A story about a colorectal cancer patient: Julianne Gogan

Julianne Gogan was completely energized when she met her primary care doctor for her routine examinations. In fact, she almost left without mentioning anything seemingly small. She noticed a small amount of blood on the stool.

Luckily, Julian decided to mention it near the end of the visit. Her doctor recommended a Colonoscopyto be safe. The test found colon cancer. He then showed that surgery to remove the tumor would likely be undetectable for about two years.

“Early screening saved my life,” Julian said. “I was 46 at the time. I waited until I turned 50. [which was the standard then]the tumor may have grown through the wall of the colon. Like my surgeon said, it wouldn't have been good. ”

Stage 1 cancer diagnosis

Julian hesitated after a colonoscopy. She felt healthy and had heard that preparation was unpleasant. So when the booking approached, she cancelled it.

However, something reconsidered Julian and she rescheduled the appointment. In this test, she showed cancerous growth in her colon and an MRI scan determined to be stage 1 cancer.

“The goal of the screening is to identify precancerous lesions and cancers as early as possible,” explained Julian's gastroenterological oncologist. Aparna Parikh, MD. “We know that the earlier we catch colon cancer, the more likely we are to get better results. And in this case, we obviously caught it in the treatment stage.”

Dr. Parik has partnered closely with colorectal surgeons David Berger, MDand others at Mass General Cancer Center to determine the best treatment plan for Julianne. She had surgery to remove the tumor, followed by eight rounds of chemotherapy, four weeks of chemotherapy and radiation therapy (chemoradiation).

Surgery reveals cancer of the lymph nodes

During the surgery, Dr. Berger discovered that the cancer spreads to one lymph node outside Julian's colon. He removed about half of his colon along with nearby tissue and lymph nodes.

This finding transformed Julian's diagnosis from stage 1 to stage 3 colon cancer. This did not change her treatment plan, but it was difficult news for Julian to handle after the surgery.

“I was a single parent with a 10-year-old son at home,” she said. “You have to wear an armored coat and prepare for the fight. That's what I did. I trusted the doctor and I was going to do whatever they asked.”

Her first job was to heal from surgery and prepare her body for chemotherapy. She saw A Nutritionist Outside of the popular general Brigham for guidance on eating well to support her recovery. But it was a difficult stretch for her, with great pain and fatigue.

Navigate emotional loss

Five weeks after the surgery, Julian put the port in. This is a device that delivers chemotherapy directly into the bloodstream. Two weeks later, she began her first round of chemotherapy at the Mass General Cancer Center under the careful surveillance of Dr. Parif.

“I really admire Dr. Parik's compassion, positivity and integrity,” Julian said. “She has always made herself available, and she has made dealing with “unpublished.” ”

Infusion Nurs also helped Julianne do that through chemotherapy sessions, Janine Clarke from RN and Tracey Rennie from RN.

“All the nurses were angels,” Julian said. “Once upon a time, one of them sat with me, held hands and began praying with me. People who come in your life when you are experiencing trauma. It is so sacred in my eyes.”

Two months of chemotherapy hit Julianne, who suffered from weight loss and nausea. Dr. Parif adjusted her medication along the way to address these and other side effects.

The side effect Julian couldn't avoid was hair loss. When her hair began to fall in large chunks, she decided to take the problem into her own hands.

“I lost more hair than I expected, so I decided to make it very short,” she recalled. “It was tough, but after I got through the initial shock, I was ready to move on.”

Enter the final stage of treatment

After each round of chemotherapy, Julianne went home to the port with a bag of medicine. She spent a week wearing her luggage 24 hours a week and took a week off, when the next round began.

As chemotherapy continued, Julian tried to make a brave face. Especially around my son Aiden.

“I was there in advance about what he and I were going through, and I was always stressing that I was OK,” she said. “But I didn't let him see me when he got caught up in a crying ball at night. I tried to protect him from it. There's a lot to fight for when you have kids.

Prior to chemoradiation, Julian focused on nutrition and weight gain in the back. At this stage, she received small doses of chemotherapy and radiation therapy every day for 28 days. Radiation Oncologist Jennifer Waugh, MDoverseeing her radiation therapy.

“She and Dr. Parif were my biggest cheerleaders,” Julian said. “They said it would be difficult, but I said they could. They show such compassion and overwhelming empathy for people they don't know.”

In the meantime, Julianne was equipped with wigs in a local salon specializing in making human hair wigs for people with cancer. She named Wig Grace. “Because I felt like I had God's grace every day,” she said.

Advocates of early screening

After completion of chemoradiation therapy, Julian's imaging scan and blood test showed no signs of cancer. Over the next five years, further testing confirmed that she is cancer-free. After five years of mark, she reached remission. She will continue to check in on DRS. Parif and WO once a year up to the 10th year mark.

Julian's body is slowly adapting to only have half the colon. Just like before the surgery, she eats well (all organic foods, no red meat), maintaining an active fitness routine. She is defending again Screening for colon cancerespecially for young people. “They may depend on it, so they need to do it,” she said.

Looking back, Julian was a good candidate. Early Cancer Screening forever. Her grandmother had colon cancer, and other families had colon polyps (a small growth that can develop in colon cancer over time). As Dr. Parik pointed out, even the family history of polyps without a cancer diagnosis increases the risk of colon cancer.

Dr. Parik emphasized that colonoscopy is the gold standard for colon cancer screening. However, she added that there are other reliable and less invasive ways to get screened, encouraging patients to discuss alternative options with their gastroenterologists.

Looking back on her journey, Julian was grateful to be back in health and to the care team that made it possible.

“I can't say enough about the people at the Mass General Cancer Center. They treat you with love, care, dignity and respect. You're not just a number for them,” she said. “We understand why people fly from all over the world to receive care there.”

Originally Published at Mass General Brigham March 27th, 2025.