IN Plum Winter 2019 | Page 2

Thanks to advanced care, Kelly’s cancer-free Kelly Farley’s initial symptoms were mild. “Other people would chalk it up as nothing,” she said. But her father had died of colon cancer, so she talked to her doctor and had a colonoscopy, even though she was only 38. “It’s always scary to hear ‘cancer,’” she said, “But hearing stage 3 colorectal cancer was a big shock.” Within two days, Kelly and her husband, Josh, had met her surgical, medical, and radiation oncologists and knew how her journey would proceed. Having a personal nurse navigator was also comforting. “We always went in to see Elaine with a full list of questions and she answered every one,” Kelly said. Though she would need surgery, Kelly had chemotherapy and radiation treatments fi rst, to improve long-term prospects of remission. She trusted her medical team, faith, family, and friends to see her through the months ahead. At Forbes Hospital, James McCormick, DO, performed robotic surgery to remove 9–10 inches of her rectum and one of her ovaries, where the cancer had spread. Once her colon healed, Dr. McCormick reversed her ileostomy and reconnected her digestive organs. Her physicians will continue to monitor her health with periodic exams. On January 15, 2019, Kelly had her fi rst cancer-free scan. “We celebrated with a trip to Mexico in April,” said Kelly. “But really, we celebrate every day.” “During my care, everyone was wonderful, positive, and optimistic.” KELLY FARLEY, CANCER SURVIVOR 3 MOST COMMON CANCER IS COLORECTAL CANCER* 50 AGE TO BEGIN COLORECTAL SCREENINGS* * cancer.org/cancer/colon-rectal-cancer/about/key-statistics.html