"It was an emotionally draining shopping experience. I have Stage IV colon cancer, and my prognosis is not good. I doubt I will be around to celebrate occasions like their milestone birthdays, high school and college graduation, and weddings when they're older. I've decided to write messages in the cards well in advance so that my husband, Dan, can present them to Ella and Austin on each special occasion."
"They did an initial X-ray, which showed inflammation. But when I had a CT scan at a second hospital after a frightening spell of vomiting, they picked up a large mass that looked like a rectal tumor. A gastroenterologist did a colonoscopy, but couldn't get past the tumor. I had no choice but surgery."
Lauren Gilbert, 42, was diagnosed in April 2025 with Stage IV signet ring cell adenocarcinoma of the colon. She experienced weeks of bloating, rectal pressure and vomiting that led to emergency imaging and a CT scan revealing a large mass. A colonoscopy could not pass the tumor, and surgeons removed the tumor along with twelve inches of colon, leaving a permanent colostomy bag. Her prognosis is poor. She selected sixteen greeting cards for her children, Ella, five, who is neurodiverse, and Austin, four, and wrote messages for milestone birthdays, graduations and weddings. Her husband, Dan, will present the cards at each occasion.
Read at Business Insider
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