A woman from California, who was told she had only six months to live due to advanced colon cancer, has decided to stop treatment after nearly ten years of fighting the disease.
Jamie Comer was 47 when a routine blood test in 2016 showed high liver enzyme levels, which help with digestion. Further tests, including a colonoscopy, revealed she had stage four colon cancer that had already spread to her liver.
The active mother from San Francisco was suddenly faced with a shocking diagnosis – 57 tumors on her liver and just three to six months to live.
Yet, nearly ten years and 180 rounds of chemotherapy later, Jamie Comer is still holding on.
Now 55, she has chosen to stop treatment after enduring grueling sessions that left her feeling even worse. Entering hospice care, she is shifting her focus to raising awareness about colon cancer and urging younger patients to get screened early.
While a colonoscopy is the most effective way to detect colon cancer, current guidelines recommend screenings starting at age 45.
The screening age was 50 when Comer was first diagnosed, but it has since been lowered to 45.
Speaking to ABC 7 News, she reflected on how earlier detection could have changed her fate.
“I would have been inconvenienced for maybe 18 months, but it would not have been a death sentence,” she said.
She added that after her diagnosis, she spent eight to 11 hours in chemotherapy sessions three days every other week.
In addition to chemo, she underwent seven surgeries to remove tumors from her liver.
However, after enduring 180 rounds of chemotherapy and undergoing between 60 and 70 scans, the toll on her body became too much. This year, she made the difficult decision to stop treatment and enter hospice care at home.
“It wasn’t a difficult decision. There were no treatment options that were working and the chemo was making me sicker so I couldn’t recover,” she said.
Ms. Comer shared that she has been repeating the same advice to young people and doctors for years.
“I’m really a pain in the butt. I keep saying the same thing – screen early.”
The American Cancer Society now advises getting a colonoscopy every 10 years starting at age 45. Before 2021, the recommendation was 50, which meant Ms. Comer missed the chance to detect her cancer early.
Reflecting on her journey, she said, “To the problem in your life, you are the answer and you are the solution. You have to figure it out.”
While she has stopped treatment, Ms. Comer credits her husband and 17-year-old daughter for keeping her spirits high.
“Who would want to leave this beautiful world with all this kindness?” she shared.
Source: ABC 7 News
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