Some days, I look back at my rectal cancer treatment, and I honestly can’t believe how far I’ve come. The fact that I’m not only alive but stable is remarkable.

My nightmare with rectal cancer began in November 2016, when I was 54. I started to feel discomfort just days before my first colonoscopy. My doctor couldn’t find anything wrong with my colon, but because my pain was intensifying, he sent me to a colorectal surgeon. A biopsy...