The devastating confirmation came after a colonoscopy. “When I woke from the procedure, something felt off. I wasn’t offered anything to eat or drink, and a nurse told me the gastroenterologist would see me shortly. Then he delivered the news: he had located a tumor,” Susan shared. Further imaging, including a CT scan and MRI, revealed that the rectal cancer had metastasized to her uterus, pelvic lymph nodes, and right lung. The diagnosis was terminal: stage 4 bowel cancer, incurable, with the focus now on maintaining quality of life and extending survival as much as possible.