Throughout high school, I often went to my mom complaining about stomach pain. Every time I visited the doctor, I told them about the pain in my abdomen and the dark red blood I was seeing in my stool. Each time, my concerns were dismissed. I was told it was likely related to menstrual cramps. As the years went by, I felt unheard and began to wonder if anyone was truly listening to what I was experiencing.

When I was 19 years old, I decided to seek a second opinion. I found a new doctor and told her the same story I had been telling for years. This time, someone listened.

She ordered a fecal occult blood test, which came back positive. From there, I underwent a colonoscopy. What the doctors found was shocking: nearly 200 polyps throughout my colon, some of which were already cancerous.

Soon after, I was referred to the Mayo Clinic. The specialists there determined that surgery was necessary, and they removed 80 percent of my colon. During the process, they also ordered genetic testing to determine whether I carried the Familial Adenomatous Polyposis (FAP) gene.

The results arrived on my birthday, August 8th.

I remember opening the letter and reading the words that confirmed I did, in fact, have the FAP gene. In that moment, I broke down. I felt as though my life was over. The diagnosis seemed bigger than me, and I struggled to imagine what my future would look like.

Since then, my journey has not been easy. I have faced chronic pain and recurrent pancreatitis following upper endoscopy procedures. There have been moments of fear, frustration, and exhaustion. There have been days when I questioned how much more I could handle.

But there has also been growth.

Over time, I have done a tremendous amount of mental and emotional work on myself. I have learned that this diagnosis does not have to break me. Instead, it can make me stronger. FAP is a part of my story, but it is not the whole story.

My experience has taught me the importance of advocating for myself, trusting my instincts, and refusing to give up when something feels wrong. If I had not continued searching for answers, my outcome could have been very different.

Today, I still face challenges, but I face them with a different perspective. I am stronger than I once believed. I am resilient. I am determined.

Most importantly, I am a fighter.