Young adult colon cancer survivor says support was vital during treatment

At age 26, Savannah Kaspar was a typical young adult: working, spending time with family and friends and planning trips. But after a colorectal cancer diagnosis, she faced a lot of unknowns. 

Savannah’s colorectal cancer symptoms

In February 2023, Savannah started having pain in her lower abdomen. She thought it might be due to an ovarian cyst, so she saw her gynecologist. A routine exam showed there wasn’t any cause for concern, so her doctor had her keep a food diary to see if anything she ate made the pain worse. Her diet didn’t seem to be causing the issues and the pain continued, so her doctor scheduled an ultrasound.

A few months later, Savannah developed more symptoms.

“I started having really bloody stools, so I went to the emergency room,” she says. “My CT scan was normal, so they referred me to a gastroenterologist who did bloodwork and a stool sample. My stool sample came back positive, but the doctor thought it was due to hemorrhoids. My bloodwork showed a positive inflammatory bowel disease marker, which can be associated with Crohn’s disease.”

Savannah was younger than the recommended age to get her first colonoscopy, but she had abdominal pain, bad constipation and bloody stools. She knew her symptoms were serious, so she pushed for a colonoscopy.

In August, a colonoscopy revealed a mass in Savannah’s sigmoid colon. Doctors said it was noncancerous but told Savannah she needed surgery to have it removed.

“They said it could develop into cancer later,” says Savannah. “They asked if I wanted to go to MD Anderson since I worked there.”

Savannah works as a program coordinator for Nephrology at MD Anderson, so she felt comfortable coming here for her surgery. She had her first appointment a couple of weeks later.

Savannah’s colorectal cancer diagnosis

At MD Anderson, Savannah had bloodwork and another CT scan. The CT scan showed that her lymph nodes were enlarged.

“They suspected I might have stage III colon cancer,” Savannah says. “And the tumor could possibly be attached to my uterus.”

She had a flexible sigmoidoscopy, which examined the rectum and lower part of the colon. Doctors couldn’t reach her tumor during the procedure, so she had a repeat colonoscopy four days later.

A biopsy confirmed Savannah had colon cancer, but the stage was unknown.

“I was shocked,” she says. “I went from thinking I didn’t have cancer to learning it could be stage III. I didn’t know if it was genetic, if I needed a hysterectomy or if I’d need an ileostomy. There were so many unknowns, and they hit me all at once.”

An MRI showed that the cancer hadn’t spread to Savannah’s uterus, so she could have surgery to remove the tumor. But first, Savannah met with oncofertility specialist Laurie McKenzie, M.D., and decided to freeze her eggs. She knew this was important to do before beginning cancer treatment, so she’d have more options for parenthood in the future.

“I went to New York City to have one last trip before I started my colorectal cancer treatment,” says Savannah. “The trip was planned before my diagnosis. It was an awesome opportunity to clear my head and mentally prepare to begin treatment.”

Savannah’s colorectal cancer treatment

On Oct. 18, 2023, Savannah underwent a partial colectomy at MD Anderson to remove part of her colon, including the tumor and a small amount of tissue surrounding it. She had 30 lymph nodes tested, and they all came back clear. The cancer was declared stage II.

The pathology report revealed that Savannah had lymphovascular invasion and perineural invasion. This put her at a higher risk for recurrence. So, eight weeks after surgery, she completed four rounds of chemotherapy to make sure all the cancer was gone. She received infusions of oxaliplatin and took oral chemotherapy capecitabine under the care of gastrointestinal medical oncologist Ryan Huey, M.D., at MD Anderson West Houston, close to her home. Savannah completed her last chemo treatment on Feb. 1.

MD Anderson helps Savannah manage chemotherapy side effects

Like many cancer patients, Savannah says the first round of chemotherapy was the toughest.

“That first night, my left hand locked up and became stiff, and my vision in one eye went black,” recalls Savannah. “I would blink, and in a few seconds my vision would come back.”

Savannah called MD Anderson’s help line and spoke with the on-call oncologist. Because her symptoms were on one side of her body, they had her come to MD Anderson’s Acute Cancer Care Center to make sure she wasn’t having a stroke. Savannah had a CT scan and MRI of her brain. They both came back clear.

Savannah’s hair thinned slightly during treatment, she had muscle cramps at times and she had bad nausea the first week.

“My care team added in an extra nausea medication for my second round of chemo and prescribed a muscle relaxer for my cramps. That helped a lot,” she says. “Dr. Huey and his team had an answer to everything and were so quick to find a solution for my side effects.”

Finding support from family, friends and coworkers

Savannah says her mom, boyfriend and other family and close friends were her biggest supporters during treatment.

“I called my mom almost every day, even before the diagnosis,” she says. “When I was stressed because I knew something was wrong but didn’t know it was cancer, she was always my first phone call. And my boyfriend is my ray of sunshine and positivity. He’s always able to lift my spirits and make me laugh.”

Savannah also had the support of her colleagues at work.

“I’m thankful to my department managers for allowing me to take time off or work from home when needed,” she says. “I’m grateful for the doctors who helped answer my questions. My team collected donations for me and visited me in the hospital. It’s awesome how supportive they were.”

Embracing a new outlook after colon cancer treatment

Savannah continues to have bloodwork done every three months. She will have a CT scan and a colonoscopy a year out from surgery. The results will determine how often she’ll need follow-up testing.

Because she was diagnosed at such a young age, Savannah had genetic testing to make sure she didn’t have Lynch syndrome. This would put her at a higher risk for other cancers. Her genetic testing came back negative.

“When I first reached out to a former colleague after my diagnosis, she said something that really stuck out to me,” recalls Savannah. “She said, ‘Your life is forever changed. Some days will be hard, but it gets better every day.’”

When starting treatment, Savannah wondered if her life had changed forever.

“Looking back, I know it’s true. I’ll never be the same person, but it’s changed me for the better,” she says. “I’m stronger. I don’t stress about little things anymore. I don’t take my health for granted. It’s made me appreciate the positives in life, and it’s made my faith stronger.”

Savannah and her boyfriend are planning a trip to Europe later this year to celebrate the end of her treatment.

She offers this advice for other young people facing a new cancer diagnosis: “Just be open with your care team. They’re always on your side and willing to help.”

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