How It Unfolded
The symptoms, treatments, setbacks, and turning points that shaped my life and Radiant14.
The Timeline
My Story Stage IIA to Stage IV
At 29, I was diagnosed with Stage IIA rectal cancer. Cancer was later found in my liver and lungs, making it Stage IV. This is the chronology of the treatment, setbacks, and life that followed.
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Newsweek
NEW
YORK POST
Yahoo! Lifestyle
SELF
Times Now
News
SurvivorNet
LADbible
Newsbreak
Medical
Daily
Inside
Edition
Newsweek
Why 14%?
Radiant14 takes its name from the roughly 14% five-year survival statistic associated with metastatic colorectal cancer when this journey began. Survival statistics continue to evolve as treatments and data improve, but the number remains part of where this story started.
JAN
2019
Initial Symptoms
I began experiencing unusual symptoms, leading to a series of doctor visits.
Common
Symptoms
- Persistent change in bowel habits
- Rectal bleeding or blood in stool
- Persistent abdominal discomfort
- Weakness or fatigue
STAGE IIA
The Diagnosis
A biopsy confirmed rectal adenocarcinoma with a KRAS mutation. My initial diagnosis was Stage IIA.
MAY
2019
JUL
2019
FOLFOX Chemotherapy Begins
Started an aggressive chemotherapy regimen. Side effects included fatigue, nausea, and neuropathy.
Gastrointestinal
Issues
Mouth
Sores
Hair
Loss
Bleeding
Radiation Therapy
Underwent daily radiation sessions to target the primary tumor in my pelvis.
Cedars-Sinai uses this advanced machine for highly precise treatments (SBRT/IMRT), minimizing damage to healthy tissue.
NOV
2019
MAR
2020
Surgery & Ileostomy
I underwent a low anterior resection to remove the primary tumor. Adjusting to life with a temporary stoma was difficult.
Ileostomy Reversal
I had the ileostomy reversed, a major step toward rebuilding some sense of normalcy.
Ileostomy [il·e·os·to·my]: a surgical operation in which a piece of the ileum is diverted to an artificial opening in the abdominal wall.
MAY
2020
FEB
2021
RADIOFREQUENCY ABLATION
Liver Ablation
After metastatic disease changed my diagnosis to Stage IV, I underwent radiofrequency ablation to destroy metastatic liver lesions.
Lung Nodule Ablations
This was the first of multiple image-guided ablation procedures for metastatic lung nodules found on scans.
The procedures were performed under general anesthesia while the doctor guided a probe into my lung using real-time CT imaging.
MAY
2021
JUN
2021
Collapsed Lung
I suffered a pneumothorax following ablation. It was terrifying, but it was treated with a chest tube.
What is a pneumothorax?
Air leaks into the space between lung and chest wall, pushing on the lung and making it collapse.
Blood Clot Detected
An acute thrombus was found in my brachial vein on the side associated with my chemo port, requiring anticoagulation.
Why treat clots?
A clot can break free and travel to the lungs, causing a potentially life-threatening pulmonary embolism.
SEP
2021
FEB
2022
Dialysis Begins
Due to kidney complications, I began dialysis. Staying motivated through this added challenge was extremely difficult.
NED
No Evidence of Disease
After several clear scans, I reached the moment I had long hoped for. A turning point from active treatment to survivorship.
MAR
2023
JUL
2024
JUL 2024
Fatherhood
Welcomed my daughter, Cameryn, into the world, a bright light after years of darkness.
Local Recurrence
A PET/MRI scan revealed a local recurrence. Doctors proposed radical surgery, and I sought second and third opinions from specialists across multiple institutions and treatment disciplines.
Have advice or guidance?
OCT
2025
CURRENT
CURRENT PHASE
BOT/BAL Clinical Trial
I am now participating in a clinical trial of botensilimab and balstilimab (BOT/BAL), an investigational immunotherapy combination developed by Agenus.
Where I Am Now
I am focused on the BOT/BAL clinical trial, building a meaningful life with my daughter, Cameryn, and sharing what this experience actually looks like. Radiant14 is where I document the uncertainty, the treatment, the progress, and what I wish I had known sooner.