Thousands of patients with diseases and conditions related to the colon, rectum and anus have found help and assistance from members of ASCRS. Colon and rectal surgeons are specialists trained in the diagnosis and treatment of disorders of the colon, rectum and anus. These patient success stories provide an overview of the exceptional service and dedication provided to patients by colon and rectal surgeons.
Live Your Life, With Passion…
After surgery, or just living day to day with an illness, it may seem impossible to fulfill your dreams. How can I travel? How can I play sports? How can I raise a family? So many questions, and lots of hurdles to overcome.
As a teenager, Lois Fink was sick more times than she can count. At age 17, she was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease. Years later, she had a permanent ileostomy, which set her on the path she is on today – international motivational speaker and advocate who brings awareness and inspiration to those suffering from inflammatory bowel diseases.
Special events planner Paige Calvert Ennis, now age 40 and living in Boston, was first diagnosed with ulcerative colitis at age 28. Ulcerative colitis is an inflammatory disease that has symptoms that may include bleeding with bowel movements, abdominal pain, bloating or diarrhea. However, Paige continued to live a fast-paced lifestyle—eating whatever she wanted and working long hours—and by her mid 30s she found herself planning her life around the nearest bathroom. During the worst of times, she needed to visit the bathroom at least 100 times a day.
Three years ago, 61-year-old Sharon Tschider from Bismarck, North Dakota, noticed she had bleeding with her bowel movements. Married and the mother of seven children, at first she thought the bleeding was coming from hemorrhoids resulting from her many pregnancies. But after the bleeding continued for two months she underwent a colonoscopy, an exam that views the entire colon, and was diagnosed with a rectal cancer.
No one expects to be diagnosed with colorectal cancer, especially a former professional football player who takes pride in staying in good physical condition. Yet that's exactly what happened to former Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Vince Papale. Vince, 56, is now on a crusade to encourage men and women over age 40 to get screened for colorectal cancer.
Wendy Skrdlant, 41, married and mother of two teenagers, works as a business systems analyst and lives in Manhattan, Kansas, two hours from Kansas City. Today she leads a normal life, but three years ago her life was out of control because of a debilitating health problem. Wendy had ulcerative colitis, an inflammatory disease of the colon that has symptoms that may include bleeding with bowel movements, abdominal pain or bloating, constipation, diarrhea, or a combination.