“I realized that we have to check ourselves even if we may feel embarrassed or scared. Because of fear my father left us too soon.”

Ana comes from a close-knit family. A few years ago, they experienced a devastating loss; the death of Ana's father to colon cancer at age 59. She and her family were unaware of the importance of getting screened for colon cancer, until her father's passing. Like many people diagnosed with colon cancer, her father did not have noticeable symptoms and felt no need to get checked. He only began to experience symptoms at the end of his life, including abdominal pain and a frequent need to go to the bathroom.

Ana began to experience similar symptoms as her father had; she had a history of anemia, occasional rectal bleeding, and acute pain in her stomach. Remembering her father and afraid she might also have colon cancer; Ana visited her primary care physician (PCP) at Marin Community Clinics to get help.

Ana's PCP educated her on preventive measures and recommended a colonoscopy to determine whether she had benign or cancerous polyps.

Ana's PCP educated her on preventive measures and recommended a colonoscopy to determine whether she had benign or cancerous polyps. .

Ana's PCP referred her to our program because she was uninsured and unable to afford the cost of care. Ana qualified and we matched her with Dr. Nguyen. She received the colonoscopy screening during a Saturday GI Session at Kaiser Permanente South San Francisco Medical Center, where she and 20 other patients were treated.

Fortunately, Ana tested negative for colon cancer and no polyps were detected. "I realized that we have to check ourselves even if we may feel embarrassed or scared. Because of fear my father left us too soon." 

Story and photo shared with patient’s permission.