interview has been edited for clarity and length. This is not medical advice. Please consult with your healthcare provider to make informed treatment decisions. The views and opinions expressed in this interview do not necessarily reflect those of The Patient Story.

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Life before my stage 4 colon cancer diagnosis

My name is Carrie, and I was diagnosed in 2024 with stage four colon cancer. I was a single mom. I was a full-time elementary music teacher, hanging out with my friends a lot. We loved to go and listen to live music and dance. I was living a very full and healthy life, completely healthy, and life was really good.

The first signs that something was wrong

It was pretty quick for me. I was completely healthy, no symptoms, and then all of a sudden, I just got very sick. I had horrible stomach pains and gas, and just felt sick all the time. That went on for maybe a week. I missed a few days of work. I went to a walk-in clinic, and that doctor just listened to my stomach and was like, “Oh, it’s just gas. It’ll get better.” They gave me some anti-nausea medicine and some gas medicine, but I didn’t get better.

Then there was one night that we had gone out to listen to my boyfriend — at the time he was in a band — so we went and listened to him, and after he was done, I just started getting really, really sick in the parking lot. My sister was like, “That’s enough. I’m taking you to the ER.” 

They had me fully diagnosed within probably a couple of hours of being at the ER. It was pretty quick. So, I went from being completely healthy to feeling sick, and then a week later, being in the ER. 

Early symptoms I missed, including irregular periods

I had experienced similar symptoms in the past, but they had always gotten better. I kind of chalked it up to the fact that, at the time, I was taking another medicine that had the same side effects. I really just thought what I was going through was due to that drug. But this particular time, when it was not getting better, I knew something was up. I thought it was maybe my gallbladder, or I thought maybe I just had some sort of blockage or something. I never thought it was something very serious.

Looking back, I’ve had symptoms for a long time. In fact, years ago, I stopped having my menstrual cycle, and we never could explain why that happened. I was too young to be in perimenopause. They did all the blood work to see if there were any indications of that, and all that testing came back normal. 

Now we know that that’s the reason why I was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer: we found it had spread down into my ovaries and uterus. So, looking back, I think I’ve had it for a really long time; I just didn’t know I had it.

The night I went to the ER and got diagnosed with colon cancer

I was in so much pain before I went. While I was listening to my boyfriend’s band play, I was literally just sitting there, drinking water and Pepto-Bismol, and eating crackers because that was all I could hold down. Then I got really sick in the parking lot and couldn’t hold anything in.

My sister had been drinking, so I drove because she couldn’t, but I was in pain. I drove myself to the ER, and she was with me. They gave me morphine right away because I was in so much pain. I remember that was the first time I had felt relief in a week.

They did a scan right away and then had me wait out in the waiting room while they waited for the scan results. Then they brought me back. It’s kind of interesting how they came to their diagnosis. At first, they said, “We got your scan results back, and you’ve got a blockage in your bowel.” They thought it was just a blockage, so they were trying to figure out how to clear that up.

Maybe about ten minutes later — it felt like ten minutes — they came back and said, “Have you had any abnormal Pap smears recently?” I said no. They said, “Well, your ovaries look misshapen.” I was like, “Okay, that’s interesting.” We didn’t know what that was about. Then they came back and said they thought it was a tumor. I did have a blockage, but they thought it was a tumor and that it had spread down into my ovaries.

That’s why those had looked different. So they admitted me to the hospital, and it just went so fast. I was probably there for a couple of hours, but it felt like it went so fast, and I really didn’t have much time to process anything. Literally, I went from being completely healthy to feeling awful to being in the ER, and then now they’re telling me I’ve got a tumor in my colon that has spread to my ovaries. I didn’t have time to process any of it.

I did feel scared and anxious, but I also had this sense of calm, which I couldn’t explain. I just felt like, “Okay, I’ve got this. Everything’s going to be okay.” I don’t know where that came from, but I’m grateful for it. They admitted me to the hospital, and then three days later, they did a surgery where they removed the blockage and a big portion of my colon as well.

They had thought that I might have to have a colostomy bag for three to six months if they weren’t able to connect everything back together. Thank goodness they were able to reconnect everything, so I didn’t have to have one of those. 

I think I was in the hospital for another ten days after that, recovering from the surgery. My community showed up — my friends and family. I had so many visitors, so many flowers. It was really cool to see everybody’s support.

Where they found colon cancer, and my first major surgery

They did take out my ovaries and uterus as well. They found cancer in the colon, but it had spread to my ovaries and uterus. 

Three surgeons completed the surgery: a general surgeon, a colorectal surgeon (a colon specialist), and a gynecological surgeon.

Hearing I had stage 4 colon cancer

It was a whirlwind, as I said, and I wasn’t thinking much because it went so fast. After I had some time to process everything, that’s when it all hit me. The emotions included sadness for sure. I mainly thought about my kids, who are still fairly young.

It still chokes me up. My daughter had just been accepted to college and was moving to Boise, and I knew she was going to want to stay. I knew that was going to make her not want to go away to college, and I didn’t want that for her. I wanted her to continue with her plan. That has been hard. She did go to college, and she’s doing great, but she, of course, wishes she could be closer.

My son was 12 at the time, so he was still at home. It’s never easy; it doesn’t matter how old your kids are, if they’re young or teenagers. It’s hard for them. The kids were my main concern. I knew I had stage 4 colon cancer, but at that time, I didn’t know what the actual prognosis was.

I didn’t know how long I was going to be struggling with this or how long I had to live. I really had no information. I think some doctors had come in and talked to me, but I was on so many pain meds and everything else that I don’t think I fully understood everything they were telling me, even if they were giving me a lot of information. I just didn’t know.

I kept thinking about how there are so many milestones left in my kids’ lives. My daughter is going to be graduating from college in a few years, and then, hopefully, shortly after that, she’ll be getting married and having kids. My son is going to graduate from high school. I don’t want to miss any of those things. Those were the things that I struggled with the most — just not knowing.

I’m dealing with everything the best I can, and I’m fighting as strongly as I can, but I don’t know how long I have. I struggled with that. I also went through thinking and feeling, “This is not fair.” As soon as I had that thought, though, I had this realization that it wouldn’t be fair for anybody. I can’t complain that this is not fair for me because it’s not fair for anybody.

There’s not anybody on this planet I could look at and say, “Oh, they deserve to have this over me.” I had that thought and was brought down immediately from that — like, “Carrie, get off your high horse. Nobody deserves it.” Then I thought, “What did I do to deserve this? Are there things in my past that I’m not proud of? Yes. Is this punishment for that?” I don’t think that’s true either, but at the time I definitely had those thoughts.

My thoughts were all over the place. I didn’t know what to expect, and I know that I have a lot to live for.

Recovering from my first surgery and meeting my oncologist

Recovery in the hospital was pretty rough. I was very sore. They basically cut my stomach from right above my belly button all the way down, so my recovery was hard. There are certain things you have to be able to do before you can be sent home, and I really wanted to go home, so that was tricky. But we did it — I made it home.

I remember being concerned because I live in a second-story apartment. I was worried whether I was going to be able to climb the stairs up to my apartment. You use your core, your stomach muscles, for everything. I wondered, “Am I going to be able to climb stairs?” I had two of my biggest male friends ready to carry me up the stairs if they needed to, but I was fine. I was able to climb the stairs just fine. I got home and then had my appointment with my oncologist a couple of days later. 

For the most part, my life has been pretty good and pretty easy. Even when I’ve had challenges, they’ve been easy to get through. I went into my appointment with the doctor thinking, “Okay, she’s going to tell me what I have. Even though it’s stage 4, I really expected her to say, ‘This is the type of cancer you have, here’s how we’re going to treat it, and we’re going to beat it.’” That’s what I expected. It was like, “We’re going to have to go through this, but there’s an end in sight, and it’s going to be fine.” That was not the message I got when I went to the doctor.

She was amazing. Her name is Dr. Martin. She made me feel right away like she really cared. Sometimes you go to a doctor, and it seems like they’re reading your chart for the first time as they’re sitting in front of you. She was the complete opposite. She didn’t look at the computer one time. She knew everything about me, my health, and my diagnosis.

I felt like she had really taken the time to learn everything about what I had just gone through. That was very comforting.

Learning I have signet ring cell carcinoma, a rare, aggressive type of cancer

She told me I had stage 4 colon cancer, but also that I had signet ring cell carcinoma. That particular type constitutes about 2% or less of the population that has colon cancer; it’s based on how it spreads.

Basically, it spreads by sloughing off into the lining of your stomach, and from there, it goes to other areas. It’s really hard to contain. She told me at that appointment, “I can’t sugarcoat this for you. We’re going to do everything we can, but basically, this is going to take your life. You might have a year or two. You might have five years. You might have longer than that. It just depends, with our treatment plan, on how quickly we can get it to go away and how long we can keep it away before it comes back. But basically it’s going to keep coming back until eventually it will overtake your body.”

What it felt like to hear that my colon cancer was terminal

It was really hard. I remember holding it together at the time. I had my sister and my best friend with me, and I felt like I needed to stay strong for them — which, looking back, is silly because they would have been just fine. I remember thinking, “This is not what I expected. This can’t be real.” It just didn’t feel real at first.

It was hard to hear. Obviously, nobody wants to hear it. As I said, I wanted to hear, “This is the plan, and we’re going to beat it, and you’re going to be okay.” That was not the message I got. But I didn’t feel defeated.

I still feel like we have a goal. I feel like the goal is not necessarily, “We’re going to beat this and be healed completely,” although I still believe that I can do that. I still believe in miracles.

The goal is to keep beating it until we can’t beat it anymore. The goal is to live as long as I can, to keep beating it as long as I can, so that I can see as many of those milestones as I can with my kids.

My first treatment plan and achieving NED

The first part of the treatment plan was to finish recovering from the surgery, because they can’t start chemo or anything else until you’ve been out of surgery for a while. We did that, and then the plan was at least three months of chemo, and then they would do more scans and see how everything looked. At that point, depending on what everything looked like, I would maybe have another surgery, and then maybe three more months of chemo.

That was the original plan. I did almost three months of chemo — maybe a little more. I think I started at the end of October, so it was about three months. My numbers went down right away — meaning, my cancer markers in my blood, because I do blood work all the time. After two or three rounds of chemo, they went down to almost zero, so they knew the chemo was working.

I did about three months of that. I had to stop a little bit early because I developed an allergic reaction to one of the chemo drugs they were giving me. Then they did another scan, and it didn’t show any signs of cancer. So they did a biopsy. Originally, there was a big mass in my colon, and then they took out my ovaries and uterus. There was also a small tumor between my liver and kidney. They left that one because it was so small; they left it so they had something to keep an eye on during treatment.

They did a biopsy of that area, and that also came back with no signs of cancer. I was considered in what they call NED now — instead of “in remission.” That was good news. I remember my doctor saying at that meeting that they hadn’t expected such good results. I wish I could remember exactly what she said because it was pretty good.

I actually ended up being NED for about nine months before the colon cancer came back. Even though she had told me the likelihood of it coming back was very high — and I believed that — at the same time, I really believed that I had beaten it. I thought, “It’s me; I beat it. It’s not coming back.” We had a huge party, and I was feeling really good.

I didn’t need any more treatments. I would still go in every few months for a scan and blood work. I kept it away for about nine months, and then I found out this December that it had returned.

How I lived during the nine months of being NED

During those nine months, I really 100% believed that I was done. There was no fear of it coming back. I really didn’t even think about it. I was just living life, doing all the things I wanted and needed to do.

My whole perspective on life changed. I was living life fully before that, but even more so after the diagnosis. It gave me a new perspective on life and how short it can be. I was really focusing on spending time with the people who lifted me and brought positivity into my life. I was focusing more on spending my time doing the things that brought me joy and made me happy.

I took lots of trips, including with my kids and my friends. I was just living life and really not thinking about the cancer for the most part. I guess it was probably there in the back of my mind, but I was not dwelling on it. I really thought that I was done and wouldn’t have to deal with it anymore.

Finding out that my colon cancer came back

I had no symptoms. I went in for blood work, and the blood work showed that my cancer markers were back up. They were even higher than they were when I got my initial diagnosis.

The doctor talked to me about that and said that was a pretty good indication that it had returned, and she scheduled some scans. I just remember feeling angry. I didn’t feel the sadness I did initially. I felt angry, and I don’t know who I was angry at, but I was just angry that it had returned because I really believed it wasn’t going to.

That was December. They did a CT scan in December, also. It didn’t show much. It showed that maybe there was another tumor behind my kidney. She said she had an appointment on January 5th with the tumor board, and she was going to bring it to them and see what they thought. They looked at it more closely there with the surgeon and some other doctors. They decided they were going to do another surgery to remove that new tumor and then do treatment again after that.

My second surgery, and changing my work life

They did surgery at the beginning of February. It was laparoscopic surgery, which should have been quick, easy, and pretty painless, but because of all the scar tissue from the initial surgery, it ended up being a lot more difficult than they expected. It took them two and a half hours just to get to the point where they could access the tumor.

They had to move so much scar tissue out of the way, and once they got there, they had to remove part of my liver and kidney so they could reach it and remove it. It was a long surgery. Even though they were still able to do it laparoscopically, they ended up with six different access points. That meant a good six weeks of recovery after that surgery.

I had just started a new job, which was another difficulty. When I was first diagnosed, I resigned from my teaching job because it was just too much with all of the treatment I was going through. My energy levels were so low. For the most part, I was feeling pretty good, even through treatment, but my energy was so low, and I thought, “I can’t teach elementary kids. I don’t have enough energy.” So I resigned from that job.

I didn’t work for over a year. Then I was in NED and feeling really good, so I got a new job. I purposely got a job — even though I say I wasn’t thinking about the cancer, I must have been — that I knew I would be able to maintain and keep if the cancer did return. Now I have a customer service job. I work from home; it’s a call center job, way less involved.

I started that job at the end of September. At the beginning of December, just a few months later, I found out the cancer had returned. That was hard too — I had to say “Hey, guess what? I’ve got to take time off for surgery,” or words to that effect, at my new job. I took six weeks off from work for recovery from that surgery. It was rough. It felt maybe even harder the second time because I had been through it before, and I was still angry that I was going through it again.

But I’m feeling good from that now. I recovered from that surgery. This time, they changed the chemo meds — not only because I had developed an allergic reaction to one of them, but also because they decided to do more aggressive treatment this time. So they chose more aggressive chemo medicines, and I did one week of radiation, five days in a row, and then started chemo after that.

Current chemo side effects and day-to-day symptoms

I’ve only had two rounds so far. There are no major side effects, although I have been feeling more sick this time — more nauseous, more nausea, and dizziness from the chemo. Of course, there’s fatigue — that’s a given.

Other side effects are some skin issues, like a rash, almost like acne, which is weird because I haven’t had acne since I was a teenager. That’s a side effect of one of the chemo drugs they’re giving me. I haven’t experienced it yet, but one of the other side effects can be really dry skin on your hands and feet. I haven’t experienced that yet.

My current treatment plan, and how long my chemo regimen might last

Right now, the plan is at least six months of chemo, plus scans and blood work. I think they’re going to do a scan every three months and blood work every two weeks to keep an eye on things. The overall plan is to get rid of it and keep it away as long as possible. They’re thinking at least six months of chemo to try to do that.

The hardest part of cancer treatment for me

I think the hardest part is that my life changed instantly. I didn’t ease into it. 

Your life is one way, and then all of a sudden, everything changes. Your outlook changes, your attitude changes, your support system changes, your schedule changes — everything. There’s not one thing that is the same between now and before I was diagnosed.

Personally, I do pretty well with change, and I do okay with challenges, but I like to know what to expect. When I don’t know what to expect, that gives me a lot of anxiety. With cancer, you don’t know what to expect. Even the doctors — they are super knowledgeable and do the best they can and prescribe you the best course of treatment they know is available — but they really don’t know either what to expect. Everybody’s different. Everybody’s body is different. Everybody reacts differently.

For me, the hardest part is just not knowing what to expect. I don’t know what the future looks like, and that is really hard for me. “

How colon cancer changed the way I see myself

That’s interesting, because physically I’m sick, and technically that makes me weaker than I used to be. But I also feel stronger in a way, because I’m not giving up. I’m fighting as hard as I can and doing everything I can, which makes me feel empowered and strong. It’s that weird dichotomy of knowing that I’m unwell but feeling very strong at the same time.

It’s forced me to put myself more in the forefront, too. I’ve always been a person to take care of others and put others in front of myself and uplift others. This has given me permission to put myself first a little bit and do things that are good for me and only me and not feel guilty about that.

It’s also given me the strength to stand up for myself and be able to distance myself from some people who I knew were not bringing positivity and good vibes. Before, I would never have done that, because I would have thought, “They need somebody; they need a friend.” It’s given me the power to surround myself with people who are going to lift me and bring positivity, and to spend time doing the things that make me happy and bring me joy. 

What people don’t see about living with cancer

I think, in general, people don’t know what it’s like unless they’ve been through it too. They just don’t 100% understand it. They also don’t see the everyday experience. I tend to be, in general, very positive, and most of the time I really am. People are always telling me, “Carrie, you’re amazing. You’re so positive and strong.”

They just don’t see the days when I’m not positive and strong. I don’t have very many of those days, but I do have days where I get really down, and I’m sad all day long. They don’t see that. They don’t see those ups and downs.

Everybody kind of understands that life is short and that nobody really ever knows when their time is up. Even if you’re completely healthy, you never know. But until you’ve actually faced knowing that you have a terminal disease that could take your life, I don’t think you fully understand what that’s like unless you’ve experienced it personally.

Balancing fear and hope with stage 4 colon cancer

I don’t know. I probably tend to be more on the light and positive side of it, and I probably tend to downplay it. I don’t want to change that either. If I have to choose between being hopeful and positive and believing that I’m going to beat it again and keep beating it — even though I know what reality is — I’m going to choose hope.

I don’t think I’m being delusional because people beat things like this all the time, and as I said, I believe in miracles. I do think I may go a little farther than most people would on the hopeful side. One of the things that I’ve done: I have a TikTok where I do daily dances.

When I was in NED the first time, we did “A shimmy a day keeps the cancer away,” and we did it for 100 days. I did a dance every day with my friends, or whoever I was with, or by myself if I was by myself.

Now that it’s come back, we do the hustle every day — “Hustle the cancer away.” I think we’re on day 23 or 24 today. I probably make light of it more than most people, but that’s what keeps me going.

If I have a choice between making light of it — not making fun of it, but having fun in the midst of it — and being down all the time, scared all the time, and negative all the time, the latter would not be an option for me. I wouldn’t want to live my life that way. I choose not to.

As I said, I have days where I am sad, and I am down, but for the most part, I’m choosing to make the most of it, and I’m dancing through it with my friends because that’s all I can do. I have to do it that way.

My hope for the future

My hope for the future is that I beat colon cancer completely. I still have hope that I can do that. Right now, that looks like taking it one day at a time, staying as healthy as I can, making healthy lifestyle choices, and doing what my doctors suggest.

The plan right now is to beat it again and keep it away as long as I can. I’d love to keep it away forever. If I can’t keep it away forever, that’s okay. If it comes back, we’re just going to keep beating it until we can’t any longer.

My advice for supporting someone with cancer

My advice: just be available. Let patients know that you’re thinking about them and that you are willing to help them with whatever they need.

I have a huge support system, and I often think to myself, “There are people in this world who are struggling with this and have nobody — they have to do it alone. I’m so grateful that I don’t have to do it alone.”

Like I said at the beginning of the interview, my friends and family have really shown up. I know that any second of the day, I can call anybody and they would be there in a heartbeat. My sister has especially been my rock.

You don’t have to physically be there all the time or be at their house all the time, but just reaching out and saying, “Hey, I’m here. I’m thinking about you. Let me know if you need anything,” is really helpful. It’s helpful to know that you’re not alone and you have people rooting for you.

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Hear from people living with colon cancer

Real experiences with diagnosis, treatment choices, side effects, and life beyond colon cancer — in their own words.

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