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A Colon Cancer diagnosis can change everything but it doesn’t get to take away your joy. Whether you’re in treatment, recovering, or years out, you deserve moments of peace, laughter, and meaning.

Here are a few gentle, real-life ways patients and survivors can enjoy life beyond diagnosis:

• Celebrate small wins: A good lab result, a walk around the block, a day with less fatigue- count it.

• Create a “joy list”: 10 simple things that lift you up (music, sunshine, a favorite show, a warm drink, a phone call).

• Move in ways that feel safe: Stretching, short walks, chair yoga- anything that supports your body where it is today.

• Reconnect with people who feel supportive: One safe person is enough. You don’t have to do this alone.

Caregiving is hard, and it’s also deeply meaningful. If you’re caring for someone affected by Colon Cancer, you’re not alone.

Some things caregivers often love about being a caregiver:

• Feeling close and connected through the everyday moments

• Being able to bring comfort, dignity, and calm

• Learning how strong they really are

• Becoming an advocate and making a real difference

Collectively we're advocating for a cure for Colon Cancer and for medications that are affordable and accessible for everyone. Too many patients and families face impossible choices because of high drug costs, insurance barriers, and delays in care.

Question for the group: What’s one change you want to see most- more research funding for a cure, lower medication prices, or better access to screening and treatment?

Beyond insulin, where is the innovation?

• A (Endocrinologist): GLP-1 agonists (Ozempic, Mounjaro) have changed everything. They lower A1c and cause weight loss. But supply and cost are crises.

• B (Pharmacist): Don’t forget SGLT2 inhibitors. They protect kidneys and hearts, even in non-diabetics with CKD. That’s a massive label expansion.

• C (Payer): We can’t afford $1,000/month per patient. We are forcing step therapy (metformin first). Drug companies need to compete on price.

• D (Patient): I was on metformin for 10 years with GI side effects. These new drugs gave me my life back. Stop gatekeeping based on cost.

Here are meaningful ways caregivers can show up for our Colon Cancer Patients:

• Listen first. Ask, “What do you need today?” and follow their lead. Sometimes they want solutions, sometimes they just want to be heard.

• Protect their energy. Help limit stressful conversations, manage visitors, and create quiet time for rest.

• Nutrition and hydration. Offer small, gentle meals, keep water/electrolytes nearby, and track what foods feel best (especially during treatment).

• Help with symptoms. Take pain, fatigue, nausea, bowel changes, and anxiety seriously. Encourage calling the care team when something feels off.

• Be a treatment partner. Go to appointments, take notes, keep a medication list, and help organize questions for the doctor.

What symptom or side effect would you like tips for managing most right now?

Options:

1. Fatigue / low energy

2. Nausea or appetite changes

3. Bowel changes (diarrhea/constipation)

4. Neuropathy (tingling/numbness)

Going into an appointment can feel overwhelming when you’re navigating Colon Cancer. Bringing a few grounded, advocacy focused questions can help you feel more in control and supported.

Here are a few questions we put together that you can ask your doctor:

1. Can you explain my diagnosis and stage in plain language and what it means for my next 30–90 days?

2. What are my treatment options, and what’s the goal of each one (cure, control, symptom relief)?

3. What side effects should I expect, and what can we do ahead of time to manage them?

4. What symptoms are urgent? what should I look out for that could send me to the ER vs. a call to the office?

Caregivers,

Your strength matters, and so do you. If you’re supporting someone with Colon Cancer, you’re often juggling appointments, medications, meals, symptom tracking, emotional support, and the day-to-day details that keep everything moving. That role is powerful and it can also be exhausting.

Today’s check-in: Have you taken at least 10 minutes for yourself this week? A walk, a cup of tea, a nap, a phone call with a friend- anything that helps you breathe? Taking time for yourself isn’t selfish; it’s a part of staying steady for the long road.

In caring for a Colon Cancer patient, Caregivers often become the organizer, advocate, note taker, comforter, and protector. You’re doing more than you may realize.

If you’re going through a Colon Cancer diagnosis or treatment right now, you don’t have to carry it alone. This group is here for support, encouragement, and real life tips from people who understand.

Share what you need today, whether it’s:

• A place to vent or process

• Questions about appointments, treatment, side effects, or recovery

• Help talking with family, friends, or your care team

• Practical resources and coping strategies